Playboy Branded Online Poker In 2013

According to an article today on Pokerfuse, Playboy Enterprises and Amaya Gaming Group, who bought online poker network Ongame recently for €25 million, are now collaborating on a new venture which will bring Playboy branded online poker and lotteries to consumers in 2013.
As Playboy CEO Scott Flanders explains: “The Playboy lifestyle is about indulging our passions, and we are focused on bringing content, products and experiences to consumers around the globe that define this lifestyle.”
This isn’t the first time, however, that Playboy has entered the world of online gaming. Back in 2009, for instance,  Playboy used the Cryptologic Network to offer online gambling but the UIGEA made it increasingly difficult to operate in the US market and so the deal ended in Jan 2009. Cryptologic then moved its players to Boss Media, while Playboy decided to close its operation altogether.
Since then Cryptologic has chosen to specialize in supplying casino games and was bought by Amaya earlier this year, making Playboy’s decision to collaborate with Amaya a natural fit. Commenting on the latest deal, Amaya’s CEO David Baazov said:
“With its tremendous online audience and boasting one of the highest unaided global awareness and social media user engagements of any brand, we’re confident that our collaboration with Playboy will be a recipe for success and look forward to guiding them in their online endeavors.”
Playboy magazine was founded by Hugh Hefner back in 1953 and later grew to become Playboy Enterprises, Inc. The brand is instantly recognizable and returned to private ownership last year when the 86 year old appointed himself “Chief Creative Officer.” A key ingredient to Playboys’ success has involved forming partnerships with other companies and using its high profile brand to secure new customers.