World Series of Poker® Main Event® to Return
Main Event to Begin Online, Live Finale will crown a “World Champion” of
Poker for the 51st Consecutive Year
$1 Million “Winner Take All” Prize Money will pit Domestic vs.
International Champions for the Title and the Bracelet
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 13, 2020) –
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) today
announced plans to host 2020’s hybrid online and live version of the
$10,000 No-Limit Hold-Em World Championship, known better to poker players
and fans as the Main Event. The Main Event will begin for international
players on Sunday, Nov. 29 and domestically on Sunday, Dec. 13.
Due to travel restrictions and out of an abundance of caution for player
safety, this year’s format will be unique, where early round play will
begin online with one entry on WSOP.com or GGPoker.com, before shifting to
a live setting for final table action on two continents. Each “bracket”
will pay out prize money to tournament entrants independently. The final
table will be a world’s first, as an ultimate heads-up duel for the World
Championship, where $1 million in prize money will be on the line courtesy
of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and GGPoker. The Main Event will be held
consistent to the traditional “freeze-out” standards of the Main Event,
offering only single entry, as well as the longest levels and deepest
stacks ever offered on the online platform.
All in-person tournaments, domestic and international, will be subject to
special COVID rules and procedures, the details of which will be published
at a later date and will require players to undergo a required health
screening prior to live participation. All participants must agree to abide
by all applicable rules.
U.S. residents will be able to play the Main Event on the WSOP.com platform
in either New Jersey or Nevada beginning on Sunday, Dec. 13. The $10,000
event is expected to take two full days to reach the final table, with play
being suspended for an overnight break after approximately twelve hours of
action. The tournament will be paused when play hits the final table, with
the final nine players traveling to Las Vegas for the TV taping and
culmination of the tournament to take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel
& Casino, subject to applicable regulatory approval.
Dates for Domestic Tournament:
Day 1 – Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020
Day 2 – Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, Play down to 9 players
Final Table – Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Monday, Dec.
28, Play continues to a winner; prize monies paid
International residents eligible to use GGPoker’s popular online poker
platform will have three dates from which to choose their starting flight.
Similar to the traditional offline events, players may only choose one date
of play. Similar to the domestic flight, and subject to casino
availability, play will be paused for the final nine contestants who will
report to King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic to play their final
table in a live TV taping. Should travel restrictions or a casino shutdown
prevent the live portion from moving forward in December, organizers
reserve the right to continue the tournament play online or reschedule to a
later date.
Dates for International Tournament:
Day 1A – Sunday, November 29, 2020
Day 1B – Saturday, December 5, 2020
Day 1C - Sunday, December 6, 2020
Day 2, Play down to 9 players, Monday, December 7
Final Table – *King’s Casino, Tuesday, Dec.15, Play down to a winner
*Subject to local regulatory approval
Finally, the winner of the Domestic Tournament and the winner of the
International Tournament will meet at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
in Las Vegas, subject to applicable regulatory approval, for a televised
showdown on Wednesday, Dec.30, 2020. In addition to any prize monies won by
entrants in their respective tournament, WSOP and GGPoker have committed an
additional sum of $1 million to the winner of the Heads-Up match along with
the Main Event championship bracelet and the title of 2020 World Champion.
*Note, should the international winner be under the age of 21 and thereby
ineligible to play in the state of Nevada, organizers reserve the right to
change the date and location of the Heads-Up match.
Heads-Up Championship of Domestic Winner vs International Winner:
Wednesday, December 30th
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas*
A comprehensive list of satellite events allowing qualification for as
little $1 will be available on both WSOP.com and GGPoker.com. There will
also be weekly free-rolls offering $10,000 seat entry for multiple weeks
leading up to the tournament.
To welcome visiting players, Caesars Entertainment will offer special Main
Event room rates at several resorts in Nevada and New Jersey. Additionally,
new options to deposit money into a WSOP.com account and cash out in person
will be available for the first time at Silver Legacy Resort Casino in
Reno, NV. For more information about special hotel rates, and cash at the
cage locations, visit lnmandiya.com/mainevent.
Note, players are allowed to create and/or fund their online poker accounts
prior to arriving within the state borders of Nevada and New Jersey.
However, they must be geolocated through a CPU of mobile device to be
within the state borders to be able to commence any gaming activity. New
players may require document verification and are highly encouraged to
register early.
