Thursday, April 30, 2009

Media Man Australia Website Network Milestone

Sydney, Australia

1st May 2009

Media, publicity and portal development company, Media Man Australia, is delighted to announce its latest in a series of significant milestones.

Media Man Australia has expanded its network website portfolio to 11 websites, headed up by flagship website portals www.mediaman.com.au, www.casinonewsmedia.com and www.australiansportsentertainment.com

In addition MMA is the owner and operator of over 20 website domains covering the media, publicity, lifestyle, gaming, tourism and financial sectors.

The Media Man Australia website network attracts approximately 2 million hits per month and the Media Man Australia company website is in the Hitwise Australia top ten (entertainment category).

Some of the key brands Media Man Australia and its ever growing website network have worked with include PartyGaming - PartyCasino - PartyPoker, Virgin Games - Virgin Casino, William Hill Online, Playtech, Casino Rewards - Captain Cooks Casino, InterCasino - Marvel Entertainment, 888, PKR, Centrebet, Betezy, Virgin Blue, Webjet, Wotif, Foxtel, DGM, Ruby Rabbit De Nom, Universal Peace Centre Retreat, Richard Bradley Productions, Maxx-G Aerobatics, Messages On Hold, and the Australian Stunt Academy.

Media Man Australia enjoys supporting worthy community initiatives and some of its favorite charities and community minded organisations include Virgin Unite, beyondblue, The Shane Warne Foundation, The Salvation Army, Variety, Barnardos, Earth Hour, Climate Action, and Friends of Bondi Pavilion.

More information:
Greg Tingle
Director and Founder
Media Man Australia
t: (02) 9365 3164
e: greg@mediaman.com.au
w: www.mediaman.com.au

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Party clothes, poker face, by Mark Russell - Fairfax - 28th November 2008

Mark Russell gets a taste of what's on offer at the 14th annual Reef and Rainforest Carnivale.

The Gusman deals me a six of clubs and seven of spades. I try to look confident as I drop the cards back on the table, but my poker face has never been that good. I think I'm what professionals call an easy read. I have played this game before but, to be honest, I was never that skillful. In fact, I'm lousy.

My mates, never the most kind-hearted, knew I was a poor poker player, but, just to make sure I'd lose, they would let the cat in whenever we sat down for a game after a long night at the pub. I'm allergic to cats so it was pretty hard to focus as my eyes puffed up and the tears streamed down my face.

Anyway, here I am sitting at a poker table surrounded by gently swaying palm trees overlooking the spectacular Coral Sea at Port Douglas nervously searching for any signs of a feline presence.

Satisfied that the local cat population is busy elsewhere, I settle down to a friendly game of Limit Texas Hold-Em.

The dealer, resplendent in purple shirt and black waistcoat, introduces himself as the Gusman and ends up dealing me a straight. I rake in the chips and down another cold beer. Life is good. I like the Gusman. A lot of locals like the Gusman too. He has his own radio show and is a popular stand-up comedian in town.

The Gusman is getting in some practice on this beautiful balmy afternoon for his role as MC at the 888 Reef Shark Classic Poker Tournament, touted as "a little bit of Texas in the tropics", which will be one of the features of this year's 14th annual Reef and Rainforest Carnivale.

Organisers expect 2000 players to take part in the four-day event, which kicks off on May 23 with the aim of setting a world record for the largest number of people playing poker outdoors.

The event, to be held at the Rex Smeal Park, will be monitored by World Guinness Book of Records officials.

First prize is free entry into the Aussie Millions poker tournament (valued at $10,000) at Melbourne's Crown Casino and seven nights' accommodation. Second prize is $5000 credit with the online poker website, 888.com

Fifty trained pit bosses will supervise a cordoned-off licensed playing area with 200 tables surrounded by a large public viewing space filled with food stalls and a large screen showing all the action.

The goal for those taking part is to make it through the first three elimination rounds to the final 100 players who will battle it out at the Central Hotel for first and second prize on Saturday night, May 26.

