FRENCH ONLINE POKER DEAL FOR CAESARS INTERACTIVE

Posted 2/9/11 : Lucien Barrière Hôtels & Casinos and BarrierePoker.fr become the official French sponsors and hosts of the World Series of Poker Europe
 
Confirming media speculation, Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. (CIE), a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Corporation has announced that it is bringing the World Series of Poker to France in an alliance with Lucien Barrière Hôtels & Casinos and BarrierePoker.fr for both land-based and online poker events throughout the country (see previous InfoPowa report).
 
Under the terms of the alliance, the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is moving from London to Cannes in 2011 and will be rebranded as “World Series of Poker Europe Presented by BarrierePoker.fr.” which is operated by former French state monopoly La Francaise des Jeux and Lucien Barrière.
 
WSOPE will expand, as organisers plan for 75 concurrent poker tables, double the capacity of 2010 and seven WSOP® gold bracelets will be on offer during the 2011 series.
 
A new WSOP.fr site will be created which will present the latest WSOP news and information in French for the first time and will evolve to offer new services. CIE and Barrierepoker.fr will design the new WSOP.fr website and it is expected to debut later this year.
 
Mitch Garber, CIE’s chief executive officer, comments: “This is a unique agreement between two casino leaders with great brands. Lucien Barrière Hôtels & Casinos is a well-run organization and we are excited to work with them to access the French market with high-quality and reputable poker events both in their hotels and casinos, and online with BarrierePoker.fr.”
 
“This alliance backs our powerful synergy strategy between offline and online gaming, and it is an honour to associate ourselves with the most prestigious poker tournament in the world,” states Dominique Desseigne, Groupe Lucien Barrière’s chief executive officer.