G'day punters, sports nuts, entertainment news junkies and wrestling fans. Today we take another look at the popularity of gambling in pro wrestling and martial arts circles. Former WWE, TNA and WCW champion, Ric Flair has done another deal with the Carolina's Education Lottery and now WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels has got a lottery deal too. Michael's mate Kevin 'Diesel' Nash has also ramped up his online casino promos, and WWE Poker is full speed ahead, plus the UFC has done a deal with Full Tilt Poker. Word is an Andre The Giant slot game will also soon be hitting a bwin.party digital entertainment website too, via NextGen Gaming, so there's lots to get excited about. Media Man and Gambling911 with a bodyslamming report from ringside...
Ric Flair Does North Carolina Education Lottery Woooooo! 2 Deal...
Lottery players across the Carolina's may once again be calling out Ric Flair’s trademark “WOOOOO!™” as the winning wrestler’s newest scratch-off ticket “WOOOOO!™ II” launched March 29. “WOOOOO!™II” is a $5 scratch-off ticket featuring renowned wrestler and North Carolinian Ric Flair®, whose four decade spanning career has made him one of the most recognizable entertainment athletes in the world. Players scratch off 16 wrestling belts, which are representative of the 16 championship belts Flair won throughout his career. The game has five top prizes of $100,000 and more than $3.3 million in prizes between $15 and $80. Players who reveal a "money bag" symbol win the associated prize instantly and players who reveal a "chair" symbol win double the prize shown. If a player scratches to reveal a “Woo” symbol, they automatically win all 16 prizes.
Flair will appear at several of the lottery’s sponsored events across the state, including the Azalea Festival in Wilmington on April 9, the Dogwood Festival in Fayetteville on April 30, the NCEL 200 truck race in Concord on May 20 and Speed Street in Charlotte on May 28.
Two other scratch-off games are launching Tuesday, Sizzlin' 7's and The Money Game.
Sizzlin' 7's is a $2 ticket with six top prizes of $20,000. The game is played by matching any of your 10 numbers with one of two winning numbers. Revealing a black "seven" symbol doubles the prize shown, and revealing a red “seven” symbol wins all ten prizes shown. More than $7.5 million in prizes can be won in the game, including more than 81,000 prizes between $20 and $100.
In The Money Game, a $1 ticket, players try to match their center prize with the prizes on each corner of the ticket. The game has more than $4.1 million in total prizes, including a $4,000 top prize and more than 89,000 prizes between $10 and $40. If a "Bill" symbol is revealed, the player automatically wins $20.
NCEL net proceeds are used for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, reduction of class size in early grades, school construction and need-based college scholarships. For prizes of $5,000 and greater, 25% federal tax and 7% tax are automatically withheld.
For more information, contact Ryan Kennemur, Public Information Officer, North Carolina Education Lottery, 919-301-3306.
North Carolina wrestling icon Ric Flair signed autographs last Saturday at the Azalea Festival in Wilmington as part of his partnership with the N.C. Education Lottery in a new instant scratch-off game. Flair agreed for a second round of the ticket, called “Wooooo! II.” The $5 ticket, named after Flair’s trademark wrestling yell, went on sale in March. Here are details of the autograph session.
Shawn Michaels Follows Mate Ric Flair Into Lottery Promotions...
WWE living legend Shawn Michaels wants you to buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win a trip to a WWE Event. The proceeds from the raffle will go to several charities, including Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront will receive a contribution from 2011 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Michaels through an online charity raffle. The winner of the raffle will receive a prize package that includes two premium seats at WrestleMania XXVII. Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to military families and wounded warriors. Fans and supporters can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win the prize and help military families. Raffle tickets are $2.00 each, and there's a minimum purchase of five tickets. The draw occured at 11:00 AM EST on Friday, March 25, 2011. The winners name is a mystery. More information here
http://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffle/shawn-michaels-wrestlemania-raffle
Multimedia
Ric Flair Woooooo! 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK5561MkxqE&feature=player_embedded
Kevin Nash (Vinnie Vegas)
http://www.youtube.com/user/wrestlingnewsmedia#p/a/u/0/Z2a0YsMtflo
Pro Wrestling - Gambling Trivia...
Kevin 'Diesel' Nash, recently returned to WWE, used to be known in WCW as 'Vinnie Vegas'. Nash still has some gaming links on his official website.
Hulk Hogan, the most famous pro wrestler of all time, will have an online slot game out later this year in a deal done with Endemol. The story goes...
Endemol, along with the licensing division of Bischoff Hervey Entertainment, have partnered with Hulk Hogan to launch online game Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania. The game, created by recently launched Endemol Games U.K., is expected to hit early next year worldwide and will be distributed internationally by Endemol Worldwide Brands. MX Gaming is co-producing Hulkamania with Endemol and Bischoff Hervey Entertainment. "Endemol Games U.K. is expanding into new areas and this deal marks one of our first third-party licensing partnerships," says Jurian van der Meer, managing director of Endemol Games U.K. "Hulk Hogan is an icon with massive global appeal and we aim to attract his fans with creative online slot games. This is a great addition to our portfolio."
Hogan also has 'The Hulk-A-Mania Experience' land based slot games which is available in some American casinos. Some of the proceeds of the Hulksters slot go to The Dreamseekers Foundation, associated with native American casino tribes.
Ric Flair 'The Nature Boy' is apparently keen to explore an online casino game deal featuring his likeness.
The late, great, Andre The Giant is expected to have a slot game out in his likeness within 6 months. The two brands strongly rumoured to be in on the deal are bwin.party digital entertainment and NextGen Gaming.
World Wrestling Entertainment once owned a land based casino, that was never fitted out with company branding. They were miraculously were able to sell it for a profit circa 2000. WWE is understood to be very happy with their WWE Poker.
The UFC is delighted with their recent deal with Full Tilt Poker, but it isn't clear why they choose that poker brand over others. Last year Full Tilt did a deal with Richard Branson's Virgin Games. That Virgin deal happened around the same time that PartyGaming signed up a couple of F1 drivers, and Pommie cricket legend Phil "Tuffers" Tufnel.
It appears it's a case of what pro wrestling personalities and tie ins will happen next, rather than if.
A Media Man spokesperson said "Be watching out for pro wrestling names to start to appear on online and offline branded slot games. Hulk Hogan was first and we understand that Andre The Giant is second cab off the rank. Ric Flair tipped for third. WWE and UFC are tipped to make more noise about their gaming and gambling involvement also".
YouTube Footage...
WWF Casino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UJ8Ye6lNT0
Star City Casino, Sydney, Australia (Ric Flair attacks Hulk Hogan)
http://www.youtube.com/mediamanoz#p/u/50/8xsh9NT7bnw
As always, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good luck.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming. The also publish Wrestling News Media
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