YAHOO! enters the online gaming market

[GPWA Ryan]

It's official.

The first of the "Internet Giants" entered the real-money poker market today.

YAHOO! enters online poker market

April 26, 2007
by Ryan McLane


YAHOO! entered the real-money poker market today, launching an Internet card room in conjunction with St Minver, one of Europe's largest gaming operators.

The YAHOO! UK & Ireland Games Web site also supports real money bingo.

Both gambling sites are fully operational and is powered by Boss Media AB software. Boss media also supports the powerful gaming brands SportingBet, Bwin, and William Hill.

The site does not accept U.S. players.

YAHOO! becomes the first of the "Internet Giants" rumored to be interested in breaking into the lucrative online gambling market. Both Party Poker and Poker Stars stated in the past that the real competition starts once these "giants" enter the arena.

YAHOO! poker becomes a part of International Poker Network, which includes 21-different poker sites.

[big fish]

this could be seen as good news, or bad news depending on how you look at it. one thing is for sure, it could be BIG NEWS

[CityGuard]

Just based on a few minutes poking around, it looks like this also includes real-money skill games as a skin of King.com and another section that is real-money bingo.

[Doolally]

They've had real money bingo for a while now.

[matted]

Now, aren't the Yahoo executives US citizens? Even if they aren't open to US citizens, wouldn't it still be illegal (according to the DOJ) to operate a gambling operation?

I still see this as only good news. The more big players in the industry, the better.

[bb1web]

Hi all,

always have wondered ..... why don't the SE's sign up for aff programs in all areas .... and claim top spots for themselves?

what I'd do . ...... sorry if this pisses some off.... but from a biz pov .... ya.... that's what I'd do.

[Dominique]

Now, aren't the Yahoo executives US citizens? Even if they aren't open to US citizens, wouldn't it still be illegal (according to the DOJ) to operate a gambling operation?

I still see this as only good news. The more big players in the industry, the better.

I agree! Having large US companies own offshore gambling operations is great. Going after them would bring the issue home to the US, the lost jobs, stock market losses and bad publicity would happen at home, and the politicians would not be able to be proud of causing havoc in people's lives.

[villa10]

Now, aren't the Yahoo executives US citizens? Even if they aren't open to US citizens, wouldn't it still be illegal (according to the DOJ) to operate a gambling operation?

Very interesting to follow the evolution of the Yahoo's gambling corp.
The legal environment should be the same for a multinational and a small entrepreneur.
Only a dream......

[GamblingAtlas]

Just wondering... whether they will have an affiliate program...

[GPWA Ryan]

Hey Guys and Gals,

I'm trying to put together a YAHOO! impact story...based mostly on affiliates and what they can expect. Any experienced and knowledgable affiliates willing to go on record and answer a couple of my questions?

It would really help me out and the story should help clear up some of the questions I'm sure some of the smaller affiliates have about the YAHOO! impact.

Thanks in advance...if you're interested, please email me at ryan@casinocity.com. I will not publish any material without the consent of the interviewee.

Ryan

[CityGuard]

Just wondering... whether they will have an affiliate program...

Casino City has contacted them and, unfortunately, they do not have an affiliate program.

[ogpaper]

Casino City has contacted them and, unfortunately, they do not have an affiliate program.

I would have been quite shocked if they did.

[helpyou]

the service of yahoo is offerted from : http://www.stminverltd.com/whitelabelgaming/index.htm

are they good ?

[GPWA Ryan]

Hello everyone...still looking for an affiliate to interview about the YAHOO news.

The article will appear in multiple outlets and your comments as a gaming expert will include a link to your site. Anyone out there interested in talking to me about this for five minutes?

- McLane39

[CasinoDawg]

I think this is good news for the industry. The way I see it, when you get BIG players in the market such as Yahoo entering into online gambling (which is EXACTLY what online poker for real money is) then it really makes a statement. Yahoo is entering into the market just as the new US law went into affect. The timing is odd and it will be interesting to see how the US gov reacts.

[GPWA Ryan]

Just finishing up an impact story about YAHOO! Check back later today for more details about YAHOO!'s presence in the industry.

- McLane39

[GPWA Ryan]

As promised...

Yahoo! ready to rumble

May 02, 2007
by Ryan McLane


Here comes an Internet giant.

