PKR Stands to Gain from Generation Xbox on New Asia Deal

AsianLogic Ltd., the land-based and Internet gambling operator, will market PKR's three-dimensional poker product in Asia under a deal announced yesterday.

AsianLogic, with offices in Singapore and Hong Kong, is to develop PKR's customer base across its target markets through affiliate partnerships and direct marketing initiatives.

Thomas A. Hall, the chief executive of AsianLogic, told IGamingNews this morning that his company feels PKR's product will do "very well" in Asia.

He said AsianLogic's own two-dimensional product, which runs on software developed by Playtech, has grown 18 percent, month on month, for nearly two years.

Mr. Hall said however that there are markets in Asia where a three-dimensional poker offering will be more successful than two-dimensional products.

"There are certain gaming markets in Asia (subscription and play for points) where 3d poker will be a lot more successful than standard 2d products, but there will also be a strong market for PKR's standard 3d product as it attracts a different player demographic," he wrote in an e-mail.

PKR's product, Mr. Hall said, could be developed into both a play-for-points and subscription-based model once regulatory approval is received. He said the company's existing play-for-money product will likely become popular across Asia, adding that the potential for a subscription-based product is highest in China, Korea and Japan.

Warwick Bartlett, the owner of Global Betting & Gaming Consultants, said PKR could do particularly well with the younger generation of Asian gamblers, for whom visually rich console gaming on Xbox and Playstation is the norm.

"In Asia this style of entertainment gaming is really popular -- in fact, it is one of the main social pastimes -- so those players would feel right at home with the PKR offer," he said.