Inland Entertainment announced today the long awaited debut of its "Vegas At Home" online gambling portal. And to prove they mean business, they're launching the site with a big-time contest.
The new site, located at www.vegasathome.com, is celebrating the its arrival with the "New Year's in Vegas Fantasy Stock Challenge." The grand prize for the contest includes three nights at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, two tickets to the New Year's Eve Bette Midler concert, $5,000 spending money, free air travel (within the continental U.S.) and an invitation to Max Rubin's invitation-only "Blackjack Ball," profiled in the August 1999 issue of Cigar Aficionado (www.cigaraficionado.com). All expenses are covered by Inland and the contest is free to enter.
"Everyone wants to be at the center of the Vegas action on this very special New Year, but many were overwhelmed when the $2,000-per-night rates and the three-night minimum stays were announced," Inland CEO Don Speer said. "It made perfect sense for VegasatHome.com, the largest resource of free Vegas news and information on the Internet, to help someone realize their dream. In fact, the Fantasy Stock Challenge is just the first in a long line of monthly giveaways, trips and promotions from VegasatHome.com."
Partnering with Virtual Stock Exchange.com, a subsidiary of Predict It.com (OTC:BB:PRIT), Inland Entertainment will provide each contestant with $500,000 of "virtual money" with which to pick and trade fantasy stocks. The contest will run from September 1 through November 30, 1999, and the winner will be announced on or before December 10. In addition to the grand prize, there will be weekly and monthly prizes for free Vegas hotel stays and other comps.
VegasatHome.com is a robust cartoon-style Las Vegas "virtual community" on the Web offering news, books, promotional offers, strategy tips, travel deals, message boards, and other content and links for guests interested in the Las Vegas experience both online and off-line. Each of the site's various sections are represented by a cartoon visual, including: Ask Max, the Tavern, Daily News, Las Vegas Advisor, Visitor's Center, the Chamber, the Travel Store, the Bookstore, Hotels, and links to online casinos operated by Inland (www.KennyRogersCasino.com, www.LasVegasatHomeCasino.com, www.CasinoAustralia.com and GoodLuckClub.com).
Inland Entertainment worked with cartoonist Sherman Goodrich to create the stylized look of the new website. Goodrich, who co-founded the Southern California Cartoonists Society, has more than 30 years in the entertainment industry as an author of comic strips, editorial cartoons and humorist essays. In addition, Goodrich, who has produced and directed more than 140 animated commercials for television, is also a founder of the animation department at Arizona State University.
All online casinos linked to VegasatHome.com do not accept live wagers from persons within the United States, pending clarification of legal issues.