Opportunities in the market of online poker have been stymied, to say the least, since April 15, 2011. Not all in the industry are sitting on their hands, however. Jamie Gold is launching a new poker site called FreeGoldPoker.com, geared specifically towards American players. The 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion is not exactly taking on the FBI, with the setup of the site falling easily within the law. Rather than accepting real money deposits, customers will pay a small monthly subscription fee which gives access to cash and valuable prizes worth as much as $100,000. From sporting event tickets to electronics to cash as prizes, FreeGoldPoker.com will market itself to recreational poker players who look to enjoy poker on a budget, like the popular poker products put out by Facebook game maker Zynga.
Jamie Gold commented, “After Black Friday and all the negativity surrounding online poker, I asked myself what I could do to help our community enjoy playing a game they love legally…Creating FreeGoldPoker.com was the clear answer.” Gold has been nicknamed the “Poker Philanthropist” because of his successful “Jamie Gold Foundation” which supports the Muscular Dystrophy Association. His new business endeavor, however, has ambitions beyond charitable donations.
Gold said, “This is an amazing opportunity for me to create a fun, accessible and unique experience for the poker community. As importantly, I will be able to continue to accomplish meaningful, vital and life-changing charitable goals with the additional support and commitment of the ZEN platform. It will also provide my dedicated partners a platform beyond anything I could have imagined as we are now able to create targeted demographic promotions.”
While FreeGoldPoker.com is unlikely to attract big name professionals or grinders, it may connect well with the biggest poker market in America, the recreational players.