Navigate to the new Bodog site called Bovada Poker and you’ll be greeted by a site that looks amazingly American. The page features a road leading to what appears to be in the distance Las Vegas and an action photo of and Green Bay Packer being tackled. Other photos of people at a Vegas casino, horse racing and a poker room are offered and there are announcements of plenty of promotions. The header reads, Welcome to Bovada Same Operator. New Look.” That may just say it all.
Like Bodog, Bovada offers sports betting, a casino and a poker room. Bovada Poker is for U.S. players only and it’s to be comprised of those Americans who have been Bodog members and any members who sign up at Bovada. If you have an account at Bodog Poker it’s been moved to Bovada Poker along with your username, password and account.
Those outside of the U.S. are not allowed to sign up at the new site, however they will be able to still play against former Bodog members who are now at the new site and any new players. That’s because Bodog and Bovada are both a part of the Bodog Poker Network.
Marketing Move
The establishment of Bovada Poker is seen as being a marketing move by Bodog. Although Bodog Poker enjoyed an increase in membership when Poker Stars, Absolute Poker and Full Tilt were raided and shutdown by the U.S. Justice Department on April 15, 2011, recently they have been losing ground.
A major reason for Bodog’s dwindling market share in the U.S. is attributed to the Merge Network’s decision to start accepting players from America once again. Carbon Poker and Diamond Poker, which are both part of Merge, have been popular with U.S. players. Many analysts believe that Bodog had to do something to create some buzz amongst U.S. players and to begin to solidify and increase their U.S. base.
U.S. Appeal
By creating a site just for Americans, Bodog is able to develop a look, feel and style that directly appeals to that demographic. The poker market in the U.S. is huge and very competitive and if an online company can connect with and appeal to that specific market there is the potential for a huge payoff.
Plus, offering a new site means new promotions including highly attractive sign up bonuses. Bodog can now develop special, innovative offers that will directly connect with U.S. players and, at the same time, still allow those in other countries to play against those in America.
Download and Play
Even though their accounts are instantly transferred to the new site, players who had been members of Bodog Poker will still need to get the new Bovada Poker download. New players will, of course, need to do the same. The process of setting up the new poker room is fast and simple.
One part of the U.S. market that Bovada is not appealing to is the Mac user. In the U.S., a large majority of those who purchase a laptop worth $1,200 or more buy Macs. At this point, they cannot access the new site. That may be something that the Bodog Poker Network will want to reconsider as the highly competitive Merge Network does work with both PCs and Macs.