There is no entry fee, but players must buy a $130 raffle ticket, putting them in the draw to win a trip for two to Las Vegas, including air fares and five nights' accommodation. All profits go to the Peter Crimmins Memorial Cancer Fund.

The poker game I sat down to was just one of the highlights of a recent two-day visit to Port Douglas to see what will be on offer during the 10-day Carnivale festival, starting from May 18, which is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors from all over Australia.

One of the talking points in town during my trip was the $70,000 fishing tournament to be hosted by the Port Douglas and District Combined Club from May 18 to 27.

A lot of locals are vowing to take time off work to try to snare the tagged prized Bonanza Barramundi worth $50,000 and 20 other tagged $1000 fish which will be released in the waters around Port Douglas.

You can register for the event online at carnivale.com.au or at the venue a day before the tournament but, be warned: if you do plan to take part, competition is expected to be fierce. The entry fee is $22 per adult and $11 per child and all entrants have the chance to win an overseas fishing holiday. There will be daily prizes in various categories including best jetty-caught fish and largest fish for a species.

Carnivale will also include an It's a Wild, Wild World-theme street parade with floats and street theatre, bands and dancers, followed by a fireworks display; a food and wine festival; Australia's first international beach soccer tournament; Gourmet Gladiators - celebrity chefs battle it out for supremacy in the kitchen; the Sheraton Mirage Oceania Art Prize with $15,000 in prizes; a junior tennis tournament with tennis legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley on hand to offer a few tips; a pet parade; a music festival and rodeo; a sailing regatta; a short circuit bicycle race; a bowls tournament; a golf clinic and tournament; a fashion parade; and comedienne Klara McMurray.

Organisers also suggest that, if you have any spare time, you might think about taking a ride in a Great Barrier Reef helicopter, playing a round of golf at the Sea Temple Golf and Country Club, or maybe even chartering the luxury cruiser Phantom for a day's fishing and swimming.

Port Douglas may not be Rio de Janeiro, but it's ready to party.

Mark Russell was a guest of Mantra Resorts and Virgin Blue. (Credit: Fairfax)

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Crown confident in Macau growth outlook - 29th April 2009

Casinos operator Crown Ltd has bought more shares in its joint-venture casino operator and developer in Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd (MPEL), and expressed confidence in the growth outlook for the Chinese enclave.

MPEL operates the Altira Macau, formerly known as Crown Macau, which opened in May 2007.

MPEL is also developing the City of Dreams casino resort at Cotai in Macau.

MPEL's major shareholders are Crown and the Hong Kong-listed Melco International Development Ltd (Melco).

Crown said on Wednesday that it had agreed to take $US45 million ($A63.71 million) in additional equity in MPEL's $US165 million ($A233.61 million) equity placement.

The placement may rise to $US180 million ($A254.85 million) if an over allotment option is exercised.

Melco has participated in the MPEL placement on the same terms as Crown.

Crown said the cost of its cash equity investment in MPEL, including the new shares, was now $US500 million ($A707.91 million).

Following the MPEL placement and assuming full exercise of the over allotment option, Crown's ownership interest in MPEL will be diluted slightly to 36.4 per cent.

"The substantial participation in this transaction by the founding shareholders of the company - Melco International and Crown Ltd - confirms our confidence in the growth outlook for Macau and Melco Crown Entertainment's competitive position within the market," Crown executive chairman James Packer, who is also co-chairman of MPEL, said.

"I am convinced that City of Dreams will set a new standard for casino development in Asia."

MPEL said that City of Dreams remained on track to open in early June and on budget.

Crown shares were steady at $6.42 at 1230 AEST on Wednesday.

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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Macau casinos' luck begins to turn - 20th April 2009

Macau's bad luck may have started to turn, as first-quarter gaming revenues jumped 8.1 percent from the previous quarter after a dismal second half in 2008, official figures showed.

