We developed an online tournament – Bwin Poker Island Challenge – that became a casting call for a chance to play on the ultimate stage: a Mediterranean villa on an island paradise, complete with an infinity pool.

We turned the challenge into a hit reality TV show Poker Island. TV cameras followed the eight finalists on their exclusive championship weekend, transforming them into stars of their own poker program. Six one-hour episodes were part of Sky Italia’s sports schedule. During the day players battled it out for the final prize of a spot in the reputed Aussie Millions Poker Championship. But at night they played hard enjoying adventures, nightlife and the in-house chef.Our unique online/offline tournament was promoted through TV, Internet and print. Poker Island aired December 5th, 2008 - January 12, 2009 as Bwin’s logo maintained maximum visibility throughout the program and on all TV guides.

"Our gamble paid off. The event generated a huge presence both on main and niche poker sites as well as online TV guides and stations covering poker tournaments: • 720,000 impressions, 70% men • Viewers spent an average of 20 minutes engaging with the brand • Players in qualification tournament 8 times over forecast and beyond year's end target • Market share almost doubled with 2% share of investment vs. competition • The Poker Island audience was 62% higher than the SkySport average"