PokerShare.com, based in London, has offered $100,000 to put its name on the tiny town of Bluff, daring the community to call its.

Bluff, in southeast Utah near the borders of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, wasn't the online poker company's first choice. But Sharer, Ky., was so small there was no organized government to accept or reject the deal. And the mayor of Bluff City, Ark., reportedly refused on the grounds that gambling is immoral.

You would think the company's offer would be a tougher sell in Mormon Country. But Town Council Chairman Patrick McDermott isn't so sure. On Friday, he sent an e-mail to all 285 residents outlining the deal. He plans to take an unofficial poll and discuss the proposal at the Nov. 2 council meeting.

"A hundred thousand dollars would go a long way in a town our size," he says.

Besides, McDermott says, there is a precedent. Blanding, just 25 miles north of Bluff, changed its name from Grayson in 1914 after a wealthy Easterner bribed the town with a 500-volume library.

The money from Pokershare.com could go toward community services or education, McDermott says.

Darren Shuster, president of Pop Culture PR in Los Angeles, admits the offer is a publicity stunt but says the desire to help a small community - and the money - is real. Plus, the deal is negotiable: The name could be adopted for a limited time. It's also possible for Bluff to up the ante.

"There's a million things to do for publicity," says Shuster. "This one I can tie into something that gets a good result."

Nonetheless, Bluff resident Anthony Lott says the swap would be disrespectful to those who named Bluff - Mormon pioneers who fought long and hard to get there.

"I'd have a sad, metallic taste in my mouth every time I wrote a letter that had a return address of PokerShare.com," says Lott, owner of The Decker House Inn. "But I think it's very kind and democratic of Patrick to take it to the people."

Marcia Hadenfeldt, owner of Far Out Expeditions, doesn't think a town called PokerShare.com could lure more customers interested in outdoor adventures. She doubts the town's residents would go for the name change, but she's undecided on her vote.

"It's absolutely absurd, but it's truly the global economy at its finest," she says. "I love that we've been approached. We'll get our 15 minutes of fame."

Thom Roberts, assistant Utah attorney general, says changing the town's name to PokerShare.com would not be illegal in Utah, even though gambling on the Web is. The only hurdle he sees is that Bluff isn't actually a town. It's a special service area of San Juan County.

The upshot: Even if McDermott and the residents of Bluff go all-in, San Juan County could fold.

rwinters@sltrib.com