As a result of the WSOP’s arrival, the operator’s cooperation with the World Poker Tour (WPT), which has visited Amsterdam annually since 2015, has come to an end.

WSOP will be at Holland Casino Amsterdam Centrum in 2025 from 14 March to 22 March, but the two parties have worked together in the past.

The WSOP International Circuit has been taking place in the Netherlands since 2017 at Holland Casino’s locations in Rotterdam and more recently in Venlo, which will remain on the programme.

“With the WSOP, we have succeeded in bringing another strong international poker brand to Holland Casino Amsterdam Centrum,” commented Pieter Boers, Director of Gaming & Services at Holland Casino.

“I think we will make all poker-loving Netherlands very happy.”

As previously mentioned, with the arrival of WSOP, Holland Casino has ended its collaboration with WPT. WPT Amsterdam took place between 2015 and 2024, except for 2021 due to COVID.

Gregory Chochon, COO of the WSOP, added: “The players have shown that they deserve a second Circuit event in the Netherlands. We are excited to bring the World Series of Poker to Amsterdam.

“Holland Casino Amsterdam Centrum is an excellent location in a beautiful city. We expect a great turnout.”

Last month, Caesars Entertainment finalised the sale of the WSOP brand’s intellectual property rights to GGPoker’s parent company NSUS Group.

The transaction has been closed for the previously reported $500m price tag, which equates to $250m in cash and a $250m promissory note due five years after the transaction’s closing secured by the WSOP intellectual property assets being sold.

While Caesars has sold WSOP to NSUS, the operator will continue its relationship with the poker brand for several more years, both in a land-based and online manner. In addition, several WSOP executives will also take on leadership roles within the NSUS structure.

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The transaction has been closed for the previously reported $500m price tag, which equates to $250m in cash and a $250m promissory note due five years after the transaction’s closing secured by the WSOP intellectual property assets being sold.

While Caesars has sold WSOP to NSUS, the operator will continue its relationship with the poker brand for several more years, both in a land-based and online manner.

Through the deal, Caesars’ Las Vegas casinos will retain the right to host the flagship WSOP live tournament series for the next 20 years. The live event has been hosted in the Horseshoe and Paris casinos since it moved from the Rio in 2022.

In addition, Caesars Digital will receive a licence to continue operating WSOP online for the foreseeable future in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

However, the operator did note that it “will otherwise be restricted from operating online peer-to-peer real-money poker operations for a specified period of time and subject to certain exceptions”.

Caesars’ brick-and-mortar poker rooms will continue to feature WSOP branding, while the operator’s destinations will also have preferential rights to host live WSOP Circuit events.

Several WSOP executives will also now take on leadership roles within the NSUS structure, bringing more than 30 years of combined experience to help lead the brand through its next phase under the new ownership.

Ty Stewart has been named the CEO of the newly formed WSOP subsidiary, Gregory Chochon has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer and Erik Eidissen has joined as Communications Manager. 

Back in August, NSUS Group CEO, Michael Kim, commented on the deal, noting that the group intends to expand the poker brand worldwide.

“After collaborating with Caesars Entertainment for years, NSUS Group, the operators of GGPoker, is thrilled to announce their new role in leading the WSOP, the world’s most renowned poker brand,” stated Kim.

“We will leverage GGPoker’s cutting-edge technology and industry expertise to create an exciting future for WSOP, ensuring players have an increasingly improved, safe, and seamless poker experience. Under the new leadership, NSUS intends to expand WSOP worldwide, positioning it at the forefront of poker’s growth.”

Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital, said: “We’ve enjoyed a longstanding and successful partnership with GGPoker that has helped spur the growth of the WSOP brand. 

“This transaction is an exciting step for Caesars as a company and the WSOP brand as it continues to evolve. We can’t wait to see what NSUS has in store for growing the WSOP’s legacy in poker, and we look forward to continuing to deliver an unmatched and familiar experience to poker players going forward.”

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NSUS has acquired the market-leading poker event in a deal worth a total of $500m, with $250 million being paid in cash up front and another $250 million due in five years time.

Caesars Digital President Eric Hession noted how GGPoker has been a “longstanding and successful” partner of WSOP following the sale, with the online poker brand sending a number of online satellite qualifiers to both the Las Vegas and the WSOP Paradise events.

“We’ve enjoyed a longstanding and successful partnership with GGPoker that has helped spur the growth of the WSOP brand,” said Hession. 