Revenues in the gaming haven were 26.02 billion patacas (3.26 billion dollars) in the first three months of this year, up from 24.08 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008, Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau said on its website.

The upturn follows three straight quarter-on-quarter drops in revenue in the former Portuguese colony, as tighter visa restrictions on visitors from mainland China hit operators.

But the figure was still down 12.8 percent compared to the record first quarter of 2008, according to the statistics released Friday.

The crucial market for VIP baccarat was 16.83 billion patacas in the first three months of the year, down 19.1 per cent from the first quarter of 2008, but up 7.8 percent from the fourth quarter.

Macau has become a gleaming temple to gambling, with enormous casino complexes cropping up over the past few years, helping the city easily overtake Las Vegas in terms of gaming revenue.

But the tougher visa restrictions and the crisis in the global credit markets has meant many projects have stalled in recent months as they struggle to find new financing.

The visa restrictions were beefed up on Chinese worries about corrupt mainland officials laundering their cash in Macau, as well as the rise of problem gambling.

There is also concern about the outflow of cash, much of it to United States-based firms that have been the major investors in Macau since its gaming sector was liberalised in 2002.

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Melco Crown CEO Says ‘Pressure Is On’ With New Casino (Update2), by Paul Gordon and Chia-Peck Wong - 14th April 2009

April 14 (Bloomberg) -- Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. Chairman Lawrence Ho, son of Macau gambling tycoon Stanley Ho, said it’s “crucial” that its $2.1 billion City of Dreams casino defies the global recession and has a successful opening.

“We know the pressure is on us,” Ho said today in a Bloomberg Television interview in Macau. “The success of it will have major implications.”

Melco Crown, a joint venture between 32-year-old Ho and Australian billionaire James Packer, will open the casino in June, braving the worst global slump since World War Two and Chinese curbs on travel to Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub. City of Dreams is located on Macau’s Cotai Strip, where Las Vegas Sands Corp. suspended construction of its partially-built gaming properties in November as credit markets seized up.

“In terms of China’s political matters, these are definitely out of our hands,” Ho said. “The bleakest days of the industry are past us, which was the fourth quarter.”

Melco Crown dropped 19 cents, or 4 percent, to $4.59 at 4:29 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. The company plans to raise as much as $400 million selling American Depositary Shares, it said separately in a regulatory filing yesterday.

Gambling revenue in Macau, a former Portuguese colony that is the only region in China where casinos are legal, has fallen for the past year after the mainland tightened visa rules for visitors to the city. The decline in arrivals from China has compounded the effects of the global slowdown, which has dampened demand from Taiwan and South Korea.

China Cools

Growth in China, the world’s third-biggest economy, probably cooled to the slowest in almost 10 years in the first quarter, as a global recession led to a collapse in exports. Gross domestic product grew 6.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the median estimate of 12 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Macau’s economy shrank 7.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 as a result, the first contraction since June 2003, according to figures compiled by Bloomberg.

Still, the decline in monthly casino revenue has moderated, dropping 6 percent in March from a year earlier to 9.5 billion patacas ($1.2 billion), from a 15.5 percent fall in February and 17 percent decrease in January, figures from the Portuguese news agency Lusa show.

Hotel occupancy rates in February also fell 2 percent from a year earlier, the smallest drop in seven months, figures from the Macau Statistics and Census Service show.

Government officials from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong met in February, agreeing to enact measures allowing more mainland residents to visit the two cities. Guangdong may allow its residents to travel to Macau and Hong Kong more frequently in a policy that might be put in place before China’s week-long Labor Day holiday in May, Ming Pao reported on Feb. 20. (Credit: Bloomberg)

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Packer bets $3b Macau casino will come up trumps, by Vanda Carson - The Sydney Morning Herald - 20th April 2009

Some of the croupiers shuffling cards at James Packer's huge new casino in Macau will don nose rings and wear blue wigs, as part of a punk-rock theme to attract wealthy Asian gamblers and holidaymakers.

