## Promotions: 5 Pivotal Instances – iGB

To commemorate the 100th edition of iGaming Business, we requested Harry Lang, Director of Marketing at Pinnacle, to share his insights on the 5 most significant promotional developments or occurrences since the publication’s debut in 2002.

**Promotions: 5 Pivotal Instances**
To commemorate the 100th edition of iGaming Business, we requested Harry Lang, Director of Marketing at Pinnacle, to share his insights on the 5 most significant promotional developments or occurrences since the publication’s debut in 2002.

1. **UIGEA.** Or for those too young to recall that fateful day in 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. This act was a catastrophe for iGaming, decimating the share prices of PartyGaming and numerous other behemoths overnight, and paving the path for PokerStars’ relentless onslaught to the top. The precise circumstances are still debated, but in a nation that prioritizes gun rights as the second rule in the national rulebook, deep-south Christian right voters were used as sacrificial lambs, and the American gambling public has been bearing the consequences ever since.

2. **Paddy Power.** I wish to give these individuals recognition, for no other reason than that they made marketing enjoyable.

Certainly, their audacious, unafraid approach to public relations and event concepts may originate from a data center in Tarlac, and their recent consolidation with a financial institution disguised as a wagering exchange, but anyone who can construct a 100-foot statue of Roy Hodgson Jesus on the White Cliffs of Dover and still preserve brand image deserves recognition. Likewise, it would be a grave oversight not to mention Pinnacle’s entrance into the marketplace in 1998 as a significant landmark. The introduction of the high-volume/low-margin model established the standard for sports betting, and no one has come close to equaling it.

3. HTML5. Portable devices will always appear on this list in some form, and the application revolution seems like a suitable place to at least gain some recognition. Encapsulating mobile web products into applications is increasingly becoming the “de facto” method to proceed – it’s simpler than developing applications directly and enables more adaptable, rapid development of mobile products across platforms.

4. Google. If you’re discussing digital marketing, “those who do no wrong” must be acknowledged. From pay-per-click to search engine optimization, and most everything else, Google effectively controls the digital media landscape, and anyone who doesn’t implicitly follow its regulations will fail. Whether you like it or not, Big G is here to remain and, through a series of acquisitions, is only going to become more influential. Disregard them, and you’ll pay the price.

5. Individuals.

In the year 2006, when I commenced my role as a marketing director for a nascent poker enterprise, the landscape was akin to a lawless frontier. Individuals were relentlessly pursuing rapid wealth accumulation through online wagering, employing deceitful tactics and fabrications. It was a chaotic period! However, a decade has elapsed, and the industry has matured. Currently, more adept individuals are establishing their professional trajectories within this domain, while those lacking the requisite qualifications have been marginalized. Unethical practices are occurring with diminishing frequency, robust systems are gaining prevalence, and the sector is reaping the rewards of a more competent workforce.

Subscribe to the iGaming newsletter.