“This transaction is an exciting step for Caesars as a company and the WSOP brand as it continues to evolve. We can’t wait to see what NSUS has in store for growing the WSOP’s legacy in poker, and we look forward to continuing to deliver an unmatched and familiar experience to poker players going forward.”

Despite the sale, live WSOP events are set to remain at Caesars’ Las Vegas properties, allowing the operator to continue profiting from the events. Regional Caesars properties will continue to offer WSOP Circuit events as well.

NSUS Group CEO Michael Kim commented: “After collaborating with Caesars Entertainment for years, NSUS Group, the operators of GGPoker, is thrilled to announce their new role in leading the WSOP, the world’s most renowned poker brand.

“We will leverage GGPoker’s cutting-edge technology and industry expertise to create an exciting future for WSOP, ensuring players have an increasingly improved, safe, and seamless poker experience. Under the new leadership, NSUS intends to expand WSOP worldwide, positioning it at the forefront of poker’s growth.”

Another element to the sale will see Caesars continue to be able to provide its WSOP Online offerings in Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which take place on the 888 platform. 

Caesars, however, will not be able to expand into new online poker states such as West Virginia “for a specified period of time and subject to certain exceptions”. 

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The operator says WSOP is the first poker operator to pool liquidity across three US jurisdictions with players from the states of Michigan, Nevada and New Jersey.

Rebranding from WSOP.com to WSOP Online, the platform will have “upgraded functionality such as four-table capabilities on mobile, including Omaha, multi-flight re-entry tournaments, in-app gift drops and exciting game derivatives, including Mystery Bounty” as well as new features, promotions and weekly tournaments.

“This platform upgrade is long overdue and is a big win for our players,” commented Danielle Barille, Vice President of Online Poker at Caesars Digital.

“The best is yet to come for WSOP Online tournaments, and we’re thrilled to bring Michigan players into the fold with Nevada and New Jersey, resulting in a better experience, more value and the biggest prize pools of the year.”

Nevada and New Jersey users will need to complete the pre-registration process to create an account on the new platform. Within 72 hours of the platform’s launch, any existing balances, tournament tickets and rewards points will be transferred into the player account. 

The existing service will be available until May 27, but players will then be prompted to re-install the WSOP Online app following the pre-registration period.

WSOP Online’s launch comes as the 55th edition of the World Series of Poker begins on May 28 at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas.

From June 1 to July 21, 30 online bracelet events will take place, with gold bracelet events every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday.

WSOP Online will have exclusive satellites to qualify for land-based tournaments, as well as daily single-table satellites and promotions such as the guaranteed 25-seat Main Event mega-satellites on June 30 and July 3.

The online platform will also kick off five high-roller events under a hybrid format, with final tables contested live in Las Vegas at the WSOP. 

Hybrid events that begin online on June 18 and June 29 will play through their final six players live on July 14, while those that take place on July 10 and 11 will play live on July 15. The online event on July 13 will have its final six players finish live on July 17.

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The 54th WSOP is set to take place on May 30 through to July 18, 2023, following the 2022 series that took place with 197,626 entrants from over 100 countries. 

“The historic debut of the WSOP on the Las Vegas Strip delivered in a big way, and we’re excited to announce our Summer 2023 dates in time for the holidays,” said Ty Stewart, World Series of Poker Senior Vice President and Executive Director. 

“Poker players and fans can now officially mark their calendars and maybe even book their loved ones or themselves a trip to the WSOP as a holiday gift. We’re glad to be back at Paris Las Vegas and the future Horseshoe Las Vegas for another exciting chapter in the tournament’s history as these two resorts raised the bar in hosting last year’s event.”

The 2023 WSOP will feature its established main event, a $10,000 no-limit hold’em world championship along with new events and the return of ‘timeless classics’. 

Opening the event, a $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament featuring mystery bounties ranging from $1,000 to $1m for each knockout will welcome players to Paris Las Vegas, with a guaranteed first prize of $1m. 

Jason Gregorec, SVP and General Manager of Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas, added: “With more than six months to go from the start of the next WSOP, you can already feel the anticipation building at our resorts.” 

“The tournament delivered unforgettable moments during its debut on The Strip, and we’re excited to welcome back poker’s premier event of the year. We can’t wait to see the first WSOP Main Event champion crowned at the new Horseshoe Las Vegas.”

Noteworthy tournament dates have already been confirmed including the main event world championship, which will take place on July 3, with the full schedule to be announced in the new year.

