US Government Seizes Major Poker Company Domain Names Including UB.com

Elliot Silver
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48

The US Attorney’s Office in New York City issued a press release this afternoon announcing charges for the founders of three major online poker companies: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker. There are some serious charges in the indictment, and this could be a game changing moment for companies in the online poker business.

According to the press release, the government seized five domain names, although it did not mention the domain names that were seized. Generally, there is a clear message posted on the website indicating the seizure, which you can see in the graphic above.

Based on the message that currently appears on UltimateBet.com and also on UB.com, it appears that these domain name were two of the names seized, although the Whois information does not reflect that yet. According to a page on Wikipedia, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet are owned by the same company, Cereus Poker Network.

It appears that the websites for Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and PokerStars are still operational right now, although I don’t have a list of domain names that these companies use for their businesses.

This could be a game changer, since these are all major websites, and I don’t recall seizures of domain names for major poker companies like this. One of the most interesting things to follow will be learning how company clients will get their millions of dollars in deposits refunded.

Thanks to Alexander Ripps at GamblingCompliance.com for the tip.

Old.com: Tribute to Scott Day

Elliot Silver
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3

If you’ve been involved with domain names for more than 5 minutes, you’ve likely heard of Scott Day and/or his company, DigiMedia. The company owns great domain names like FantasyFootball.com, Recipes.com, Dress.com, WebDesign.com, and many others.

DigiMedia also owns Old.com. As a special tribute to Scott on his 40th birthday, the DigiMedia team is forwarding  Old.com to Scott’s 40th birthday tribute website, ScottIs40.com. Friends and colleagues are welcome to send Scott their birthday wishes on this special occasion.

This is similar to what the company did for its (older) President, Jay Chapman, who celebrated his 40th birthday back in November.

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Mike Mann News: 2 .CO Sales and New Webinar Video Now Available

Elliot Silver
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39

I received a couple of updates from Internet entrepreneur Mike Mann that I wanted to share with you. First, his company sold two .CO domain names last week. Tequila.CO was sold for $14,500 and Recipes.CO was sold for $5,600. Both sales were closed on Mann’s DomainMarket.com platform (Correction: I was informed both sales were actually closed on Sedo).

In addition to these sales, Mann recently posted a new webinar entitled “When to Quit Your Day Job.” According to the website on which it’s posted, you can

“Join Mike Mann, serial entrepreneur and author of “Make Millions and Make Change, Secrets to Business and Personal Success,” in a candid webinar about how quitting your job might be the best move you could ever make. Mike will discuss:

  • Why quitting your job is necessary to build a profitable business
  • How to know when to quit your job
  • What to know before you quit
  • The real risks of quitting
  • How jobs prevent personal success
  • The power of faith and belief in your ideas

Mann is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the domain space, and this is a video you should check out if you have some time.

Domaining.com Adds Domain Directory

Elliot Silver
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DomainingFrancois Carrillo has added a domain industry business directory to the left sidebar and top right tab of Domaining.com, a smart move considering all of the targeted traffic the site receives. The directory has categories for domain brokers, registrars, parking, tools, escrow companies, and a number of other categories related to domain investing.

I had previously noticed the directory when it first started and was fairly empty, but in the past few weeks, it has become heavily populated. The cost for a directory listing is $700 a year for the top section of each category and $300 a year for the lower section of each category. It appears that all categories have at least two listings, and some several far more than the minimum.

I think it’s a smart move by Francois as it will certainly generate additional revenue for his company, and it will also keep people on the Domaining.com website for longer, adding value to the other advertisers. Of course, it’s also beneficial to visitors looking to find a domain related company.

Secret Millionaire Viewing Party in NYC

Elliot Silver
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5

John Ferber is hosting what I am sure will be a fun viewing party in Florida on March 27th for his episode of the Secret Millionaire. If I lived in Florida, I would likely attend to show my support.

I don’t live in Florida, so I decided I am going to host a viewing party in New York City, also on March 27th, with a bit of a catch.

As you know, I am currently raising money for the Ronald McDonald House. My wife, Karen, and I will be hosting a Secret Millionaire viewing party at the Ronald McDonald House in New York City for 15 people, to raise funds for this organization.  I will personally pay for the food and drink, which will likely be pizza and pasta, with non-alcoholic beverages.

The cost to attend is a $50 donation to RMH. The party will begin at 7pm so we can casually eat and learn about what the Ronald McDonald House does and who it helps. We may get a tour of the house, but that’s not confirmed. Ronald McDonald House is located on 73rd between 1st and York on the Upper East Side. We will try to set up a video feed with John’s party in Florida.

If you are able to attend the viewing party, please RSVP here and I will add you to the Evite I am sending to past New York domain group attendees. The conference room can only accommodate 15 people, so I would really appreciate only firm RSVPs.

John Ferber’s Secret Millionaire Viewing Party

Elliot Silver
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5

As you may already know, Domain Holdings’ John Ferber will be featured in an episode of ABC’s popular show, Secret Millionaire. The show will air on March 27, 2011 at 8pm eastern time.

In conjunction with the airing, there will be a viewing party held at Atlantique Cafe in Delray Beach, Florida (777 East Altantic Avenue) from 7-10pm. John will be in attendance, and I am sure a number of other people in the domain business will be there to support him as well.

A donation of $20 is being requested, and the money will go directly towards the charities/organizations featured during the episode. You can pre-purchase your ticket on Microgiving.com.

It’s going to be a fun evening for sure, and it’s something I would attend if I was in Florida.

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