January 27, 2010 (CAP Newswire) — Last week, Sega finally launched its long-anticipated online poker website, SegaPoker.com (www.segapoker.com). The site is a slick, smoothly designed, fully interactive online poker player’s dream, loaded with familiar characters, an engaging interface, and all the bells and whistles any experienced player would expect from a 21st century online poker room.
So, why is this site getting so much more attention than all the thousands of other new poker sites launched every month? For starters, Sega is a big brand name, one that a lot of gamers will already recognize — particularly male gamers in their late 20s and early- to mid-30s, who remember Sega video game consoles from their youth. (Needless to say, that male 20s and 30s demographic is one of the biggest targets for online poker marketing.)
In addition, this is big news in the online poker business world because of the partnerships Sega is setting up. Playtech is the main (although not the only) online gaming software provider, and there’s speculation that this could fuel a big boost in that company’s fortunes, particularly if the U.S. finally removes its UIGEA restrictions, as many suspect it will soon do.
“At the moment SEGA Poker is on the iPoker network which does limit what they can do,” writes Bill Rini at Bill’s Poker Blog. “Just as many are speculating that Harrah’s opening an online card room in Europe is simply a ploy to get their ducks in a row for when the U.S. market opens, SEGA too could be putting its toe in the water to get a feel for how to later exploit a legalized and regulated U.S. market.” Click here to read Rini’s article.
There’s more. “A big brand name that is trusted by consumers like SEGA can use their existing marketing infrastructure to reach players at a lower cost per acquisition than most traditional poker rooms,” Rini continues. That’s a good point, and it will amost certainly affect the company’s affiliate strategy.
In the coming weeks, CAP will offer more details on the Sega Internet poker and online casino affiliate program. Until then, you can check out the Sega online poker website at this link (restricted to certain countries — no U.S. players are allowed at this point).