The NSUS investment firm, owners of the largest online poker platform GGPoker, recently came into an agreement with Caesars Entertainment, buying the World Series of Poker (WSOP) brand for $500 Million. This includes US$250 million in cash and a $250 million promissory note due five years after the transaction’s closing date (the “Closing”) secured by the WSOP intellectual property assets being sold.
On the side of Caesars Entertainment, Caesars Digital will also receive a license from NSUS to continue operating its recently upgraded WSOP Online real-money poker business in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future but will otherwise be restricted from operating online peer-to-peer real-money poker operations for a specified period of time and subject to certain exceptions.
Staunch Team Up of Powerhouses in the Poker Industry
Caesars Digital President Eric Hession noted in a press release that WSOP and GGPoker has had a longstanding relationship, and it has proven to be pivotal in raising the popularity and growth of WSOP as a brand,
“This transaction is an exciting step for Caesars as a company and the WSOP brand as it continues to evolve. We can’t wait to see what NSUS has in store for growing the WSOP’s legacy in poker, and we look forward to continuing to deliver an unmatched and familiar experience to poker players going forward.” Added Hession.
On the side of the NSUS Group, Michael Kim, Chief Executive Officer of NSUS Group Inc., lauded its relationship with Caesars Entertainment and WSOP for all these years and their continued hard work in making the WSOP brand synonymous with high-quality poker. Kim added that the NSUS Group and GGPoker will continue to improve the digital poker experience for its player base, and is gunning for a global reach of the WSOP as its primary targets moving forward,
“We will leverage GGPoker’s cutting-edge technology and industry expertise to create an exciting future for WSOP, ensuring players have an increasingly improved, safe, and seamless poker experience. Under the new leadership, NSUS intends to expand WSOP worldwide, positioning it at the forefront of poker’s growth.”
New WSOP Bracelet Series Scheduled
Following the acquisition of WSOP, GGPoker has recently announced a new WSOP Bracelet Series for this month.
The schedule of an online bracelet series begins on August 17 and runs until September 30. There will be 33 bracelets to be awarded to the winners of the bracelet series. Players in the United States are not eligible to compete unless they travel to Canada, Mexico, or another country where the poker site is available.
August 18 sees the first event, $500 5th Annual WSOP Kickoff. This is then followed by 300 Gladiators of Poker on August 19, which features a $2.5 million guaranteed prize pool in the no-limit hold’em tournament.
The $2,100 Bounty NLH Championship is the third event and is scheduled on August 20, while the $840 Bounty PLO and $500 Ladies NLH Championship are set on August 22 and 24, respectively.
The month-long series will also host the much anticipated $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event, which promises at least $25 million in the pot. Players and poker enthusiasts can check out the WSOP Online Main Event on September 23. The recently-concluded WSOP Main Event was won by Jonathan Tamayo, but it wasn’t without controversy.