The croupiers will work on tables at the Hard Rock Cafe-themed casino, itself part of the $US2.1 billion ($3.03 billion) City Of Dreams casino development in Macau.

While the popularity of Hard Rock-themed restaurants has waned in Australia, they are popular in Asia and there are three Hard Rock casinos in the US.

The final fit-out of the City Of Dreams project, owned by Mr Packer's joint-venture company, Melco Crown Entertainment, has begun after construction ended earlier this month.

The 520 gaming tables and 1350 poker machines are expected to be open for business in the first week of June, provided several local authorities give an occupancy permit for the site.

The venture will also include a 380-room Hard Rock-themed hotel and a Crown Towers hotel.

After a tour of the project with reporters last week, Mr Packer's co-chairman, Lawrence Ho, conceded there was a lot riding on the success of the project.

He told Bloomberg it was "crucial" that the casino defied the global recession and had a successful opening.

"We know the pressure is on us," Mr Ho said.

"The success of it will have major implications.

"The bleakest days of the industry are past us, which was the fourth quarter."

Mr Packer is also relying on the success of City Of Dreams to vindicate his decision to invest billions of dollars of his own and Crown shareholders' funds in the venture. Crown has a 37 per cent stake in Melco Crown.

The casino is opening in the midst of both the worst global slump since World War II and as the Chinese Government tightens restrictions on the number of visits its citizens can make.

Last week Melco Crown said it had just $US50.3 million in cash remaining from a $US1.75 billion debt facility for the project as at the end of March.

It announced plans to tap the market for a further $US400 million to bolster its balance sheet. It is not known whether Crown will take up its share.

Chinese who visit Macau mostly gamble on credit, using so-called junket operators because they can take only 20,000-yuan ($US3000) plus $US5000 with them.

The company warned it may not be able to recover all of the generous loans it makes to its mostly Chinese VIP gamblers.

Last week high-level representatives of Melco Crown and its five rival casino licence-holders met to discuss a proposed cap on how much commission casinos can pay to the junket operators.

with Bloomberg (Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Media Man Brands Blog: SEO News

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Media Man Web Tips


Link Building For SEO




1. Explore websites in your niche that have resource pages or link directories.


2. Reach out to site owners and request inclusion if your content is relevant and valuable.


3. Collaborate with Influencers and Experts in your industry.


4. Partner with influencers or industry experts.


5. Create joint content such as webinars, interviews, or podcasts.


6. Leverage their audience to promote your content, resulting in more backlinks and exposure.


7. Use tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Moz to track your backlink profile.


8. Monitor changes in rankings and organic traffic.


9. Assess the effectiveness of your link building efforts and adjust your strategy accordingly.


10. Focus on building relationships, providing value, and earning links naturally over time. (Media Man and A.I News)


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Links (Media Man Int)

http://mediamanint.com/links.html


Text Links (Media Man Int)

http://mediamanint.com/articles/text_links.html


Link Building (Media Man Int)

http://mediamanint.com/articles/link_building.html


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Wednesday, April 08, 2009

James Packer Could Still Prove a Savior to Las Vegas - Gambling911 - 8th April 2009

James Packer will be reviewing Las Vegas gaming revenue for the second time in five months, though he might be disturbed by what he sees.

February gaming totals are lowest since 2004 for state and the Las Vegas Strip.

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

"Throughout Nevada, gaming revenue fell more than 18 percent during February and more than 23 percent on the Strip, figures released Tuesday by the Gaming Control Board show. The raw numbers -- $839.5 million statewide and $427.4 million on the Strip -- were the lowest single-month gaming revenue totals since 2004.

"During February, the statewide casino win of almost $839.5 million from gamblers was down from almost $1.145 billion won a year ago. The figure was the lowest statewide one-month total since July 2004, when casinos recorded $813 million in gaming revenues. February's 18.1 percent decline was the third largest monthly decline in state history, following a 22.3 percent drop last October and an 18.9 percent decline last December.

