The future of the prestigious World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been the center of all manners of discussion and speculation in the past few days. The speculation regarding the venue being sold to another party has helped in making the rumor of shifting the WSOP event from its traditional venue.
The strong allegations that Caesars Entertainment is planning to sell the property to Eldorado Resort is making the rumor to gain an unprecedented momentum. Since 2004 when Caesars Entertainment purchased WSOP from Binion’s Horseshoe, the event has taken place in Las Vegas. However, the series has undergone massive expansion within the past decade, creating more international destinations in the process.
Vital Vegas initiated the speculation when the Las Vegas rumor media gave a strong hint about the sale of WSOP venue via Twitter. Vital Vegas on September 15 tweeted:
“Busy, busy. Sale of Circus Circus should not distract you from the fact that Rio deal is finally being consummated. Thank you for your patience.”
The WSOP VP of Corporate Communication Seth Palansky never hesitated to dispel the fear about the venue change. Palansky used his personal Twitter account to reply to Vital Vegas and give assurance about the status quo. Palansky tweet read:
“I can 100% confirm WSOP will take place at the Rio in Las Vegas in 2020.”
Since Palansky had used his private twitter account to make such a landmark confirmation, CardPlayer saw it wise to engage the officer in an interview swiftly. While the Communication VP was making the confirmation of the 2020 WSOP venue, he also gave a clue about the series remaining at Rio in 2021 too.
Palansky acknowledged that Rio remains the home of the circuit, “and that’s where it will be.” Palansky confirmed that WSOP has booked and signed agreements with Rio for both the 2020 and 2021 events. He exuded confidence that the signed deals signified that the venue is reserved for the activities.
The Corporate Communication VP pointed out that,
“people have to understand in the convention business, you have to block out. We need 62 days blocked out to be able to be able to hold the event. It’s not easy to get 200000square feet of convention space. You need years in advance to do that.”
Even though he was able to confirm the WSOP event location, Palansky wasn’t in a position to talk about the sale of Rio hotel.
The WSOP boss wondered if they could be any other ideal venue for the occasion apart from Rio. The proximity to the airstrip and the capability to park with ease are some of the features making Rio become a standout destination. Besides, the availability of expert who can set various devices for the venue makes Rio be a one-stop-shop for the activity.
Palansky ended his statement by urging poker players to ignore the rumor and direct their focus on the events slated for only a few months away. His conclusion remark read, “I just want our customer base to be confident as they make their plans to participate in the WSOP IN 2020 and know that we’ll be at the same home we’ve always been.”
A detailed tweet from Howard Stutz of CDC News Wire was enough to answer the question regarding the eminent sale of Rio. Stutz’s tweet lay bare the fact that Caesar Entertainment and Eldorado have made a $17.3 billion deal to have the globe’s largest gaming company. The merger would see the ownership of 60 casinos spread across 16 states. The deal will equally incorporate about 300 food and beverage outlets.
