Home / Poker News August 2012 / The Poker Grapevine – PokerStars Hire Comedian
The Poker Grapevine – PokerStars Hire Comedian
Posted by: Randy Williams - Fri, 2012-08-17 01:19
PokerStars haven’t really grieved much following the loss of Viktor Blom’s endorsement. Life moves on and the online poker room has already set its sights on a different kind of representation. Word has gotten out that PokerStars have secured the services of comedian Gerry Dee of the hit CBC sitcom Mr D. Dee will represent PokerStars’ free-to-play brand, Pokerstars.net at various live events and in TV commercials. The deal is apparently a rather far-reaching one: PokerStars will allegedly be the main sponsor of the Gerry Dee Comedy Tour.
Dee has said that while his green felt skills definitely fall short of pro level, he has always considered himself a bit of a poker buff. The first TV commercials featuring Dee will be aired this fall, and they will promote a series of free tournaments through which Canadian players can win a seat in the upcoming PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. The move may well be a direct consequence of Viktor Blom’s leaving, since it came one day after the Blom announcement.
In other news: Bwin.Party has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Premier League’s Manchester United. Bwin.Party is the largest online sports exchange and gambling company in the world, which has long nurtured strong sponsorship links with various football teams and European football interests. The Bwin.Party brand shall be integrated into Manchester United’s website. The benefits of the deal are obvious for Bwin.Party: Manchester United is one of the biggest global sports brands, with hundreds of millions of fans all over the world. Through the team, Bwin.Party will indeed gain unprecedented exposure.
Another major football team currently sponsored by Bwin is Real Madrid.
In still other news: the Heartland Poker Tour will return to the Golden Gates Casino and Poker Parlour in Black Hawk, Colorado. The event will run in September, beginning on September 3 and wrapping up on September 16. The prize-pool is expected to surpass the $1 million mark.
