Churchill Downs Incorporated, racetrack operator of the famed Kentucky Derby has reportedly bought Bluff Media, owners of Bluff Magazine. In the release last Friday, Churchill Downs made clear that their intentions in purchasing the poker media company was to position themselves favorably “in the event there is a liberalization of state or federal laws with respect to Internet poker in the United States.
In a regulated U.S. poker market, success will very likely depend on reaching prospective consumers and the availability of poker player databases and being the first one to market to them. Bluff Media possess both in having a poker magazine a large poker consumer database that can help propel the company should they ever embark in an online gaming venture.
Churchill Downs already operate an online gambling site, TwinSpires.com which allows customers to bet on horse races online, the only form of online gambling currently permitted in the United States.
