Gambling Network Expands

The number of Americans who bet represented a vast potential audience, David Hawk, co-founder and co-chairman, said.

More than 50 million Americans made more than 300 million visits to casinos last year, Hawk said, citing research conducted for the American Gaming Association.

Other "niche" channels, such as the Golf Channel, had succeeded with a smaller pool to draw from, Hawk said. About 25 million people visited golf courses last year, half the number of casino-goers, he said.

The new channel would target the young male crowd, age 21 to 34, which was valuable to advertisers, Nickolas Rhodes, the network's president and chief executive officer, said.

US Television has been dealing out an increasing number of gambling-themed shows, including Travel Channel's hit series on the World Poker Tour and the coming Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo.

Still, it remains to be seen whether gambling shows will be successful. "That's the ultimate question," Bill Carroll, an analyst for Katz Television, a media buying firm, said. "The marketplace will determine if there really is a need for any of these digital channels that are specially targeted."

The network, which plans to raise $107.58 million in operating capital by first quarter 2004, is negotiating carriage deals. The goal is to reach one million homes initially and be in at least 20 million homes in four years.