As the Covid-19 virus wreaks havoc around the world, the gambling industry has had to adjust to the new situation. Gambling venues have been closed and sporting events cancelled, leaving some players with the only option of taking their gaming sessions online.
The World Poker Tour has had to adapt to this new reality, and this week rolled out plans to run its first online series.
The WPT Online series is set to run from May 10th – 26th on the PartyPoker platform (owned by GVC).
The series – with an overall guaranteed prize pool of $7 million – will incorporate the following:
- WPT Online Championship – Prize pool of $5 million and a $3,200 buy-in for players.
- WPT500 Online – 10th to 18th May with 10 starting flights and a $1 million guaranteed prize pool.
- WPTDeepStacksOnline – 25th + 26th May with a $1 million prize pot.
As per the chief executive of the World Poker Tour, Adam Pliska:
“WPT and PartyPoker are proud to break new ground for both of our brands with the first WPT Online festival. Players from around the globe can look forward to the opportunity to play in WPT events from the comfort of their homes at all buy-in levels.”
Also commenting was the vice president of WPT, Hermance Blum said: “$7m in guarantees for WPT events alone on PartyPoker is an exciting breakthrough for our partnership, and we can’t wait to crown our first WPT Online Championship winner and see them in the WPT Tournament of Champions presented by Baccarat Crystal.”
The World Poker Tour is considered the premier name in global televised gaming and entertainment. Its brand appearance is mainly in land-based tournaments, although it also operates on TV, online and mobile.
The WPT is overseen by its president and CEO, Pliska, who is responsible for everything from live events to online services. He was named Poker Awards Industry Person of the Year in 2014.
