The Dublin-based international registry services provider Afilias announced Tuesday that the new “dot poker” or .poker top level domain is now open for public registration on a first-come-first-served basis.
“The short, memorable .poker web address is poker-specific and brings an instant branding boost to all kinds of
online poker activities including tournaments, products, news, tips…and even neighborhood game nights!” the company claims, observing that almost 800 .poker names were registered, representing many global poker leaders such as poker community PocketFives and poker news site PokerNews.
Others who have acquired .poker addresses include top companies such as Bally’s, Borgata, Caesars
Palace, Mirage, and Monte Carlo. Registrations are also in for many popular online gaming destinations such as Bovada, FullTilt, Grosvenor and WSOP.
“The poker industry is large and growing, especially the online game,” said Roland LaPlante, CMO at Afilias. “.poker will help Internet users and search engines alike to quickly identify poker-focused content worldwide. Fans, suppliers, game hosts and sponsors and other poker-focused entities now have a dedicated space on the internet.”
Afilias claims that overall, an estimated 80,000+ web addresses already include the word “poker,” which demonstrates the appeal of an entire top level domain dedicated to the game.
Dot Poker domain names are available at about 70 registrars around the world already and the list is expanding quickly.