LAS VEGAS, Nov. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. (NASDAQ: CZR) 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 12 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, Nov. 29, 2020
Day1B – Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020
Day 1C - Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020
Day 2, Play down to 9 players, Monday, Dec.
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, Dec.
30
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
wsop.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.wsop.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.
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SOURCE Caesars Entertainment, Inc.