.vegas

Overview

• .vegas is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) created to promote the Las Vegas brand, tourism, hospitality, gaming and related businesses.
• The string was applied for under ICANN's New gTLD Program by Dot Vegas Inc., with support from the City of Las Vegas.
• The registry backend is noted as Afilias.

History

• Dot Vegas Inc. began preparing a proposal for the .vegas gTLD as early as 2007.
• The application was submitted in ICANN's New gTLD Program and included formal support from the City of Las Vegas and other local bodies.
• On 16 January 2014 Dot Vegas Inc. received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN.
• .vegas was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 31 March 2014, completing the successful application process.
• The ICANN Geographic Names Panel determined that the term did not meet ICANN's definition of a geographic name, a ruling noted in the application process.

Usage and Audience

• Intended audience includes:
  • Tourism and hospitality businesses using the Vegas brand.
  • Entertainment and gaming industries.
  • Local enterprises and technology companies seeking a Vegas identity.
  • Global registrants: the City of Las Vegas instructed Dot Vegas to promote and allow registrations worldwide, without requiring documented local connections.
• The registry positions .vegas as a tool to increase awareness of Las Vegas, expand tourism and promote local commerce and technology development.

Registration Rules

• Registration policies were stated to be consistent with common gTLDs such as .com, .net and .info (i.e., open registrations rather than strict local nexus requirements).
• As a condition of registration, registrants must execute terms and conditions giving the .vegas registry the ability to intervene or disrupt a registrant's .vegas domain (potentially without a court order) when the registry determines illegal activity is being carried out that would harm the reputation or interests of the City of Las Vegas or the Vegas brand.
• The application emphasized technical security, stability and tools to encourage registrar and registrant innovation.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The registry explicitly frames .vegas as a brand-enhancing TLD for the globally recognized Vegas name, intended to increase visibility for local services and businesses.
• The application and registry policies emphasize protecting the Vegas brand and reputation, including mechanisms to disrupt domains deemed harmful to that reputation.
• The registry's open global-registration approach positions .vegas more like a generic, brand-oriented gTLD rather than a restricted geographic TLD.

Notable Cases or Examples

• There was public contention between Dot Vegas Inc. and Greenspun Corp. (operator of Vegas.com) over city endorsement and revenue-sharing for the .vegas application.
  • The Las Vegas City Council endorsed Dot Vegas Inc.; Dot Vegas signed a revenue-sharing agreement with the City providing $0.75 per .vegas registration or 10% of gross annual revenue.
  • Greenspun Corp. sought the city's endorsement and had support from Clark County; Greenspun offered Clark County $1.50 per registration or 10% of yearly gross revenue and argued the city could secure better terms.
• The application included plans to form an advisory committee of local government, civic and business leaders and to direct funds from .vegas operations for community purposes.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       VEGAS

organisation: Dot Vegas, Inc.
address:      6325 S. Jones Blvd., Suite 500
address:      Las Vegas NV 89118
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         CEO
organisation: Dot Vegas Inc.
address:      6325 S. Jones Blvd., Suite 500
address:      Las Vegas NV 89118
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.702.366.9969
fax-no:       +1.702.947.3803
e-mail:       dusty@the.vegas

contact:      technical
name:         Senior Director, DNS Infrastructure Group
organisation: Afilias
address:      300 Welsh Road
address:      Building 3, Suite 105
address:      Horsham PA 19044
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.215.706.5700
fax-no:       +1.215.706.5701
e-mail:       tld-tech-poc@afilias.info

nserver:      A0.NIC.VEGAS 2a01:8840:42:0:0:0:0:17 65.22.68.17
nserver:      A2.NIC.VEGAS 2a01:8840:45:0:0:0:0:17 65.22.71.17
nserver:      B0.NIC.VEGAS 2a01:8840:43:0:0:0:0:17 65.22.69.17
nserver:      C0.NIC.VEGAS 2a01:8840:44:0:0:0:0:17 65.22.70.17
ds-rdata:     13336 8 2 612d11e84db7671f5dc9b54fb8944d57474de91ca498ca80b6ebc05c162c3af0

whois:        whois.nic.vegas

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.vegas

created:      2014-03-20
changed:      2023-08-03
source:       IANA