Pam Anderson Backing Facebook Poker ApplicationTrying Poker Again After Admitting To Being After 'Quick Buck' In 2006 |
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Pamela Anderson is the latest big name to get behind online poker after the Department of Justice opened the doors for the activity in December 2011 — about eight months after it booted the largest offshore operators from the U.S..
Anderson’s BamPoker has launched on social media site Facebook and will try to compete for players with the likes of the juggernaut Zynga. So far, BamPoker claims 200 active monthly users. Zynga boasts 35 million.
According to BamPoker, Anderson will sit behind a computer screen engaging players on the virtual tables. Anderson also serves as a “creative consultant.” Anderson said in a press release that she’s “excited to be a part of such an innovative platform.”
However, the former Baywatch star hasn’t been successful with her past online poker projects. In 2006, she was involved with Pamela Poker, an offshoot of DoylesRoom. Anderson’s poker site closed in the wake of the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act — a law that Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker flaunted for nearly five years.
Anderson wrote in her online diary at the time: “Poker site should have been shut down last month. I have nothing to do with it anymore. Too many shady areas. I really don’t want to encourage people to gamble. This must be turned off. It just didn’t work out. Even in my heart. Good luck to [DoylesRoom]. I love [Doyle Brunson]. He is authentic to the game. I made a mistake getting involved in something I know nothing about for a quick buck! Yuck. So unlike me. Glad it’s over.”
BamPoker was founded in January by Canadians Elton Pereira and Jeremy Nichele. “BamPoker encourages active user engagement and strong community spirit, something we feel has been missing from the online poker world,” CEO Pereira said in the press release.
While Anderson’s most recent project has just gotten underway, RocketFrog, a Facebook poker game backed by iconic Myspace co-founder Tom Anderson and reality-TV star Brody Jenner, announced its entry into the market last month. Jenner is the brother of social media goddess Kim Kardashian, who has 14.7 million Twitter followers. RocketFrog could be used to promote Kardashian products, Jenner told The Hollywood Reporter.
Facebook doesn’t allow real-money wagering, but the business of selling virtual credits or chips is permissible and hugely lucrative for Zynga, which represents 12 percent of Facebook’s annual revenue. Forbes reported in April that Zynga is talking with Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts about partnership in the Silver State. Nevada casino companies, which have also made forays into Facebook gaming, are close to stand-alone poker sites offered intrastate.
Follow Brian Pempus on Twitter — @brianpempus
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