It’s up to you, New York – but there’s no place like Vegas.
When it comes down to gTLD domains, New York restricts domain registrations to local residents; Berlin, London and Melbourne might be overly protective of their matching gTLD strings, but Las Vegas and its dot .Vegas domain wants your business, baby.
Dot .Vegas is thus the first unrestricted US city top-level domain, rolling out on June 2nd when Sunrise period starts.
Las Vegas, NV —Las Vegas will soon take its place among a select group of global destinations with a top-level Internet domain (TLD) designation with the launch of .vegas. Following the recent launches of .berlin and .london, .vegas is the latest of the much-anticipated, city- or geo-specific top-level domains to open for registration. However, unlike .nyc, which is restricted to domain applicants with a proven nexus to the city, .vegas is completely unrestricted, meaning anyone, anywhere in the world may register a web address with a .vegas extension.
The roll out is a four-plus month process that includes three distinct phases beginning June 2, 2014 with a “Sunrise” period and culminating on September 15 when .vegas opens to the global public for general availability.
For more information on the roll out and how to register a .vegas domain name, go to www.nic.vegas.
“When we started this process with the city of Las Vegas, we recognized the significance of making .vegas unrestricted, given the power of the brand and the global reach of the destination,” said Jim Trevino, president and CEO of Dot Vegas, Inc., the owner and operator of .vegas who has been working for more than seven years to bring .vegas to fruition. “Initially, we are making a top priority local businesses and individuals in our community by actively encouraging them to register their .vegas domains which correspond to their trademarks and service marks. They can also join our Founders Program to reserve .vegas domain names before general availability.”
The Founders Program is an opportunity for strategically placed enterprises with particular interest in promoting their Las Vegas brand or services to reserve relevant .vegas domain names before registration is open to the general public. Several local companies and organizations are already on board.
“Producing six different internationally acclaimed shows in Las Vegas, we understand the power of Internet search as a revenue driver, and owning .vegas online addresses makes perfect sense for us to further connect our product to the powerful Las Vegas brand,” said Adam Steck, founder and CEO of SPI Entertainment, whose roster includes Meat Loaf, Boyz II Men, Thunder from Down Under and Human Nature The Motown Show.
While entertainment companies, car dealerships, and loan centers are among the early adopters, it’s not just traditional businesses that realize the value of .vegas. The Southern Nevada Water Authority has reserved .vegas addresses in anticipation of the paradigm shift now occurring in Internet search applications which increasingly include relevancy algorithms that make online searches for products and brands even more localized and productive.
According to Trevino, the city of Las Vegas is a revenue partner with Dot Vegas, Inc., and will receive in perpetuity a percentage of fees generated by the registration and renewal of .vegas domain names. The city also has carefully selected a variety of .vegas names for its use, including mayor.vegas and downtown.vegas.
“We recognized the Internet was changing in a major way with advent of new top-level domain names,” said Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman. “We consider Las Vegas to be on the forefront of new technology, and we certainly would not be left behind or miss out on an opportunity to enhance our brand or promote online our city in such a significant way. And that’s exactly what will happen every single time a new .vegas address is registered.”
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the entity that controls addressing on the Internet, recently expanded the availability of top-level domains beyond the most recognized .com, .net and .org.
“In 2013, there were 23 generic top-level domains with 111 million of 147 million domains ending in .com,” said Jennifer Wolfe, a principal in the Ohio-based digital strategy and brand protection firm, Wolfe Domain. “Beginning in 2014, there will be 1,000-plus new top-level domains, and half of the world’s top brands have already applied for their own top-level domains, including Google which applied for 101 TLDs and Amazon which applied for 76.”
The roll out of .vegas digital addresses starts June 2 during the 60-day Sunrise period that lasts through August 1, 2014. In this phase, companies or individuals that have registered with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), a global repository of trademark and service mark data, may register their .vegas domains.
Those interested in owning a .vegas domain name may register with any of 50-plus major domain name registrars with whom Dot Vegas, Inc. has signed agreements. These include, among others, GoDaddy, Enom, Network Solutions or 1and1. The registrars determine registration fees for .vegas domain names, which are expected to be typical and consistent with most other TLDs.
Following Sunrise, any person or business in any location will be able to register a .vegas domain name first during Land Rush from August 14 to September 10, 2014 when numerous, high-demand premium domains will be available for registration. On September 15, .vegas will open for general availability on a “first to register” basis. Additionally, Dot Vegas will be offering certain, pre-selected high value names through auctions and premium names sales processes conducted by Afternic (a Go Daddy company), Name Jet and Go Daddy Auctions, beginning in mid-October 2014.
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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 six years and more than $1 million invested, Dot Vegas, Inc. was approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) 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. The company expects .vegas domain names to become available in Summer 2014. Visit www.dotvegasinc.com for information and availability timelines.
