San Francisco, CA, April 20, 2012 --(PR.com)-- GiGse announced today the list of startups selected for the Startup Launchpad at the iGaming conference to be held in San Francisco, CA, on April 24th-26th, 2012, at the Westin San Francisco Market Street Hotel.

For the first time, the event will spotlight promising and disruptive startups that blend the very best from the worlds of gambling and social gaming, and offer innovative solutions for mobile gaming and legal internet poker, in a one-day contest complemented with a stellar list of judges.

“The convergence of casual gaming and online gambling represents one of the hottest emerging sectors in social media,” said Hal Bringman, chairman of the social games section of GiGse and President of NVPR. “The Startup Launchpad portion of the event brings these evolutionary forces together and delivers them to the marketplace combined with a mixture of Silicon Valley’s top VCs and media alike.”

The list of esteemed judges include:
• Sean Ryan, Director, Games Partnerships, Facebook
• Dan "Shoe" Hsu, Editor-in-Chief, GamesBeat
• John Salter, Partner, The Raine Group
• Gus Tai, Trinity Ventures
• Lizette Chapman, Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones
• Moderator: Melissa Blau, Director, iGaming Capital

The divergent group of startups selected to compete at GiGse include:

• Joingo - a mobile loyalty system that integrates the casino floor on patrons' mobile devices and enables casinos to create a sophisticated and engaging dialogue with their customers.

• Virtual Gaming Worlds – launching with Chumba World, a virtual casino that allows players to create and monetize their own virtual and real money casinos, VGW operates at the convergence of social gaming and licensed online gambling and caters for both legalized and non-legalized markets.

• PopCorn Games - boasting a strong management team with 12 years of experience in money bingo, this social gaming platform uses patent-pending social goods engine that builds more entertainment and value in the customer experience.

• SkillBet- as claimed by the founder, a 100% legal, real money online poker solution in 28 US States.

• Use It Better – a SaaS service that enables online game developers to record and analyze -- and even replay -- individual players’ behaviors in order to improve monetization or eliminate frauds.

When asked what he’s looking for in start-up candidates, Sean Ryan, Director, Games Partnerships, Facebook, commented, “Free to Play gaming is the single most important trend, across both desktop and mobile. The key is for startups to understand the user behavior first and foremost – what problem are they solving, and why is it an important one? Also, team, team, team – a key is to have a strong technical leader from the beginning.”

The 12th Annual Global iGaming Summit & Expo brings together senior executives and decision-makers to discuss how to take advantage of the emerging North American iGaming market and to network and create strategic partnerships for exchange of expertise that will help them secure the quickest way to market possible.

The lead sponsor of the event is IGT, whose recent $500m acquisition of Double Down Interactive, creators of the DoubleDown Casino, helped accelerate the pace of investment and innovation in iGaming. Key players from that transaction will be speaking on panels at the event, including IGT, The Raine Group, and NVPR.

About GiGse

The 12th Global iGaming Summit & Expo (GiGse) attracts the key decision-makers: politicians, regulators, top executives representing the US land-based industry and global iGaming providers, media and social gaming developers to debate the impact of the iGaming regulation on their businesses and to find out strategies aimed at securing the first-mover advantage in this emerging market. http://www.gigse.com

About Clarion Gaming

Clarion Gaming is the first choice provider of quality information, events and services to the global gaming, gambling and betting industries. It is dedicated to supporting the industry - whether traditional or new, supplier or buyer, trade association or government department. Clarion Gaming’s ongoing goal is to maintain its position of leadership both within the industry and in representing the industry to the business community at large, providing world class customer service in the process. http://www.totallygaming.com

About NVPR

NVPR is a digital media consultancy well-known for introducing disruptive technologies to the market. With an ROI emphasis and an entrepreneurial mindset, we help companies reach the next level, whether select startups, or major multinational corporations. Founded in 1998, the firm launched the digital music revolution and has continued to lead the digital media marketplace through today. The firm consults a wide range of clients providing them with strategic PR, marketing and business development services all delivered with a global perspective. For more information, please visit http://www.nvpr.com

Contact:

Elias Bustos
NVPR
+1.323.851.6877 (office)
+1.310.210.8011 (mobile)
elias(at)nvpr(dot)com

or

Hal Bringman
NVPR
hal(at)nvpr(dot)com
+1.206.299.0622, ext 801 (o)
+1.323.851.6877 (o)
+1.310.210.8011 (m)
Skype: halbringman
AIM: hbringman
Yahoo: halbenz

Contact Information:
NVPR
Hal Bringman
323-851-6877
Contact via Email
www.nvpr.com

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