CaesarCardClub, a site on the Everleaf Gaming Network, recently re-launched with a brand new look and feel. The online poker room has also announced a special World Series of Poker (WSOP) Mini-League to send players to the festivities in Las Vegas in just a few short weeks. First place takes home a $10,000 Main Event entry plus $2,000 in spending money. Second place grabs a $2,500 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em tournament buy-in plus $2,000 in spending money. The third place finisher will have CaesarCardClub foot the bill for a $1,500 buy-in No Limit event in Las Vegas and receive $2,000 in cash.
Poker News Daily sat down with Stefano Rando from CaesarCardClub to learn more about the site’s re-launch as well as what it takes to operate a successful online poker room in today’s economy.
Poker News Daily: Tell us about the decision to re-launch.
Rando: The site just re-launched after opening at the end of 2007. New investors came on in October of 2008 and the graphic looks of the lobby and table were changed from an “ancient Roman” style to a more modern look with new avatars and colors, but still keeping a connection with the Roman Empire. The rake race is even called “Gladiator Challenge.” The name CaesarCardClub was chosen to represent the shine and glory of Caesar, the Roman Emperor, and our ambition is to treat players as “kings.”
PND: What marketing strategy have you used for the site?
Rando: Our strategy is focused on creating a friendly environment where players can enjoy the game. Customer support is one of the main aspects of our marketing plan. We believe that solving any issue or problem that could arise quickly will result in trust from our customers. That’s why we offer many ways to reach our Support Team, such as e-mail, telephone, Skype, MSN Messenger, and 24/7 Live Chat.
We are currently advertising in major poker magazines and web portals, including Bluff USA, Poker Pro Europe, Online Poker Pro, CardPlayer Italy, TwoPlusTwo.com, PocketFives.com, and PokerPages.com.
PND: Where is the main office of CaesarCardClub located and describe the operation?
Rando: Our main company is located in Cyprus. However, the servers are based in Malta under the Lottery and Gaming Authority. The Customer Support Center, web-development, and marketing are headquartered in Switzerland. We have seven employees, a general marketing adviser, plus country managers for the U.K., Romania, and the United States. External support is hired occasionally for specific actions.
PND: What’s been the biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome it?
Rando: The biggest challenge is to break through the U.S. market, which is dominated by the “big names.” We accept U.S. players and think the country is still the most attractive market for poker. We just booked full advertising packages with TwoPlusTwo.com and PocketFives.com in order to let the U.S. poker community be aware of our upcoming promotions and more.
PND: Talk about the development of promotions such as sending customers to the 2009 WSOP. Who creates new promotions and what process do you go through to brainstorm them?
Rando: I think that the dream of a true poker player is to participate and hopefully get into the money at the World Series of Poker. We are the first room to launch a mini-league with a small buy-in (just $10) for three free packages to the WSOP. We want to give a real opportunity to everybody to live the dream without having to play in huge tournaments with thousands of players to qualify. We listen very carefully to all of the suggestions coming from forums and e-mails.
PND: Have you found the online poker market to be as active and willing to spend money as it was in late 2008?
Rando: The market is really tough due to many reasons: Too many operators with not enough numbers to survive, a general economic crisis of the industrialized countries, and new legal restrictions for online poker. This is the time when only serious and prepared companies can survive and we are ready to fight the battle.
PND: Talk about how important security is to online poker players. How do you show your customers that the site is secure?
Rando: Security of the software and online gaming as a whole are the first worries of players. This is why we have taken a trustable international license under the Lottery and Gaming Authority of Malta, which has never had any security issues. Our random number generator is state-of-the-art and customers can always check how the system works right on our site.