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In addition to debuting a retail sportsbook and World Series of Poker room, a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony also featured a guest appearance by WSOP Main Event Champion and Poker Hall of Fame inductee, Chris Moneymaker.

After meeting with fellow players and punters, he participated in a Shoot-Out Poker tournament that came with a $25,000 prize pool and a $5,000 bounty.

The gaming venue is set to host its maiden WSOP circuit event on November 10-21, which has $1m in guaranteed prize money at stake and allows ring event winners to gain a seat in the 2023 Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas. 

“We are proud to officially open this luxurious space for sports and poker fans who visit our property,” said Rolando Guerrero, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Grand Victoria Casino Elgin. 

“We wanted to create a comfortable space where guests may enjoy sporting events and live poker in a well-appointed environment complete with world-class amenities.”

The 2,100-square-foot Caesars sportsbook features three betting windows and five self-service betting kiosks, while the 4,400-square-foot poker room boasts 20 poker tables. The new shared space features a full-service bar equipped with bar top gaming, 20 large-screen LED TVs, and a lounge area.

Furthermore, in addition to convenient cash-deposit sports wagering now being available in person at Grand Victoria Elgin, players can also utilise the Caesars Sportsbook app.

“The opening of these new amenities is another step toward treating Illinois customers and sports fans like royalty,” added Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital.

“Following the launch of our upgraded Caesars Sportsbook app in the state last spring, it’s only fitting we bring a new Caesars Sportsbook retail location and World Series of Poker Room to Grand Victoria Elgin. We look forward to providing guests with more unforgettable experiences at this historic property.”

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WSOP.ca, powered by GGPoker, is now available for Ontarians after successfully navigating a soft-launch period, and becomes the latest addition to the province’s online poker space. WSOP follows 888, BetMGM, PartyPoker and PokerStars in entering the jurisdiction.

Alongside this announcement, Ontario-based players who have existing GGPoker accounts must transfer their accounts to WSOP.ca, and will be prompted to complete this automatically after logging into their GGPoker account. Once existing players are successfully verified and transferred they will have access to the platform.

“Canadian poker players have always been a significant portion of the WSOP playing base,” said Ty Stewart, WSOP Executive Director. 

“We thrilled to bring the chance for WSOP glory to you. With online bracelets and exclusive qualifiers to the WSOP in Las Vegas, we expect a wave of new WSOP champions from the 6ix.”

Furthermore, the brand is also currently hosting the Ontario WSOP Online Circuit Series, which was launched to coincide with, and celebrate, the brand’s latest point of entry.

The tournament series, which began on October 1 and will run until October 16,  is headlined by twelve WSOP Ring events, with the winner of each taking home a gold ring along with a share of the prize pool.

“Growing up in Toronto, I dreamed of playing in the World Series of Poker,” added Daniel Negreanu, six-time WSOP bracelet winner and GGPoker Global Ambassador. 

“Now, twenty-five years after I moved to Las Vegas to chase WSOP bracelets, you can compete online in WSOP events in Ontario, all running on GGPoker’s amazing platform – how cool is that?”

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Gamblers within the Pelican State can now access Caesars sportsbook offerings at two more locations, with casinos Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City launching the offerings last week.

Louisiana’s largest poker room was also instituted at the former, dubbed as the World Series of Poker room, representing the Caesars owned brand.

“This was a special week for Caesars and our longstanding commitment to Louisiana,” commented Dan Real, Regional President of Caesars Entertainment. 

“The opening of our world-class Caesars Sportsbook locations and the new World Series of Poker Room add to the legacy that Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City have built in the Gulf Coast region.

“We’re ready to welcome sports fans into our sportsbooks, and we’re proud to open the largest poker room in Louisiana, true to the WSOP brand and what it represents.”

Caesars’ sportsbook installation at Harrah’s utilises 5,700 square footage with four betting windows, 12 self-service kiosks and a 147-foot video screen. Adjacent to that is the WSOP room which hosts 20 tables.

In Bossier City, Horseshoe’s 6,900-square-foot sportsbook features three betting windows, 15 betting kiosks and more than 94 television sets. Caesar’s Bossier City location has also installed a VIP viewing section and a “massive” bar.

Eric Hession, President of Caesars Digital, added: “These incredible openings are a testament to Louisiana residents, our Team Members and the guests who visit these historic resorts,” 

“We truly feel like we’re part of the home team in Louisiana, and we take pride in serving the great customers and sports fans in the state.”

