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POKERGO® UNVEILS GROUNDBREAKING PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR AND RANKING SYSTEM WITH POKERGO TOUR™

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First-ever professional global ranking system + tour in industry - poker

 

  • Trailblazing PokerGO Tour™ Will Determine the Most Elite Players Across the Globe Based on Performances at Over 150 Qualifying Events, 
  • With Tens of Millions of Dollars at Stake Throughout the Year
  • Top Performer in the PokerGO Tour™ Will Be Awarded $100,000 and Named the Player of the Year (POY), Incorporating Results From PokerGO®’s Esteemed Portfolio of High Stakes Events, Including the Poker Masters, U.S. Poker Open, Super High Roller Bowl and More

The first ever global professional poker ranking system, the PokerGO Tour™ was unveiled today by PokerGO®. This groundbreaking endeavor signifies a historic moment in the sport of poker, with tens of millions of dollars at stake across 150 tournaments spanning across the globe. The PokerGO Tour™ will mark the first time an official tour and ranking system of this magnitude has been seen in the poker industry, which will separate and celebrate the most elite professional poker players in a similar fashion to the ranking systems of the world’s most renowned professional sports.

Throughout the year, players will earn points on every in-the-money finish at each PokerGO Tour™ qualifying event and the top performer will be presented with the Player of the Year (POY) Award and a cash prize of $100,000. Cash prizes of $50,000 and $25,000 will also be awarded to the 2nd and 3rd place players, respectively. The PokerGO Tour™ Rankings showcase who holds the top spot in the world of high stakes poker players.

“The sport of poker is hundreds of years old and until now, there has not been a globally recognized tour and ranking system that establishes and celebrates the most elite players across the globe, so we started something we hope will evolve and grow,” said Mori Eskandani, President of PokerGO®. “The PokerGO Tour™ events will include the world’s most challenging high stakes events in the world, bringing poker front and center in the world of sports in a way that has never been done before.”

The PokerGO Tour™ will kick off with the 2021 U.S. Poker Open on June 3rd, 2021, at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. The U.S. Poker Open will take place from June 3rd – June 14th and is one of PokerGO®’s elite tournament series with twelve unique events where poker’s best players battle it out to bring home the inaugural Eagle Trophy.

Other qualifying events in the PokerGO Tour™ originating from PokerGO®’s esteemed portfolio of events include:

  • PokerGO® Cup – a brand new major featuring eight events of various formats including a $100,000 NLH Main Event, which will take place from July 1st – July 10th, taking July 4th off.
  • PokerGO® Heads-Up Championship – another new major slated for July 12th with a $3.2 million dollar prize pool. In the PokerGO® Heads-Up Championship, 32 poker professionals will battle in a bracket-style format.
  • Poker Masters – a twelve event tournament series from September 13th – September 24th that challenges the world’s best all-around players, giving them the opportunity to take home a coveted purple jacket.
  • Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) – a 3-day tournament with a $300K buy-in staring on September 26th that will bring out the world’s best poker players competing for millions of dollars as well as the SHRB ring.

The point system for the PokerGO Tour™ is as follows:

 

Cash 10K+ 25K+ 100K+
5,000,000 1,500 1,000 700
4,000,000 1,400 900 600
3,000,000 1,300 800 500
2,000,000 1,200 700 400
1,000,000 1,000 600 300
900,000 900 540 270
800,000 800 480 240
700,000 700 420 210
600,000 600 360 180
500,000 500 300 150
400,000 400 240 120
300,000 300 180 90
200,000 200 120 60
100,000 100 60 30
50,000 50 30
25,000 25 15
10,000 10  

*The cash column is defaulted to the same major currency used for the buy-in (AUD, EUR, GBP, USD), HKD events will be divided by 10.

The PokerGO Tour™ will calculate all cashes $1M or less using three percentages based on buy-in amounts – .0010 for $10K to $24K events, .0006 for $25K to $99K events and .0003 for $100K+ events. Cashes over $1M default percentages to the higher cash, if a player cashes for $1.5M in a $10K event, points are determined using the $2M percentage.

