Las Vegas-based Fertitta Interactive, LLC has announced a Friday launch for Ultimate Gaming, their new social gaming platform which is expected to offer real-money online poker to Nevada residents later this year.
Ultimate Gaming’s first product, Ultimate Poker, will offer free online poker later this summer, adding real-money tables once they are approved by the Nevada online regulatory process that’s still in the ramp-up phase.
Ultimate Gaming, which was founded in 2010, will focus on “real money online games, social gaming, and digital entertainment,” and will be tied to the Fertitta-owned Ultimate Fighting Championship brand.
According to Fertitta Interactive chairman Tom Breitling, “With our unique ability to leverage the overlapping demographics between online gaming, traditional gaming and the worldwide sports and entertainment brand of the UFC, Ultimate Gaming is ideally positioned to rapidly capture a significant following in the United States and throughout the globe.”
Fertitta Interactive’s parent, Fertitta Entertainment, runs the Station Casinos family of casinos in and around Las Vegas, and also controls the brightest gambling jewel in downtown Vegas, the Golden Nugget. The company also owns an interest in online travel site Expedia.
Fertitta’s desires to leverage its UFC and “Ultimate” brand identifiers seemingly outweigh lingering concerns that the word “Ultimate” might have suffered extensive damage through association with the UltimateBet online poker site. That site suffered online poker’s largest insider cheating scandal and became defunct following its “Black Friday”-induced closure. Fertitta’s new offering has no relationship with the former UB site or its operators.
