International registry services provider Afilias has announced that it is to launch a poker specific url suffix: .POKER. They claim the move will enable providers to ‘up the ante on web addresses for the poker world online’, insisting, in somewhat over-excited language:
.POKER is the perfect web address to stack the chips in your favor and set your Poker website apart from the rest! A domain name is a strong way to let users know what your site is about and .POKER sites will grab the attention of Poker fans, players, and organizations; letting them know your site is “bought-in” to the online world of poker and your site may especially appeal to them.
They go on to ask – presumably rhetorically – ‘So why use a “wild card” top level domain when you can choose .POKER?’
The answer, inevitably, is that the online poker industry has been getting along pretty well without such a marker and that the requirement to go to the double expense and trouble of reconfiguring existing urls doesn’t actually make much sense.
Existing Market Leaders
The existing market leaders have already invested heavily in their branding and there seems little to be gained from adding another gratuitous mention of poker to a url that they have in some cases spent years promoting.
Afilias’s move will be introduced to existing Trademark holders as the first phases of a three part release. This initial phase will get under way on Feb 5. A second ‘Landrush’ phase will get under way on March 10. This will see the public invited to ‘request and register specific and as previously unallocated domain names followed by the .POKER suffix’. The third phase will see general availability will be offered from April 21.
Afilias spokesman Roland LaPlante said in a statement explaining the introduction of the new domain name:
Poker is one of the most popular games on the Internet today, and now there is a dedicated space on the internet for all aspects of the title. The dot poker domain is an easy-to-remember web extension that will resonate with poker fans, gaming entities, tournament organizers, product manufacturers, news sources, and just about anyone involved in the game of poker.
Afilias seems to be banking on the likes of 32Red, 888 and similar generic gaming providers taking up their offer. That said, it is hard to see what advantage such online casino brands might have from adopting a url that ends .POKER as opposed to incorporating the word alongside the brand name – as is currently the case, for example, with 32Redpoker.com. Given that these providers are seeking – in large part – to retain users and capitalise on their varied gaming interests (e.g. poker and other games) the move looks unlikely to be the radical move that Afilias’s excited press release suggests.
Without commercial interest it seems as though this is little more to this development than a very minor ripple in the news flow. That said, it does point to the way that the poker industry is increasingly being taken seriously.
National URLs
Whilst the .COM urls of the established international providers offers a testament to their size and internationalization, there remains value in the use of specifically national suffixes, as in .UK., .CA, .FR and so on. With different national (and state) jurisdictions applying differing levels of tax and regulation the identification of specifically national ‘skins’ (and urls) to country specific offerings offers benefits that go beyond a simple appeal to a banal form of nationalism.
There may be some mileage in individual users setting up their own recreational sites. In this market, where the word ‘poker’ itself can be seen as a form of attractor – in the same way that ‘party’ might be – Afilias might attract some interest. Other than that, it would be a major surprise if, for example, the Amaya group – owners of PokerStars and the Full Tilt brands will take much notice.
Promoting an Image
A glance at the Afilias list of recent press releases makes interesting reading. For example, in August 2014 they launched a .BLACK url suffix which was promoted as the means to capture the sort of cachet that is invoked by a black tie, a little black dress or – more weightily, the authority of a black limousine. Their copy reads:
When someone says “black tie” or “little black dress,” adjectives like “simple,” “elegant,” and “chic” are implied. It’s the same for the .BLACK domain. A website or email address that ends in .BLACK easily identifies premier products and high-tier, exclusive services; diamond.BLACK, limo.BLACK, tuxedo.BLACK and drink.BLACK for top-shelf spirits are just a few examples of how .BLACK represents, simply, style.
.BLACK is also serious and authoritative. Like the black robes of a judge, a .BLACK Web address lends gravitas and illustrates that you are an authoritative source on a topic or issue and that your website or email content is thoughtful and serious.
There may be a market for this sort of shtick – we are not qualified to comment. No doubt at some point they will get lucky with one such idea. It would however be a major surprise if the online poker industry were to be involved.
