MONTREAL, April 17 /CNW Telbec/ – Dynasty Gaming Inc. (TSX Venture: “DNY”), a provider of unique gaming software for online casino and sports book operators, today announced that it will jointly create and sponsor the first World Cup of Mahjong tournament during December 2006. Dynasty holds a lead position within the international online gaming sector by virtue of its first- to-market, aggregate play, cash-wager version of Mahjong.
Dynasty’s partner for this first-ever tournament will be the Ho Group, the largest operator of casinos in Macau, off the coast of China, where the event will be held. As part of the joint venture with the Ho Group, Ho Majiang will be the presenting sponsor and Dynasty Gaming will support 50% of the marketing budget for the event. Hong Kong-based Ho Majiang was recently formed to create and promote game playing opportunities through the use of prepaid cards.
The Ho Group and Dynasty Gaming have contracted the United States-based Elevation Group of Companies, sports and entertainment event and marketing specialists, to manage all aspects of the project from event production and promotion activities to television production and distribution.
The click, click of tiles is an integral sound of Mahjong, often referred to as the “game of the four winds” and long recognized as the world’s most played game with an estimated player base in Asia, Europe and North America ten times bigger than that of poker. It is recognized as an official sport in China. The focus of this tournament will be on Mahjong as a sport.
“Our plan is to nurture this unique game of skill deeply rooted in the Chinese and Asian culture,” commented Angela Ho, President of Ho Majiang. “It is not just a game of skill and strategy; it is a family and social game…to be played with others. We want to use the World Cup of Mahjong to reintroduce the Mahjong game to the world. This event will also bring the new online version of this game, created by Dynasty Gaming, to the forefront of the online gaming world as it allows Mahjong players to compete against others, unlike existing online solitaire versions.”
Albert Barbusci, Chief Executive of Dynasty Online Gambling, said, “The goal of this event is to be on the scale and production quality of the World Series of Poker held each year in Las Vegas. The World Series of Poker did a tremendous job of expanding and energizing the world poker market. We expect to have broad participation and a projected television audience in the first year alone of millions of viewers.
“This event will play a central role in our strategy for serving the Asian and Chinese markets using subscriptions, prepaid cards and other venues. We are using a long-term strategy to gain awareness and respect within the Asian and Chinese markets and this tournament is one of the foundations of our strategic plan. The announcement of our participation in Ho Majiang and our joint venture with the Ho family in the World Cup coincides nicely with our recent announcement of selling prepaid game cards in China,” stated Barbusci.
Angela Ho said, “The World Cup of Mahjong will give Mahjong game enthusiasts an opportunity to test their skills and expertise at various levels of experience. This is a challenge for men and women, of all ages, coming together in Macau for the first time. We expect it to be a wonderful, exciting world class event.”
Steve Lindecke, Elevation’s managing partner, commented on the new assignment, “Our goal is to create the largest Mahjong event ever held – in terms of participation, sponsorship, television viewership and merchandising. The World Cup will be an annual event supported by regional tournaments throughout Asia, Europe and, eventually North America, the latter under the banner of the World Series of Mahjong. (Dynasty Gaming holds the URLs to both the World Cup and World Series of Mahjong.) We have spent and continue to spend a tremendous amount of time in Asia and have a strong network of local partners and suppliers. We believe the moment is right for an event of this size and scope.”
Dynasty Gaming Inc. is solidifying a two-phased strategy to secure a lead position in the Chinese market and within the international online gaming sector with its first-to-market software for an aggregate player, cash wager version of Mahjong, the world’s most played game. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, the company develops, markets, licenses and supports the Mahjong Mania software. Since marketing began in the second half of 2005, a number of license agreements have been signed including a contract with Ladbrokes, the world’s largest online sports book (www.Ladbrokes.com) whose site now hosts a customized version of Mahjong Mania. Dynasty has also signed Golden Palace one of the largest on-line casinos operators. Dynasty Gaming’s 77 million common shares, issued and outstanding, are widely held by Canadian and U.S. investors. Full information on Dynasty Gaming can be found at www.dynastygaming.com.
The Ho Group is principally engaged in gaming and entertainment activities through SJM, a Macau-based company. SJM ranks as one of the world’s largest casino operators. The Group’s range of businesses spans transportation, infrastructure, tourism, media and has interests in all of the most important hotels and casinos in Macau. Shun Tak Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with shipping, real estate and investment interests, is also part of the Ho Group.
The formation of Ho Majiang was recently announced when Montreal-based Dynasty Gaming and the Macau-based Ho Group signed a Letter of Intent for the purpose of promoting Dynasty’s Mahjong software in China. Ho Majiang will be controlled by the Ho Group – widely acknowledged as the world’s largest gaming organization – with Dynasty Gaming as a partner and owner with a 20% equity stake. Ho Majiang plans to become a listed company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The Elevation Group of Companies, based in the United States, is a leading event production, sponsorship planning and mobile marketing agency. Elevation is led by several former IMG executives who specialize in autoracing, sports, entertainment and product showcasing. Elevation has nearly two decades of sports and entertainment marketing, activation and event production experience, chiefly working for some of the world’s largest brands and most notable events. Elevation’s business partners and affiliations include Mosaic Media Group, dick clark productions and IMG Artists.
