MICHAEL CRAIG NAMED EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Acclaimed Poker Writer and Seasoned Player Joins Growing Team for the League’s Inaugural Season

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR INTERVIEWS CONTACT:
Heather Krug, Rogers & Cowan, 310.854.8156  hkrug@rogersandcowan.com

Los Angeles, CA (May 12, 2011)­– Federated Sports and Gaming (FS+G) today announced that Michael Craig has been hired as executive editor of the website supporting the new professional poker league.

Craig is one of poker’s most accomplished writers and his book The Professor, The Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time has gone through over a dozen printings in hardcover and paperback, while another of his books, Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition, has been translated into three languages and is now in its seventh U.S. printing.  Over the past three years Michael has established himself as a leading poker industry blogger, posting over 1,200 entries, totaling approximately 1 million words.

“Michael’s reputation and distinguished background as a serious and highly-regarded writer made him a perfect fit for our company and league,” said Annie Duke, Commissioner of the league.  “He shares our commitment to celebrating the best live tournament players and we welcome Michael to the team.”

Craig will lead all content and programming initiatives for the league website and immediately start to assemble a team of writers, bloggers, videographers and tournament reporters to help bring the site to life this summer.

Aside from his accomplishments as a writer in the poker world, Craig has excelled as an established player, making three final tables at the World Series of Poker – including a runner-up finish in Razz in 2009.

“I’m thrilled to have a platform to leverage all of my poker knowledge and writing and bring it to a new level and even wider audience,” said Craig. “The poker world is long overdue for its own professional league, and I’m honored to be part of the team launching what I believe is the future of the game.”

FS+G launches its new professional poker league this August at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. 218 of the world’s best live tournament players have qualified for the league and the complete roster can be found on the FS+G website at: http://www.federatedinc.com/poker-league/season-one-roster.  The league’s detailed player qualifying criteria can be found at http://www.federatedinc.com/poker-league/qualification-criteria.

The professional league’s inaugural season includes four rake-free $20,000 buy-in Main Event tournaments, each with a prize pool overlay of $400,000.  In addition, there will be a Pro-Am event and charity tournament during each event week.  The season will culminate in a championship $1 million free-roll event for the 27 players with the highest earnings during the regular season. For more details on the tournament structures, please consult the FS+G website (http://www.federatedinc.com/our-companies/poker-league/event-structures).

About Federated Sports + Gaming

Federated Sports + Gaming(FS+G) was founded in 2010 to create proprietary world-class sports and gaming brands through the integration of traditional and digital media, including televised events, social media gaming and interactive digital programming. The company breaks new ground in the poker world through its launch of a revolutionary professional poker league in 2011. FS+G will celebrate the world's top live tournament poker players by providing them with the spotlight they have long deserved. FS+G is dedicated to creating new traditions in poker entertainment by providing fans and players with an unmatched poker tournament, poker TV and interactive poker experience.  FS+G offices are based out of Los Angeles and Washington D.C. For more information please visit www.federatedinc.com.

About The Palms

The Palms Casino Resort, heralded as one of Las Vegas' hippest resorts, is an all-encompassing, one-stop destination. Owned by the Maloof family, the boutique property boasts three distinct towers and a diverse mix of bars and restaurants across a 95,000-square-foot casino. Amenities include the legendary Playboy Club; Ghostbar; Rain Nightclub; The Pearl Concert Theater; Moon Nightclub; N9NE Steakhouse; Nove Italiano; Little Buddha; Simon Restaurant & Lounge; The Palms Pool & Bungalows; Palms Spa and AMP Salon; Drift Spa & Hammam; LA Sunset Tan; Brenden Theatres, a 14-theatre Cineplex; Huntington Ink Tattoo Lounge; the Fantasy Suites, including the Hardwood Suite, the only hotel room in the world with its own basketball court; and over 60,000 square-feet of meeting space. The Palms has played host to MTV’s Video Music Awards, Real World: Las Vegas and Bravo’sCelebrity Poker Showdown, and E!’s Girls Next Door and Sunset Tan feature the resort on a regular basis. The Palms Casino Resort is located just west of the Las Vegas Strip and I-15 on Flamingo Road. For reservation information, call toll free at (866) PALMS-RES, (866) 725-6773, or visit www.palms.com. For groups of 15 rooms or more, contact the Sales Department at (866) PALMS-MTG or (866) 725-6768.

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  FSG Press Release May 12 2011.pdf