Bright London summer sunshine augured well for the latest Richard Branson venture.

The Midas-touch English entrepreneur had made available the gardens of his West London home for the launch of his online gaming portal, in the kind of gesture that engenders a personal experience rather than a technological business event. The idea, one expects, is to get the message right from the start as Oscar Nieboar, Virgin Games Managing Director, stated during his presentation: '...to know our customer...that is the cornerstone of our business...'

Armed with this philosophy, Virgin Games launched their gaming portal with the single ambition of creating a gaming site for the mainstream, whether casino games, fixed odds, slots, arcades in any style that includes solo play, peer-to-peer or tournament events, and also with a choice of prizes in Virgin products and services, 'money can't buy' items and of course cash!

It is Virgin Games' intention to become the most rewarding gaming destination in the world. In part, this reward will come from the high pay-outs and win ability of their games, however, their avowed intention is that playing the games - win, lose or draw - should always be fun.

THE GAMES

With games ranging from Bingo to Roulette, from Hi Lo to Peer-to-Peer Poker, Virgin Games will offer something for everybody. Described by Chairman Simon Burridge as a "soft site with a hard edge" it will offer over 20 different games with free play, cash play and tournament play environments.

The site has a comprehensive range of Bingo games (Millionaires Game where you can win £1,000,000 for a £1 stake; a bingo game where you win something in every play; and a progressive game) to cater for the soft gamer. In addition to Bingo the site has a wide range of fixed odds games (Hi Lo games and matcher games) as well as some special games (such as Monopoly) and Virgin themed games (e.g. Prize Vault where you can win a week on Richard Branson's private Caribbean island). It also has a comprehensive casino with tables and slots and Peer-to-Peer Poker where players can play against each other in a real time yet secure environment.

Players will be able to bet as low as 5p. Yes 5p!! With payouts as high as 99.7% return and with no charges on any withdrawals of monies, unlike other sites. The site offers a £50 sign-up bonus and the chance to enter a free prize draw to win free flights to Las Vegas with Virgin Atlantic.

VIRGIN BRAND APPEAL

The business seeks to use the brand's strength in the UK and to work with other Virgin operating companies such as Virgin mobile, Virgin Wines and Virgin Atlantic. A loyalty scheme that combines these elements is expected in due course. In the pipeline for introduction over the next 12 months, Virgin Games' plans include new channels such as mobile gaming (with Virgin Mobile) and Interactive TV, new geographies, new games and a Virgin group based loyalty scheme.

The household appeal of Britain's best loved brand is a principal element in the acceptance of gaming as a mainstream leisure activity, and the company's acceptance of social responsibility has already obtained certification for the site from Gamcare, the Responsible Gaming institution.

THE GAMEPLAN

The Virgin Games team is led by Chairman Simon Burridge and MD Oscar Nieboar. Burridge was CEO of the People's Lottery in the last license bid and Nieboar was VP of Marketing at MGM Mirage. Both worked together at JWT in the 1990s. Ross Sleight is Marketing Director.

The site has been built in partnership with Wagerworks, the US software company. Managing Director Paul Mathews said: "We believe that the pairing of Virgin's marketing skills and Wagerworks' game knowledge will enable both companies to bring a rich gaming experience to the players. Although a veteran of the land based casino industry, Wagerworks is primarily an entertainment company and this partnership is the progression of our plan to work with the best brands in the world."

The business seeks to capitalize on the forthcoming deregulation in the UK by drawing on its core strengths in branding, sales and marketing, customer service and distribution. Nieboar commented: "We want to open up the market, and believe there is an opportunity to democratize gaming at a time of industry growth and deregulation." It is understood that the marketing plan will focus heavily on intra group activity.

Simon Burridge emphasized that the availability of gaming to players, with easy access to their free games and low level entry to their gaming environment, presents their company with the opportunity "...to do to the online experience what Las Vegas has done to the land-based experience. Ultimately our aim is to provide a highly entertaining and accessible gaming environment, underpinned by the highest level of regulatory compliance."

As to the marketing angle, Virgin Games starts with the advantage that their huge customer footprint affords them in the UK, where around 50% of all adults use the Virgin brand at least once every 12 months.

After the presentation we managed to put some questions to our host, who replied via the telephone, and on being asked about the possibility of a land based gaming venture by Virgin, Richard Branson was ready to admit that he had been approached by some of the big Las Vegas operators as well as some of the local players, but will wait to see how the new gaming legislation unravels before considering the idea. There is one thing for sure, this points in the direction of any Branson venture such as Virgin Games, which seeks to reach people and touch them with that unmistakable 'feel good' Virgin product, and in the process fosters a very personal experience.


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