UK & Ireland PokerNews Round-Up: Charity Events, Takeovers and More
We thought that with the 2015 World Series of Poker (WSOP) winding down, things would be quiet on the poker front for at least a week or two, but that hasn't been the case as there's been lots of stories developing, especially in the UK & Ireland poker and gambling worlds.
The biggest news of the week �� if not the year �� is 888 Holdings acquiring bwin.party for ��898 million. It will take until the early part of 2016 for the deal to be completed, but it should have major ramifications for the poker industry as it will create a legitimate challenger to PokerStars' dominance.
Another positive story involving partypoker was the announcement of a charity event to open the upcoming WPT National London festival. A ��100 buy-in tournament is being hosted at Aspers Casino in Stratford in an attempt to raise money for the DT38 Foundation. Check out what DT38 is and how you can support it by clicking here.
Three Premier League football teams have signed deals with gambling companies for the upcoming 2015-16 season.
In the online poker world, there was a new face �� or should that be name �� in the UK & Ireland online poker rankings. The player known only as "10111420" entered the UK rankings in seventh place and the world rankings in 59th. If you know who this player is, please do let us know!
Keeping with online poker, news broke that PokerStars is to host a $50,000+$1,000 buy-in tournament at the next edition of the World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP). Scheduled for September 20, the Super High Roller features a $1 million guarantee and is sure to attract some of the very best in the business, including Daniel Negreanu and Jason Mercier, who're both confirmed to play.
There's been a ton of activity away from the tables, too. Firstly, the long-running saga involving 666Bet looks to have ended with its parent company being liquidated. 666Bet had its operating license suspended in early 2015 which left a number of its customers unable to withdraw funds. It is unknown what will happen to those funds now that Metro Play �� 666Bet's parent company �� is facing a wind-up order.
Rounding out the round-up is the news that three Premier League football teams have signed deals with gambling companies for the upcoming 2015-16 season.
Betfair is now the official UK betting partner of Sunderland AFC while Mansion Group has signed deals with Crystal Palace only a fortnight after becoming a sponsor of Premier League newcomers AFC Bournemouth.
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