 

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FANDOM DECODES THE TUG-OF-WAR FOR FAN ATTENTION BETWEEN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES IN 2024 INSIDE ENTERTAINMENT STUDY

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Study Identifies a New Target Audience – The “Switchers” – and Why Dramas Could Be the Next Big Gaming Franchise

 

Forget the gaming vs. entertainment narrative. Fandom, the world’s largest fan platform, today released its annual Inside Entertainment study which reveals a nuanced reality: fans crave both immersive gaming worlds AND timeless storytelling across tv and film, NOT one or the other. Leveraging first-party data from Fandom’s extensive platform – 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content and 250k fan-powered wikis – coupled with a global study, Inside Entertainment: The Entertainment & Gaming Tug of War goes beyond industry headlines to:

  • Understand the dynamic coexistence between the gaming and TV/film industries
  • Identify a brand new audience – the “Switchers”
  • Detail why dramas and book adaptations present a huge opportunity to be the next hit video game franchise

“Every industry analysis refers to the battle for fans’ attention across entertainment and gaming but we’ve found that it’s not an either or. In fact, combined, entertainment and gaming experiences strengthen fan connection and deliver incremental engagement,” said Stephanie Fried, CMO of Fandom. “Understanding the interplay between these mediums is key to building authentic and enduring fan experiences; and understanding the value and role of each medium is essential for developing powerful marketing messaging to attract and retain fans.”

Key Findings

  • 67% of fans are spending the same or more time consuming content or playing video games, but their behavior is shifting:
  • 33% are spending less time on cable or in theaters – and the number one activity they’re switching to is gaming (59%

Switchers’ refers to the audience moving away from watching movies & binging TV shows in their free time to do other activities. Outside of gaming, switchers are also spending time:

On social media (47%), reading (56%) and doing hobbies (37%)
With 56% of the switcher audience spending time reading, it presents an opportunity to re-engage this audience and pull them back into the ecosystem with new content strategies, like book-to-game or book-to-film cross over adaptations

But don’t worry entertainment companies. Just as gaming is the #1 activity for entertainment fans, watching TV and movies is the #1 activity gamers turn to when taking a break from gaming – which means these industries are inevitably intertwined and could benefit from joint endeavors or conquest/win-back strategies

Drama could be #1 untapped genre for gaming companies to explore when looking for their next big hit. Our data uncovers that drama fans who also game gravitate towards genres like:

  • Role-Playing (RPG): 73%
  • Adventure: 72%,
  • Simulation: 62%,
  • Sandbox/Open World: 62%,
  • Puzzle: 60%

Gaming wins on super serving the emotional needs of fans, identifying a niche area streamers & studios should not only be aware of – but double down on:

  • 82% of gamers think video games are more interactive & engaging than movies and TV
  • 59% feel more accomplished when playing a video game
  • 53% like that they have more control in the story when playing video games
  • 45% feel more invested in the storylines in video games

Top 3 Takeaways For Advertisers and Marketers

1. Gaming is a Friend vs. a Foe

  • Despite common misconceptions, there is a true symbiotic relationship between the gaming and entertainment industries – they both serve different emotional needs for fans and can actually complement each other – with the right fan strategy.
  • Therefore, if studios, networks and streaming companies cater to the distinct emotional desires of their specific audiences, they can successfully influence a fan’s choice between mediums and content types and build out a more robust conquest strategy for both retention and acquisition.

2. Sway the Switchers

  • Switchers are the audience entertainment companies should be first and foremost targeting in this “tug of war” to capture fan attention, because switching to watching TV & movies is the first activity gamers engage in after they stop playing.
  • This underscores the importance for entertainment companies to develop strategies that resonate with these “switchers.”

3. Find your Niche

  • With the growing intersection between gaming and entertainment, it’s crucial for studios, networks, and streamers to align on a gaming strategy that drives viewer engagement and retention.
  • While many entertainment companies know they need a focus on gaming to drive their business forward – how and where are often barriers. Developing a gaming-specific fan strategy by finding niche pockets in the vast ecosystem – like targeting drama fans or creating book adaptations – is key for reaching a high affinity target at scale.

For an interview with a Fandom executive to discuss the study in more detail, please contact Rachelle Savoia at [email protected]

Methodology

The 2024 Inside Entertainment study regionally analyzes the dynamics between diverse forms of entertainment based on a survey of 5,500 entertainment and gaming fans aged 13-54 These insights were validated and deepened through Fandom’s proprietary, first-party data from 2024 – more than 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content across 250,000 wikis. This methodology provides a 360-degree view of franchises and fan interest across the entertainment and gaming landscape through the eyes of Fandom.