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This comes as the firm details struggles through a first half of the year that saw revenue drop 13 per cent to £332.1m (2021: £380.9m), driven by plunging B2C and UK income.

The latter witnessed a 25 per cent downfall through the period, reflecting the implementation of more stringent safer gambling policies and in line with the wider market trends, with the prior period having also benefited from digital entertainment migration during COVID related restrictions. Dutch cessation also caused a three per cent drop.

However, B2B revenue rose 7.8 per cent to £15m (2021: £13.9m), following the launch of World Series of Poker in Pennsylvania in July 2021 and Michigan in March 2022, which was partially offset by market driven declines in the bingo business. 

Furthermore, H1 also witnessed profit before tax drop 66 per cent to £14.4m (2021: £41.9m), with adjusted EBITDA down 29 per cent to £50m (2021: £70.3m).

Itai Pazner, CEO of 888, commented: “The combination with William Hill, which we completed soon after the period end, transformed the group and creates very strong foundations to support our ambitious growth plans. 

“This combination of two exceptional and complementary businesses creates one of the world’s leading online betting and gaming groups with superior scale, leading front-end and back-end technology, increased diversification across products, markets and channels, and a world class team.”

On a geographical basis, the UK maintained its leading position despite an aforementioned 25 per cent revenue decline to £120.8m (2021: £160.4), closely followed by the company’s EMEA division which tracked a five per cent downfall to £112.9m (2021: £119.5m) driven by a Dutch cessation.

Elsewhere, Italy also dropped five per cent to £46.5m (2021: £49m), with the American down one percentage point to £46.6m (2021:£46.9m) and the rest of the world up five per cent to £5.3m (2021: £5.1m). 

“The group’s financial performance in the period primarily reflects market conditions in the UK,” Pazner added. 

“However, we believe the proactive actions we have taken to increase player protections and drive higher standards of player safety have put the group in an even stronger position for the future. In the second half of 2022, our main focus is on integration, delivering on our synergy plans, and driving higher profitability across the business. 

“This focus on integration, execution and de-leverage will unlock the huge potential from the enlarged business. These actions will position us to take advantage of significant growth opportunities ahead of us, as we leverage our leading technologies to create a best-in-class global betting and gaming platform, and our portfolio of world class brands, to grow market share and profitability in some of the most attractive markets in the world.”

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WSOP Online 2022 will represent the third year of the digital contest, which is praised as breaking “several records in its first two years of existence,” and will feature offerings across WSOP.com in the US and exclusive partner site GGPoker for all international jurisdictions.

An array of gold bracelet tournaments will be a key feature of 2022’s series, which will feature action via GGPoker from August 14-September 27 and WSOP during September 10-October 18.

Each bracelet winner from the latter, both international and domestic, will earn a seat at the Tournament of Champions during the 2023 WSOP in Las Vegas.

For the third time, GGPoker will play host to the $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event, which is lauded as still holding the Guinness Book of World Records mark for prize pool in an online poker tournament, that will again feature a staggering $20m prize pool guarantee.

GGPoker will display 33 bracelet events with buy-ins ranging from $100 to $10,000, with online satellites for all such international competitions to run via the group.

“Online bracelets are just as prestigious as live tournament bracelets,” said Daniel Negreanu, GGPoker Global Ambassador and winner of six WSOP gold bracelets. 

“I’m glad that we’re creating a new tradition to celebrate the online game, and I’m striving to add my first WSOP Online bracelet to my collection.”

WSOP Online, available to players physically located in Nevada or New Jersey, created prize pools of more than $25m in both 2020 and 2021.

This year, the action is expanded to Michigan and Pennsylvania for the first time with six weekly bracelet tournaments each, for players geolocated within those state borders, in addition to the 33 bracelets that will be awarded on the Nevada and New Jersey shared liquidity network. Daily satellites for all will also be run via WSOP.com.

“No one wanted to see this year’s WSOP come to an end,” added Ty Stewart, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the World Series of Poker. 

“However, in many ways, the return of WSOP Online is even more exciting. Together with GGPoker, we have a clear vision to make this festival annually the biggest deal in online poker so that the WSOP offers players the marquee event in both live and online poker each year.”

In total, the 2022 WSOP live events saw a total of 197,626 entries from over 100 countries with a record-breaking $347.9m total prize pool, eclipsing the previous record from 2019 of $293.18m

The 2022 main event attracted a total of 8,663 entries, making it the second largest in WSOP history. It also welcomed participants from 87 countries competing for the $10m first place prize.

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