As has been the case each year since 2003, ESPN will air coverage of the
2020 WSOP Main Event featuring Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.
“There must be a World Champion in 2020,” said Ty Stewart, Executive
Director of the World Series of Poker. “Poker’s history is too important.
It’s a unique format for the Main Event, but this is a unique year. We want
to keep players’ health and safety top of mind and still deliver a great
televised showcase for the game we love.”
Added GGPoker Head of Poker Operations Steve Preiss, “We’re very happy to
continue to deepen our relationship with WSOP. It was a huge summer of
record-setting action on GGPoker and we’re excited to offer players access
to the biggest tournament of all.”
To stay up to date on the latest WSOP news, visit: www.WSOP.com.
About the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker® is the largest, richest and most prestigious
gaming event in the world, having awarded more than $3.29 billion in prize
money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s
top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major
poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest-running tournament in the
world, dating back to 1970. In 2019, the event attracted 187,298 entrants
from 118 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las
Vegas and awarded more than $293 million in prize money. In addition, the
WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and
corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand
internationally with the advent of WSOP Europe in 2007 and the WSOP
Asia-Pacific in 2013 and the WSOP International Circuit Series in 2015. For
more information on the WSOP, please visit www.lnmandiya.com.
About GGPoker
GGPoker is one of the world’s leading online poker rooms, with a growing
global player base. It offers a range of innovative games and features such
as the patented Rush & Cash poker, All-In or Fold, Spin & Gold,
integrated staking platform, SnapCam video messaging, the ability to
squeeze your hole cards, PokerCraft, and Smart HUD, all designed to enhance
gaming experiences and make poker more fun than ever.
Find out more about GGPoker at GGPoker.com and on Facebook and Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking
statements include statements regarding our strategies, objectives and
plans for future development or acquisitions of properties or operations,
as well as expectations, future operating results and other information
that is not historical information. When used in this press release, the
terms or phrases such as "anticipates," "believes," "projects," "plans,"
"intends," "expects," "might," "may," "estimates," "could," "should,"
"would," "will likely continue," and variations of such words or similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although
our expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith and
with what we believe is a reasonable basis, there can be no assurance that
these expectations, beliefs and projections will be realized. There are a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to
differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements
which are included elsewhere in this press release. These risks and
uncertainties include: (a) the effects of the COVID-19 public health
emergency, including (i) the extent and duration of the impact of the
global COVID-19 public health emergency and measures to contain the public
health emergency or mitigate its impact on the Company's business,
financial results and liquidity; (ii) the ability of the Company to modify
its operations to comply with various state, tribal and local directives,
mandates, and orders; (iii) the impact of actions the Company has
undertaken to reduce costs and improve efficiencies to mitigate losses as a
result of the COVID-19 public health emergency, which could negatively
impact guest loyalty and our ability to attract and retain our employees;
and (iv) changes and instability in global, national and regional economic
activity and financial market activity as a result of the COVID-19 public
health emergency and the impact on consumer discretionary spending and
travel; (b) the possibility that the proposed acquisition of William Hill
and the announced and proposed dispositions are not consummated on the
expected terms or at all; (c) risks related to the Merger of the Company
and CEC and the proposed acquisition of William Hill and the integration of
their respective businesses and assets; (d) potential adverse reactions or
changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting
from the completion of the Merger and the proposed acquisition of William
Hill; (e) the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the Merger and
the proposed acquisition of William Hill, including cost savings and
expected synergies, are not realized when expected or at all; (f) risks
associated with increased leverage and additional rental expense resulting
from debt financing undertaken in connection with the Merger and the
proposed acquisition of William Hill and real estate transactions
undertaken in connection with the Merger; (g) competitive responses to the
Merger and the proposed acquisition of William Hill; and (h) additional
factors discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations"
in the Company's and CEC's respective most recent Annual Reports on Form
10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors may also cause
actual results to differ materially from those projected by the
forward-looking statements.
In light of these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the
forward-looking events discussed in this press release might not occur.
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press
release, even if subsequently made available on our website or otherwise,
and we do not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statement to
reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date on which the
statement is made, except as may be required by law.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Chelsea Ryder
Caesars Entertainment
[email protected]
Paul Burke
GGPoker
[email protected]