Yahoo! UK & Ireland launched its first attempt at real-money poker, coupling the power of 20.7 million unique visitors per month with a trusted brand to attract customers in countries friendly to online gambling.

Party Poker CEO Mitch Garber said a few years ago, the real competition starts when the Internet giants enter the market.

And Yahoo! is ready for the fight to begin.

"The established gaming sites such as Party Gaming and 888 will be concerned and if they are not, they should be," Yahoo! spokesperson C.J Stanley said.

The U.K. and Ireland have about 64 million inhabitants combined. That means Yahoo! UK & Ireland draws an audience about one-third that size per month.

Even with a minimal conversion rate, like .5 %, Yahoo! UK & Ireland could expect to register more than 100,000 online poker players, immediately placing them in league with industry leaders PokerStars and PartyPoker.

Yahoo!'s success is not guaranteed, but according to River City Group Director of Publishing Mark Balestra, "they definitely have a recipe for success."

"Things are shifting within the (online poker) space," Bolestra said. "The trend we're seeing is large non-gaming entertainment brands (like Yahoo!) entering the market. They have their own community, a trusted name, and large user database."

According to Balestra, Yahoo! has had their eye on the industry for years, starting with their launch of real-money bingo two years ago. And for years, Yahoo! has offered play-money skill games.

Yahoo! isn't the only entertainment brand or Internet Service Provider with their eyes on Internet gambling. America Online offers free-money play as does Microsoft. Industry analysts like Balestra are openly wondering if Yahoo! is successful in Europe - how long will AOL, Microsoft, Google and E-Bay stay away?

Land-based casino brands will also follow Yahoo!'s performance closely. It's no secret that the land giants would like to break into the online marketplace - it's just a matter of where and when. A successful European entry for Yahoo! could force others into that space.

The Sands, a Las-Vegas-based gaming brand, announced last December plans to open a real-money online casino in the U.K. The World Poker Tour also recently signed a deal with software-provider Cryptologic to open an online poker room in Europe.

Larger online gambling brands, like PokerStars, 888 and Party Gaming have long dominated the online gaming world, operating without the presence of established entertainment and casino brands in their arena. This has allowed them to thrive, despite the obvious legal challenges, Bolestra said.

Smaller brands have also succeeded without major outside competition, using affiliate programs and player networks to continually grow the type of player liquidity needed to compete with the industry leaders.

But the outside interference has finally arrived and Balestra feels things may change. Affiliate programs currently drive the industry, herding the gambling masses to the established online brands.

Yahoo! is bucking the time-tested online marketing trend of using affiliates by turning to a different type of draw - the power of its trusted brand and databases.

"I see Yahoo! taking real-money players as a threat to the current market," Casino City account manager Rebecca Liggero said.

Stanley said his company does not have an affiliate program, nor do they plan to add one. His company has been successfully running real-money bingo for two years without using affiliates.

"Players, especially new ones, are more likely to trust a brand like this," Balestra said.

Yahoo!'s entry into the European market confirms that Europe has become the focus of the online gaming industry. Yahoo!'s results there could shape the industry for years because it will be the measuring stick for future entertainment brands.

Yahoo! joins the UK-based St. Minver gaming company, which is partnered with the online gaming's super-software provider Boss Media. Other brands running Boss Media software include SportingBet, William Hill, Virgin, and bwin.

Yahoo! Poker is part of St. Minver's and Boss Media's International Poker Network (IPN). The IPN is currently the 12th-largest poker network on the Internet, according to www.pokersitecout.com.

Last week, www.pokersitescout.com listed an IPN average of 1,603 cash players per day. By way of comparison, PokerStars and PartyPoker averaged between 5,000 and 8,000 cash-game players daily.

[WinYourWayKyle]

Huge news for Yahoo, and some of the other major poker sites may have to be on the lookout for these guys to grow very quickly. This could be taken as good or bad news for the other online poker sites.

Do you think Google will be next to follow this trend?

[jagan]

Google is not like yahoo! Yahoo is portal and have lot of sections and services while google is mainly in search industry focused!

I think Microsoft can be the next one!

[helpyou]

Jagan you say right things.

but you see the value of Market of Google : it is of about 115 000 Mln$ .....

I don't know what is that of yahoo but it is very less........