Virgin, one of the largest companies in the world, has decided to become a player in the online gambling business and, like most other businesses looking to get started in the online gambling world, Virgin has a lot of catch up work to do if it wants to compete with already established online gambling companies. Unlike new businesses just trying to break into the market, however, Virgin has resources to draw upon that are almost unmatched by other companies which will most definitely help propel Virgin to success in this rapidly expanding and prosperous industry. In fact, given Virgin’s vast size and seemingly unlimited resources, the company could quickly take the lead in the online gambling marketplace. "Virgin Poker will use the resources of sister companies throughout the Virgin group to add new value to our player's experiences," said chief executive of Virgin Games, Simon Burridge, while at a party at the posh Holland Park home of Virgin owner, Sir Richard Branson. Branson’s big bash offered champagne and specialty foods to all attendees. Guests were also treated to a No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament in which the winner won a weekend to Sir Richard's new home in Marrakech. Just the size of the company and its other business projects alone almost ensures the success of Virgin’s entry into the online gambling industry. The company will be able to entice players to its online gambling site by offering Virgin air miles and loyalty points that can be traded in for Virgin products. The company also plans to offer prizes such as Virgin flights and more weekend trips to Sir Richard’s home in Marrakech. Virgin’s strategy is to go after the less serious players by emphasizing the less serious and more lighthearted aspects of the game. Their site will include blogs, latest news coverage of the online gambling industry, and even a poker school with live tutorials for helping new players. Joshua Morris, Virgin production marketing manager, says that the company’s site will appeal to all types of players with all types of skill levels. "We want to make poker more accessible. There will be no intimidation factor as we are going after the mass market." Virgin’s target audience will be the United Kingdom and Europe from which they believe the pool of players is sufficiently large. The company has gone out of its way to build software that will prohibit U.S. players from playing at their sites because they don’t want to expose themselves to any U.S. legislation that might ban online gambling. Virgin also plans to offer Virgin Poker on its trains and flights, in addition to offering online poker action. Virgin’s poker service, however, will place limits on how much a player can lose – limits that, according to one Virgin executive, are set specifically to protect the players. Posted on: December 5, 2005
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