 

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BMM INNOVATION GROUP TO SHOWCASE COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED MASTER CHOCTAW ARTIST DG SMALLING AT INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION (IGA) TRADE SHOW APRIL 10-11

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The Company to Unveil Original Artwork Focused on BMM’s Mission to Protect Tribal Gaming and All Who Play

BMM Innovation Group (“BIG”, “BIG Group”, or the “Company”), a technology conglomerate providing world-class services and cutting-edge solutions to the global gaming industry through BMM Testlabs, BIG Cyber, and RG24seven Virtual Training, today announced a collaboration with internationally acclaimed Choctaw Nation Master Artist DG Smalling celebrating BMM Innovation Group’s relationship with Tribal suppliers, regulators, and operators. The artwork will be showcased at the IGA tradeshow April 10-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in BIG’s Booth No. 628.

Smalling is best known for his single-line, continuous drawing technique in which his pen never leaves the paper until the image is complete. The piece he created with BIG is called ‘Hand to Hand’, representing the vital relationship between the BIG Group and Tribal gaming. Smalling will be giving away signed reprints of the piece from 2-4 pm on Wednesday, April 10 in BIG’s Booth No. 628.

BIG’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Martin Storm said, “We are honored to be able to work with such an internationally celebrated and recognized Tribal artist, DG Smalling, to create artwork that reflects our deep roots in Tribal gaming and the importance of the BIG companies in protecting Tribal gaming and all who play through best-in-class product testing and certification, cybersecurity protection solutions, and compliance-grade training.

Smalling said, “I was excited to create this piece for the BMM Innovation Group. This artwork depicts the role of BMM as an agency of quality control to protect Tribal sovereignty from outside intervention; the intersection of Tribal nations, Indian Gaming, and BMM as a day-to-day presence securing Indian Gaming integrity, and thereby, its sovereignty.”

Prior to his collaboration with BIG, Smalling had already made a name for himself in the gaming industry. In 2022, he achieved the distinction of being the first artist to fully collaborate with a slot machine manufacturer when he teamed up with Incredible Technologies to launch Class II slot games showcasing his art. In addition, Smalling has played a key role in spearheading a number of corporate-indigenous partnerships with leading companies like Amazon, Gary Platt Manufacturing, Emser Tile Native Narrative Series, and APMEX. Smalling holds the distinction of being authorized by the Delaware Nation of Oklahoma — through statute — to create on their behalf.

Smalling’s art and honors include the Department of the Interior’s Operation Lady Justice; featured artist at Epcot Disney World: State of Oklahoma Centennial Show in 2007; Grand Palais “Salon du Dessin et de la Peinture á l’Eau” in Paris in 2011; and National Museum of the American Indian “Choctaw Codetalkers Celebration” in Washington, DC in 2012. In addition, Smalling has been commissioned to paint several portraits, including U.S. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, U.S. Congressman Tom Cole, and Sir Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the UK, among many other notable dignitaries. Some of Smalling’s notable commissions include APMEX Coins’ Asian Zodiac Series: Year of the Dragon (2024) ; APMEX Coins’ Grand Buffalo (2023); and Lady Justice of California Proclamation (2020). For more information, visit dgsmalling.ai.

 

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Endorphina explores the eternal fire in its newest slot release – All Ways Luck!

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One of the top casino game providers in the iGaming industry, Endorphina, has announced the release of another new slot game on March 28th, 2024. The new game is titled All Ways Luck and features 5 reels, 4 rows, and 243 fixed pay ways, increasing the chances of players winning big.

The main theme of the game is set around a powerful volcano, burning with eternal flames and erupting in fiery wins. The deserted land in this world challenges players to test their courage and take advantage of the fire that never burns out. Filled with exciting twists and dangerous turns, this Endorphina slot appeals to the most daring and bold players looking for an unpredictable adventure and hidden treasures.

Another layer of excitement is added to the player experience when the fury of the volcano causes an earthquake to shake the reels, presenting the player with Free Games. The Free Games in All Ways Luck ensures players will stay always lucky with multipliers and scattered symbols for even bigger wins. Just like previous Endorphina slots, All Ways Luck features the Classic Risk Game and Bonus Pop mechanics.

Will you be able to find the treasure guarded by the everlasting volcano? Try your luck and test your courage on All Ways Luck!

 

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