We received an industry press release about the official launch of Dot .Vegas, the geo-gTLD that primarily targets residents and businesses in the Las Vegas area.
However, anyone in the world can actually register a Dot .Vegas domain name.
Here are the juicy details about the Dot .Vegas availability:
Las Vegas, NV — Owning a .vegas digital address is now a reality for anyone in the world. As of September 15, 2014, the new top-level domain (tld), .vegas, became generally available for worldwide public registration, capping off a four-month phased introduction that began in June.
Thousands of businesses and entities worldwide pre-registered for .vegas domain names through leading registrars like GoDaddy, 1and1 and Enom, to name just a few. In the coming weeks, thousands more are expected to register now that general availability has begun.
Several early adopters, including the city of Las Vegas took advantage of early registration opportunities and have already launched their new .vegas websites.
- downtown.vegas – operated by the city of Las Vegas and focused on all things downtown
- gay.vegas – online resource serving the Las Vegas LGBTQ community
- electronic.vegas – high-traffic informational site with news, events, and happenings in the Las Vegas DJ and nightclub scene
As a revenue partner with Dot Vegas Inc., the registry operator of .vegas, the city of Las Vegas will receive in perpetuity 10 percent of all new and renewal registrations for .vegas domain names.
“We are extremely pleased with the local participation among small and large Las Vegas businesses,” said Jim Trevino, president and chief executive officer of Dot Vegas, Inc. “Virtually all of the major operators on the Las Vegas Strip pre-registered .vegas domain names for the city’s leading hotel/casinos, nightclubs, restaurants, attractions, events and retail destinations. A strong sampling of family owned small businesses, governmental agencies and non-profits took advantage of the pre-registration opportunity as well. Given the strong interest from Las Vegas concerns, we are excited about what general availability will bring, particularly since .vegas is an unrestricted top level domain. That means there is no nexus requirement to Las Vegas for individuals, companies and businesses to secure their own .vegas tld.”
“We’ve seen a great deal of interest for .vegas domain names driven by increased demand for new extensions, especially those that are location specific,” said Mike McLaughlin, GoDaddy senior vice president of domains. “Las Vegas is one of the most recognized brands on earth, so it has great global appeal for savvy marketers looking to distinguish their name online by associating with one of the most powerful and iconic brands in the world.”
Those interested in owning a .vegas domain name may register with GoDaddy or a myriad of 50-plus other domain registrars with which Dot Vegas, Inc. is contracted. The registration fees are determined by the individual registrars and are consistent with most other top-level domains.
About Dot Vegas, Inc.
Dot Vegas, Inc. is the proud operator of the .vegas top-level domain. Based in Las Vegas, the company was founded by experienced industry operators and managers with more than 15 years combined experience. After eight years and an investment of more than $1 million, Dot Vegas, Inc. was approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2014 as the exclusive registry and operator of the new top-level domain -.vegas. The company has a partnership with the city of Las Vegas and enjoys support from key political, civic and business organizations throughout Southern Nevada. Dot Vegas, Inc. is committed to making .vegas one of the most exciting brands in the digital world. Visit http://www.dotvegasinc.com/ for information.
The .vegas introduction to the Internet has been a four-month process of ever-widening availability that began June 2, 2014 when registration opened for trademark holders only. Following the trademark period, premium registrations were made available from August 14 to September 10 in what is known as a Land Rush phase during which highly-sought names are available for registration. Finally, starting September 15 .vegas domain names became generally available to the global public. As an unrestricted top-level domain, .vegas is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.
