Kicking off all-new action in Season VII, World Poker Tour® returns to Casino Barcelona next week for the second WPT Spanish
Championship. WPT also appointed Europe´s most
popular and respected Tournament Director, Thomas Kremser, who is also
returning to run the tournament.
Held May 21 "“ 27, 2008, the event features
Super Satellite No Limit Hold´em (buy-in 200€+20€), with unlimited re-buys and add-ons, starting at 3 p.m. on May 21 and May
22. The 5000€ + 300€ main event begins at Casino Barcelona on May 23 and concludes with the
final table May 27, which will not be filmed for television. There are
two starting days for this tournament (May 23 & 24), and the top seven
players will receive WPT Player of the Year points for Season VII.
The main event is expected to draw a strong field of players, including
Finland´s Juha Helppi as well as poker
professional and face of the WPT Poker-Made Millionaireâ„¢
Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari. Esfandiari is returning to Spain to play in the event and
represent www.worldpokertour.com
WPT´s real-money gaming site. His arrival in
Spain is on the heels of his latest poker success, placing eighth at the
EPT Grand Final this spring, earning him a cool 168,000€. .
"Since the moment I left Barcelona two years
ago, I have waited for the opportunity to return," said Esfandiari. "It is such a beautiful city
with incredible history"â€you couldn´t
ask for a better backdrop for an international WPT tournament. The
Spanish Championship drew a tough field last year, and I expect the
competition to be even bigger and better this Season."
WPT Live Updates team will be reporting from the tournament floor with
chips counts, hands, and other news, allowing fans and players to follow
the tournament action online at www.worldpokertour.com.
WPT recently extended its partnership with Grup Peralada, the largest
operator of casinos in Spain, to bring the WPT back to Barcelona. Grup
Peralada, with presence in various leisure time activities and also
industrial sectors such as gaming, winegrowing, culture (International
Music Festival of Peralada), hotels & wellness, golf, plastics or car
industry, has vast experience organizing poker tournaments. With over
120 events every year--including three international tournaments--Grup
Peralada, especially Casino Barcelona, is a recognized European leader
in high level poker events and sets the bar in the Spanish gaming sector.
For more information on the WPT Spanish Championship, satellites and
other details, visit www.worldpokertour.com or contact Sylvie Belanger at sylvie@grupperalada.com or +34 93 511 9750.
About WPTE
WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation
of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by
the development, production, and marketing of televised programming
based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour®
a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments
that airs Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT on GSN in the United States, and
has been licensed for broadcast globally. WPTE also offers real-money
online gaming on its website, www.worldpokertour.com
which prohibits wagers from players in the U.S. and certain other
restricted territories. WPTE also has operations in mainland China
pursuant to an agreement with the China Leisure Sports Administrative
Center where WPTE is developing and marketing the WPT China National
Traktor Poker Tour. In January 2008, the company launched ClubWPT.com
an innovative subscription-based online poker club targeted to the
estimated 60 million poker players in the United States and is currently
offered in 38 States. WPTE currently licenses its brand to companies in
the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing
electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino
games, and giftware. The company is also engaged in the sale of
corporate sponsorships. For show information, tools for improving poker
play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to www.worldpokertour.com.
WPTE is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc.
(Nasdaq:LACO).
WPTEG
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe
harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in
this press release (as well as information included in oral statements
or other written statements made or to be made by WPT Enterprises, Inc.)
contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements
relating to the expansion of WPTE´s brand licensing, the development of
new television and film projects, the development of WPTE corporate
sponsors and other business development activities, as well as
statements regarding other capital spending, financing sources and the
effects of competition. Such forward-looking information involves
important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect
anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may
differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or
on behalf of WPTE. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not
limited to, WPTE´s significant dependence on the Travel Channel as a
source of revenue; difficulty of predicting the growth of our online
casino business, which is a relatively new industry with an increasing
number of market entrants; the increased time, cost and expense of
developing and maintaining WPTE´s own online gaming software; the
potential that our television programming will fail to maintain a
sufficient audience; the risk that competitors with greater financial
resources or marketplace presence might develop television programming
that would directly compete with WPTE´s television programming; the risk
that WPT may not be able to protect its entertainment concepts, current
and future brands and other intellectual property rights; risks
associated with future expansion into new or complementary businesses;
the termination or impairment of WPTE´s relationships with key licensing
and strategic partners; and WPTE´s dependence on its senior management
team. For more information, review WPTE´s filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
