Popular online poker brand is buyer of Slots.com.
Bodog Brand, owner and licensor of the Bodog gambling brand, has announced that it was the mystery buyer of Slots.com last month, and that it paid a bit more than previously reported. In a press release, the company announced that it paid GBP 4,000,000 for the domain, which equates to about $5.8 million USD a today’s exchange rates.
Calvin Ayre, founder of the Bodog brand, stated: “The internet really has changed how we do business – I sat on a bar stool in London’s L’Atelier restaurant bidding millions for one of the biggest gaming domains in the world!”
Maybe so, although it sounds like the deal was finally consummated offline with some behind-the-scenes haggling between broker Moniker and the buyer and seller, or at least to get the seller to accept the winning bid.
Bodog believes Slots.com is the second best online gambling domain name after Casino.com, even better than Poker.com:
After Casino.com, we feel that Slots.com is the best gaming domain in the world. Bigger even than Poker.com because there are no strong brands in this space and slots are far more universal than poker. Just look at the amount of space a casino devotes to slots over poker, added to which it’s simple to spell and easy to remember.
(via TechCrunch)
Sam H. says
Before the publicity it was getting 5000 hits a month or 160 hits a day according to compete.
In other words, Calvin Ayre just chucked a lot of money down the toilet.
“Bigger even than Poker.com”
Surely he is joking.
Francois says
So popular that I still don’t know what a slot is and Google translator is null to translate it in french, “fente” has no relashinship with gaming.
I think that 99% of people that are not english have no clue what does this term means while poker spells the same in most languages.
David J Castello says
@Sam H
He didn’t chuck the money down the toilet because he won’t be parking it (unlike Russia.com and America.com). It’s a huge instantly recognizable brand and it will increase his market share because that’s what great brands do. People said the same thing when HotelReservationNetwork.com bought Hotels.com.
jeff says
He will make enough from english speakers.
Jonty Williams says
He probably could have gotten eslots.com off Rick S. for $150k. Spending $5mm on slots is insane. I guess the old saying is true: “Money burns a whole in your pocket.”
Jonty Williams says
No doubt he negotiated this deal himself and therefore blew his cover. Moniker knew he was loaded and took him to the cleaners.
I’m sure the domain could have been picked up for $1mm or less if he had hired a 3rd party to secure it.