With strong support from local businesses — .Vegas launches

.Vegas off to solid start with lots of locals registering domain name.

The .Vegas domain name launched on Monday and generated regarding 3,000 domain name registrations in the first hours of availability, plus another 1,400 registrations on Tuesday.

.Vegas is somewhat unique since it represents both a U.S. city and a global brand synonymous with entertainment and gambling.

EVP and co-founder of Dot Vegas Bart Mackay describes the domain as “dual purpose”, and his firm therefore has to reach two different groups with its marketing.

“Over the next three months, we have significant marketing campaigns that are local, but we can’t ignore the fact that Vegas is an international brand,” stated Mackay. “We’ve made a significant investment in international promotion, mostly through our registrar partners.”

On the local front, .Vegas is advertising on NPR, electronic billboards, and in the Las Vegas airport. It’s also getting a lot of PR from the city, which keeps 10% of .Vegas’ revenue.

The local message is certainly resonating. A Reglike analysis of .Vegas’ launch day zone file shows a broad spectrum of domain registrants, counting many local people and firms:

• An entertainment firm, Light Group, LLC registered 35 domains that appear to match the names of its local restaurants and bars.
• Local construction firm Crisci Builders registered LasVegasBuilders.vegas, LVContractor.vegas and a handful of other construction-related domains.
  (Better domains like Builders.vegas and contractors.vegas are registry-reserved premium domains.)
• A local printing firm bought its matching names, but might also have registered domains matching its competitors.
• Many of the local gambling firms bought the names of their casinos and restaurants.

There was, of course, the usual person who didn’t get the memo regarding cybersquatting. A Las Vegas resident registered 37 domains, mainly famous brands such as Avis.vegas, SouthwestAirlines.vegas and MGMinternational.vegas

Brock Ohlson, a local attorney whose LinkedIn profile lists him as founder of Lawyers.Vegas, was the top registrant with 198 legally-focused domain names. Lawyers.vegas right now lists the registry as owner, so I imagine Ohlson did a deal with the registry.

Another top registrant was Vegasdomainer LLC with 166 generics counting dogtraining.vegas and paincenter.vegas.

Other domainers getting in on the action included Jothan Frakes and Michael Berkens.

You can read my interview with .Vegas from a year ago here.

Above: Domain investor and NamesCon founder Richard Lau at the .Vegas launch.