"On the Strip, casinos won $427.4 million, down from $558.3 million a year ago. The figure was the lowest single month total since November 2004 when casinos won $426 million. It was the second-largest single month drop ever, trailing only the 25.7 percent drop posted last October."

The negative news doesn't necessarily mean Australia's gambling magnate, Packer, won't still dive in.

Depending on which way he views the statistics, it's either good news for Packer's Crown because it will mean casinos in Las Vegas will be even cheaper, or bad if his company's only sizeable investment in the poker capital defaults on its loans, Australian media outlets reported on Wednesday.

The Las Vegas strip produces nearly 10 times the revenue of any other area in that city.

Crown has an interest in the strip through its 19.6 per cent stake in Fontainebleau Resorts (once worth $US250 million).

Fontainebleau is in danger of defaulting on loans if the ailing strip does not soon recover.

Packer himself is hardly immune to today's economic woes.

The Herald Sun reported on how Packer has taken measures to trim down his own company:

Packer's Consolidated Media Holdings has slashed the size of its board, with the remaining non-executive directors taking a pay cut.

In a sign of both the scaling down of CMH and of leaner economic times, the board has been slimmed down from 12 directors to seven, saving the company more than $500,000 a year in directors' fees.

Directors have also been told to repay loans taken out with the company to buy shares, or else forfeit those shares.

Media Man Greg Tingle tells Gambling911.com: "I think its great to see James Packer show some authority in the boardroom which his late father, Kerry Packer, was also noted for. James doesn't swear like his old man did however.

"There's nothing quite like a shack up on a company board to put them on notice that performance levels are being closely monitored." (Credit: Gambling911)

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Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Virgin king and Crown Casino king talk shop and Media Man makes a play

Media Man Australia and Casino News Media report Virgin's iGaming arm, Virgin Games aka Virgin Casino, is enjoying a huge comeback which can be attributed to a number of reasons.

New Virgin Games players now receive a 100% sign up bonus, which is of course double the original 50%!

New Virgin Games online slot releases include Battleship - Search & Destroy and MegaJackpots Cleopatra®. Cleopatra and Cleopatra II have long been the most popular games available on Virgin Casino and the merging with the mega popular MegaJackpots® has been an international big hit. Rumours are circulating that Dungeons and Dragons: Fortress of Fortunes will also soon be added to the already awesome Virgin Games portfolio.

Virgin boss, Richard Branson was recently spotted talking shop (or was it small talk? .. unlikely) at the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix with none other than Australian casino king, James Packer, head of Crown Casino and a number of other casino and lifestyle businesses.

Media and iGaming analyst, Greg Tingle, has long gone on record starting that these two gentlemen might do well to get their heads together and offer a 5 star plus package for the casino whales of the world. They could pick up where Donald Trump dropped the ball. Branson's V Australia and his Virgin empire coupled with Packer's group of casinos in Melbourne, Perth, Macau, Las Vegas and elsewhere, would appear to be an excellent match. Branson is of course a fan of news media coverage whilst Packer has proved to be more media shy. Perhaps that may change if the two were to team up on a win - win venture combining the best of air travel, casinos and accommodation. It could be packaged as an ultimate travel and lifestyle experience for the whale who demands the best! The next best thing to space travel, another dynamic offering from Virgin Enterprises Limited. Tingle has wasted no time in showcasing the photo of Branson and Packer talking shop on the Media Man Australia website and has advised "We're keen to be pro actively involved in a Virgin - Crown campaign, given our proven track record with Virgin Games, Virgin Unite, air travel bookings and casino lifestyle campaigns".

Tingle is the former manager and agent for Crown Casino poker trainer and commentary, Keith "Bendigo" Sloan, so stranger things have happened. In what appears to be a strategic move Tingle has also registered Casino Travel Tourism and looks to be building his own World Casino Directory, a move tipped to compete with the original world famous online casino portal.

More details as they come to hand.

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Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Media Man Brands Blog: Be The Brand

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Be The Brand