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WSOP heads<br />
“Down Under”<br />
The World Series of Poker will be heading down to<br />
Melbourne in 2013 for the WSOP Asia-Pacific (WSOP APAC),<br />
an event that looks set to take Australia by storm.<br />
With poker’s popularity exploding across the Asia-Pacific region, the World Series<br />
of Poker (WSOP) has teamed up with Australia’s Crown Melbourne to take the<br />
major poker tournament series “down under”.<br />
The multi-year agreement will see Melbourne’s iconic Crown Entertainment<br />
Complex host five WSOP gold bracelet events for the WSOP APAC, which will take<br />
place from April 4 to 15, 2013. Crown’s agreement with the WSOP includes provision<br />
for international television production of the event, so expect global coverage on ESPN.<br />
“With WSOP Las Vegas growing annually and WSOP Europe poised for long-term<br />
success after five years, the time is right to turn our attention to the dynamic poker<br />
scene in Asia and Australia,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “Given Crown’s<br />
success with the Aussie Millions Poker Championship, we couldn’t ask for a better<br />
partner than Crown to establish the Asia-Pacific’s definitive poker festival.”<br />
As home of the renowned “Aussie Millions Poker Championship” Crown is no<br />
stranger to hosting huge poker tournaments and boasts the world’s largest poker<br />
room outside North America. Attracting approximately <strong>18</strong> million local, interstate<br />
and international visitors each year Crown Melbourne is Australia’s leading integrated<br />
entertainment resort.<br />
“This exciting partnership brings together two industry leaders, and two strong<br />
brands, to create a premier poker event in this region,” said Crown Melbourne’s CEO,<br />
Greg Hawkins. “Our agreement firmly aligns with our objective of attracting the very<br />
best local and international players, all vying for a coveted WSOP bracelet. We are<br />
incredibly proud of what we have achieved with the Aussie Millions and look forward<br />
to featuring WSOP Asia Pacific on our poker calendar in April 2013.”<br />
The agreement marks the first time the WSOP is exporting its prestigious<br />
tournament series to Australia, and marks just the second expansion of the 42-year-old<br />
brand, after the advent of WSOP Europe in 2007. To date, WSOP gold bracelets have only<br />
been awarded in Las Vegas (1970 to 2012), London (2007 to 2010) and France (2011).<br />
Legions of locals have been swept up in the Australian poker boom that was<br />
ignited when Melbournian and Crown ambassador Joe Hachem became the 2005 World<br />
Series of Poker Champion, scooping up US$7.5 million in prize money for his efforts.<br />
“It’s thrilling to think the World Series of Poker is coming to Australian soil,” said<br />
Joe Hachem. “I know first-hand what a life-changing moment winning the WSOP<br />
gold bracelet was and how it served as a catalyst for the growth of poker in Australia<br />
and Asia. It will be a dream come true to host a worldwide poker event such as this at<br />
Crown. I can’t wait.”<br />
The 2011 WSOP in Las Vegas attracted 75,672 entrants and the newly relocated<br />
2011 WSOPE in Cannes saw 4,389 entrants, together awarding US$223 million in prize<br />
money. The WSOP APAC will no doubt follow suit and take Australia by storm. Expect<br />
the complete schedule to be announced later this year.<br />
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#<strong>18</strong> WSOP 2012 SPECIAL ISSUE