The Danish Internet company Balslev Media has recently purchased the German domain name www.casino.de for Euro 400,000 / US $591,000. This is a new record price paid for a German domain name.

According to the new owner of Casino.de, the domain name acquisition was a bargain. "The value of the domain consists of several things; first of all it's the perfect brand name -- it's short and it describes exactly what we do. Furthermore, many people will find our Web site even if they don't know anything about us through direct traffic, which is when people type in a keyword domain name in their browser and find a service provider without searching for it first. Additionally, the high price is based on the popularity of online casino and poker gambling on the Web," says webmaster Jan Balslev.

The mission with the new Web site Casino.de is to guide gamblers through the jungle of online casinos and poker rooms by offering independent and thoroughly researched information about gambling online.

The new Web site owner sees himself as a gatekeeper for gamblers who wish to play casino and poker games online -- without gambling on where they are betting as well. Due to the lack of international regulation, there is a growing demand for independent information, therefore it is of great value to online casinos and poker rooms to be reviewed at Casino.de. As with all Internet commerce, trust is essential.

Casino.de is a German language version of the English language guide to gambling www.online-casinos.com. Both sites offer comprehensive guides for gamblers such as free training games, visual casino game instructions and gambling tips. As the owner puts it "A land-based casino or an online casino is not the place to learn the rules for blackjack, or any other casino game for that matter."

In the past the domain name Casino.de has had several different owners, among others Deutsche Bahn -- the German states railroad company, and until recently, an offshore company.