Owned by California’s Pala Band of Mission Indians, Pala Interactive recently made their debut in the New Jersey online gaming market. There’s skepticism surrounding Pala’s ability to compete with better-established brands like WSOP.com and the Party Borgata network. But there’s also some optimism that they can carve a niche for themselves in New Jersey, given that Pala has an experienced iGaming CEO in Jim Ryan. One other possible benefit that they might have going for them – Phil Ivey.
Is Phil Ivey going to represent Pala Interactive New Jersey?
Back in July 2013, Pala Interactive signed Ivey to a sponsorship deal in hopes that he could promote their potential California online poker site. However, legalizing iPoker in California is taking longer than originally expected, so Ivey never had a chance to fulfill the deal.
But while things have been quiet on this front, the 10-time WSOP champion did pique interest by tweeting, “Congrats to @PalaCasinOnline for going live in my home state of New Jersey. Great site. Check it out at PalaCasino.com.” Judging from Ivey’s endorsement, it seems like he might have some kind of arrangement with Pala.
Baccarat edge sorting
As many know, Ivey is being sued by the Borgata for $9.6 million over a baccarat edge sorting case. And this is interesting, seeing as how Borgata is Pala Interactive’s land-based partner in New Jersey.
When Pala announced their partnership with Borgata, it seemed like their previous deal with Ivey might have slowly died. However, considering that he recently endorsed the site through twitter, it’s hard telling what is going on.
In any case, Ivey would definitely bring instant recognition to the Pala Interactive brand. He’s not only from the Atlantic City area, but his fame extends outside the poker world – a rarity for most players. That said, if Pala is to compete against operations that have had over a year of experience in New Jersey, Ivey would certainly be a huge plus for them.