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AOL, Harrah's Join Forces In World Series of Poker(R) Strategic Alliance
Published: 2005-10-17
 World's Richest Poker Tournament and AOL Offer Free-Play Poker Games and Chance to Win a Seat at Prestigious Tournaments
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harrah's License Company, LLC, an affiliate of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., , announced today it has joined forces with AOL to create a co-branded poker room for AOL users featuring a suite of World Series of Poker free-play games and special content.
As the exclusive online partner of the World Series of Poker, AOL.com (R), the AOL (R) service and AIM (R) will feature free-play poker games for novice, intermediate and advanced players; private poker rooms and tournaments; behind-the-scenes reports from World Series of Poker events, and other content designed to enhance the player experience and improve the prowess of poker enthusiasts of every skill level.
"We're thrilled to pair the best brand in poker with the best brand in online games and content," said Jeffrey Pollack, vice president of sports and entertainment marketing for Harrah's Entertainment. "AOL's powerful reach will help more people than ever before experience the fun, excitement and energy of the World Series of Poker. This strategic alliance is an important foundation for our growth strategy over the next 24 months."
"The renewed interest in poker has also been reflected on AOL.com, where poker is constantly among the most popular games on our service," said Ralph Rivera, vice president and general manager, AOL Games. "Joining forces with Harrah's to create the most compelling World Series of Poker-branded poker destination online is a great way to satisfy our users' interests in all things poker."
AOL will be the only free-play Internet poker game offering in the United States where, subject to applicable laws, 12 poker fans, 21 years of age or older can win a free seat valued at $10,000 to play in the 2006 or 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event.
In addition, one visitor to AOL per year will also win, subject to applicable laws, a free seat at the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, an annual tournament that brings together the world's best players.
The World Series of Poker, the world's richest and most prestigious poker event, will take place next summer at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. During the 2005 World Series of Poker, more than $52 million in prize money was awarded in the Main Event alone, and every player who advanced to the final table won at least $1 million. The World Series of Poker is televised exclusively on ESPN.
New Survey Reveals Continued Growth in Poker Interest
Mainstream interest in poker has increased significantly over the last year. According to a recent study from AOL Games and SRBI Public Affairs, almost half (47 percent) of Americans surveyed play poker in some form. Among poker players, almost one in five (17 percent) say they have played poker "more than ever before," and about a quarter (26 percent) have taken up the game just in the past year.*
Furthermore, more than one-third of the poll respondents (37 percent) watch poker events such as the World Series of Poker on television, and about one-in-10 (11 percent) have played poker online. Additionally, when asked why they play on the Web, most players said it was to learn the game or to practice before playing at offline casino events.
About Harrah's Entertainment
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada 67 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
More information is available at http://www.harrahs.com/ and http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.
About AOL Games
AOL Games provides access to unique and exclusive high-speed and narrowband programming features for online, PC and console gamers, and provides more than 150 online games to approximately 8 million game fans per month**, who average more than 3.5 hours each month in AOL Games.
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Poker Industry Expo Coming to Costa Rica in December
Published: 2005-10-18
 Costa Rica, one of the prime bases of the internet gaming industry, is getting ready for the Poker Industry Expo, scheduled for December 3-4. The expo and conference will take place at the Barcelo San Jose Palacio in San Jose. Topics to be discussed will cover the areas of poker room management, new poker related technologies, marketing for poker, payment issues and customer service. The main goal of the conference is to improve poker player awareness, in order to increase both player conversions and player retention.
The event is geared toward members of the industry on executive and/or managerial strata. Among those invited to attend are owners/managers of poker rooms, owners of online poker rooms, manufacturers of poker-related products, casino executives, sportsbook executives, marketing executives, affiliate managers and poker affiliates, as well as poker players.
The Poker Industry Expo is still seeking exhibitors and speakers. The WPT's executive director of its internet group, David Wang, and the Hon. James M. Kasper, a pro-poker North Dakota State representative, have both signed on to address the expo.
What good would learning about the poker industry be without taking a bit of a hands on approach? That's why on both evenings of the Poker Industry Expo, organizers are also hosting a Texas hold'em tournament for participants at the Herradura Casino, also in San Jose.
For more information, go to http://www.PokerIndustryExpo.com.
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