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With an understanding that online poker, casinos and sports betting take in several billion a year, mainstream media outlets once opposed to advertising with related venues are now beginning to understand the big bucks potential during these rough economic times.
Bluff Magazine, one of the leading online poker publications (also available in print), announced on Thursday it had entered into a sponsorship deal with Lugz Footwear for its Poker Player of the Year awards presentation.
"We're thrilled to have Lugz on board as a presenting sponsor," said Eric Morris, co-founder of Bluff Media. "We're proud that we've been able to attract a non-industry sponsor to help increase the prestige of the award."
The Bluff Magazine Player of the Year is awarded to the poker player who has the best results over the course of an entire calendar year. Points are awarded for each tournament finish based on the tournament buy-in and the size of the field. Previous winners include Phil Ivey, Chad Brown and reigning Player of the Year John Phan.
"LUGZ is very excited to be sponsoring Bluff Magazine's Player of the Year Program. The aggressiveness of these players and the pride they take in their craftsmanship in such a synergy of our own brand," said Larry Schwartz, Executive Vice President of Lugz. "And being able to award this Player of the Year with the Lugz custom build OCC Chopper seemed like the perfect move."
Payton O'Brien, Marketing Director for the Gambling911.com website, questions why it has taken so long for these companies to catch on.
"The online gambling community likes to spend money," she said. "They are among the most appealing consumers out there. Lugz, in particular, is a perfect fit for our industry."
Whether the Lugz/Bluff deal signals a new trend remains to be seen.
"Personally, I think it is going to take a while for others to catch on," says O'Brien. "But if the recession continues to deepen, this could force mainstream companies to accelerate their creative advertising efforts and stop being prudes."
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
