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Consolidation taking
place in gambling portal sector
Consolidation continues
within the online gambling sector (read more from forum
member Prothesus
here). Now it is slowly beginning to take
shape within the online gambling portal arena as well.
While rumors of
TheRx.com being sold for the second time in just over
two years hold no merit, other gambling portals have
announced mergers and full buyouts in both the online
casino side and sports betting sector.
In a press release
issued by
Pregame.com, parent site of
FreePicksByEmail.com, the company announced its merger
with popular sports and handicapping web site,
LetItRideSports.com on Tuesday.
Johnny Detroit, founder of
LetItRideSports.com and good friend to Gambling911.com,
will assume the position of Director of Player
Relations, and will contribute to sportsbook relations
and business development. The website
LetItRideSports.com will be aggressively transitioned
into the Pregame group of sites. The mergers structure
includes payment of both cash and equity.
RJ Bell, president of
Pregame.com and another friend of Gambling911.com, said:
“Johnny Detroit is a true sports information pioneer.
Johnny is a rare businessman who is both liked and
respected by industry leaders as well as his many
customers. Pregame is in business to satisfy the needs
of our customers, and the addition of Johnny Detroit to
our team will certainly go a long way toward
accomplishing that.”
Johnny Detroit said: “In
this business, I’ve found companies to be either
innovative but small, or big but stale. Pregame is
different, having gained significant scale while
maintaining its customer-focused entrepreneurship. I’ve
been courted by other big boys over the years, but
Pregame is the only offer I ever really considered. I’m
excited about now being able to focus upon what I do
best – making our customers happy.”
Mr. Detroit should be a
tremendous asset to the Pregame.com Group as a proven
sports handicapper who last year won the prestigious
Hilton NFL SuperContest.
Meanwhile, talks between UltimateCapper.com and pioneer
sports betting portal web site, Bettorsworld.com, fell
through last year. The former company intended to
purchase Bettorsworld for an undisclosed amount of
money.
And
what is in the cards for Gambling911.com one might ask?
The site will follow the Bodog.com model, which in a
nutshell is to focus on the key brand and grow it as
opposed to taking over existing businesses.
Expansion will be aggressive and our sponsorship dollars
will be put to good use, but acquisitions are not in the
immediate future.
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Christopher Costigan,
www.gambling911.com
Originally published August 30, 2005 11:09 pm EST
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