St. Kitts -- WinStreak Ltd., the gaming division of IGN Internet Global Network,announced October 21 that it has temporarily closed SHARC, its Internet sports contest site.
SHARC, located at
http://www.sharc.com, has been operational since 1996 and to date has over 26,000 members. Since February 1998, the site has hosted The 1998 Fantasy Golf Challenge, co-sponsored by Cobra Golf Incorporated and MasterCard International Incorporated. The Fantasy Golf Challenge has been a resounding success, attracting over 21,000 users.
The decision to close SHARC resulted from WinStreak's intention to focus its efforts toward its online casino, Casinos of the World (www.casinosoftheworld.com). The online gambling site offers a complete virtual gaming experience, including slots, video poker, blackjack, keno and roulette. It features the only eight-line slots on the Internet as well as some of the largest progressive jackpots on the Internet. It has won numerous industry awards, including seven consecutive months of 'Top-10 Sites' at Gambling.com, the 'Golden Seal' award for September 1998 at the Gambling Registry, a '5 Aces award', and Game Royal's highest honor, its '5 Cards award'.
WinStreak is planning to reopen SHARC sometime in 1999, with a fresh look and a series of new contests. The company intends to once again partner with leading North American companies, such as Cobra Golf and MasterCard, to co-sponsor its contests.
In a press release, WinStreak expressed gratitude to all of SHARC's members for their ongoing support and their hope of seeing current members again next year for another season of exiting and innovative contests.