GIBRALTAR, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Ace Gibraltar Ltd -- Poker had its biggest year ever in 2005 reaching total Buy-ins of over $376 Million. Poker continued on its record setting pace to start 2006, with back to back record months. February buy-in dollars reached $25.8 Million, the best February ever recorded. This record comes on the heels of the fifth biggest month all-time in poker as January 2006 buy-ins grew 36% over January 2005 with buy-ins of over $38 Million. The PokerPages.com Industry Index continues to see growth in all categories as 2006 gets under way.

PokerPages.com Founder Mark Napolitano comments on the industry outlook. "There have been whispers among some within the industry who wondered if poker could continue to grow in 2006. But, so far, 2006 has started out to be the strongest year ever in Poker, breaking records in all three PokerPages.com Industry Index (PPII) categories."

Buy-in Index

With the record month, the February Buy-in Index climbs 20 points from January to sit at 156; bringing the year-to-date index up to 144. February was helped by a strong showing at the World Poker Tour's Main event at the LA Poker Classic which saw record entries, driving buy-in dollars at the event up 30% from 2005.

Entrants Index

After growth of over 30% last year, player entries continued to grow in the month of February surpassing 2005's record of 15,145 entries to become the all-time best February to date. The month saw over 17,750 players enter into live tournaments. The Entrants index sits at 117, this down from January's index of 130. Overall, the year-to-date Entrants index sits at 125.

Average Buy-in per Entry Index

The average buy-in per entry continues to creep up in February with an average of $1,451, another record high for the month of February; putting the Average Buy-in per Entry Index at 133. Up significantly from January which was hurt by the poor showing at the World Poker Open Main event in Tunica, Mississippi; where entries were down over 35%. Even with the slight blip in January, average buy-in per entry has remained above $1,000 nine out of the past twelve months. This growth remains in line with the trend of more tournaments and casinos adding $10,000+ main events to their schedules.

How the Index is calculated:

The Index is calculated by comparing the total buy-in dollars from the past month to the same period in the previous year. A figure greater than 100 indicates growth i.e. 115 would indicate a 15% growth vs. the same period last year. A figure less than 100 indicates a decline, 85 for example indicates a decline of 15% vs. the same period last year. The Entrants index and Average Buy-in/Entry index are calculated in the same manner.

Example:

Total Buy-in for February 2006 - $25.8 Million, Total Buy-in for February 2005 - $16.6 Million. The PPII = (25.8/16.6) x 100 = 156. This indicates a growth of 56% vs. the same period in the previous year.

Established in 2006 by PokerPages.com the PPII is the only index that is dedicated to the poker industry.

Sign up for the PPII monthly report, emailed directly to your inbox. To sign up go to http://www.pokerpages.com/ppii .

To directly access the PokerPages.com Industry Index website, go to http://www.pokerpages.com/ppii .

2006 Releases: Apr. 11th, May 9th, June 7th, July 11th, Aug. 8th, Sept. 6th, Oct. 10th, Nov. 7th, Dec. 6th

For further information: please contact Trev McAninch, PokerPages.com Industry Analyst, PokerPages.com: Tel: (519) 936-4352, Fax: (519) 489-2835, email: PPII@pokerpages.com

CONTACT: Trev McAninch, Industry Analyst of PokerPages.com,
+1-519-936-4352, or fax, +1-519-489-2835, or PPII@pokerpages.com

Web site: http://www.pokerpages.com/ppii