Issue N52, 2008
December 24, 2008
Online Poker Site Closes its Doors
An online poker subscription site, barely a few months in the industry, has been forced to close its doors to the public and leave behind a trail of bounced checks sent to players for their winnings. Two months ago, the Zosoz poker site was launched, with its co-founder Tom Belisle making frequent appearances on any possible forum to ensure that everyone got to hear about the new site. For an affordable $19.99 a month base fee, players could take part in multiplayer poker tournaments and even win real cash prizes.
The problems started when these cash prizes needed to be paid out. When checks started to bounce, Zosoz rushed to reassure players that it was due to a bank glitch. Yet last week, Zosoz suddenly shut down operations and notified players with a statement on its website that said: “We regret to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control, Zosoz will cease operations at 11.59 pm EST on December 14, 2008. All subscription membership fees have been refunded in full.”
Zosoz promised to pay all due winnings to their players within six weeks, although industry experts are waiting to see whether anything will come out of these promises.
888 Holdings Wins New Award
The Gibraltar based 888 Holdings gambling group has managed to grab another award to add to its arsenal – this time from a different industry sector. 888’s internal membership magazine, ‘Eight’, won the prestigious Most Effective Membership award at the APA Effectiveness Awards this week, in recognition of the excellent editorialized brand content in the publication. Eight is sent to registered casino and poker members at all 888 Holding sites.
“For a publication to be awarded the APA's Most Effective Membership title it must be a fantastic demonstration of editorial creativity, and be able to prove above all others that it is a sound part of a brand marketing mix, helping to position the value of the brand in the minds of the consumer,” said APA. “Eight Magazine not only succeeds in being a shining example of this publishing maxim, but also being an informative and entertaining read - whether you're a committed online gambler or not. Whatever measure you look at, Eight is an amazingly effective magazine.”
“These awards demonstrate how committed 888 is in ensuring we reach the highest performance levels in everything we do, and to delivering on our other core values of innovation, caring, customer centricity, leading and collaboration,” said Matt Robinson, Vice President of Brand Marketing at 888 Holdings. “The award also validates that eight is one of the very best customer magazines out there in that it continually builds a good relationship with our players and delivers on brand affinity and brand awareness. And it also happens to be a great read as well!”
ESSA Time Annual Meeting to Coincide with IGE
The European Sports Security Association (ESSA), which constitutes membership of top gaming European facing gambling groups such as Unibet, Party Gaming and Sporting Bet in a bid to bring an end to shady sports betting practices, has announced that its Annual General Meeting will be held in London next month. The meeting has been scheduled to coincide with the International Gaming Expo, which promises to be the biggest gathering of stakeholders in the gaming industry to date.
"IGE is the year's first opportunity to talk with a congregation of almost 25,000 stakeholders from incredibly diverse business sectors," said Khalid Ali, the new Secretary General of ESSA. “The event represents a unique chance for us to convey important ESSA messages, canvas opinion and keep abreast of new personnel, technology and developments.”
“In terms of diversity, profile and size, IGE marks three of the most important days in the European gaming calendar," said Ali. "The caliber of visitor to IGE is such that we will have our annual general meeting in London on January 28 at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington. We have done this to ensure all our sector’s main players are able to come along. We are certain, whether as exhibitors or attendees, they will be in the city attending IGE.”
Pinnacle Sports Halts US Horse Racing Services
The global sports betting firm, Pinnacle Sports, announced that it would be no longer servicing the US racing industry, although the reasons given were vague and unspecific. Industry experts believe, however, that the move stems from the increasingly ambiguous gambling legislation in the United States which has left gambling operators frustrated.
“As a result of the various changes in the North American racing industry, Pinnacle Sports finds itself in a position where we are unable to offer horse racing to our satisfaction,” said a statement issued by the Pinnacle Sports. “This, added to the declining interest of clients in racing in general, has prompted us to discontinue wagering on daily North American horse racing with immediate effect. Please be assured that we will continue to offer our extensive range of sports betting markets with odds worth up to 60% better value than traditional bookmakers as well as our instant play casino and online poker room at www.pinnaclesports.com. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience caused.”