WSOP officially part of GGPoker group after finalized Caesars sale
Brand will remain connected to Caesars for at least 20 year
The $500 million deal between GGPoker parent company NSUS Group and Caesars Entertainment for the former to acquire the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is officially complete.
First announced in August, Caesars confirmed the deal closure on Tuesday shortly before the company’s Q3 earnings call.
GGPoker will control the brand, but for the next 20 years, a Caesars property in Las Vegas will play host to the flagship WSOP series. Currently Horseshoe Casino and Paris Casino co-host the event each year and have done so since 2022. Caesars properties will also get preferential treatment when it comes to hosting WSOP Circuit event.
Some key players from the Caesars team are moving over to NSUS Group as part of the deal. WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart is moving over to serve as CEO, while Gregory Chochon will take the role of COO. Stewart began his tenure with the WSOP in 2005, while Chochon joined the team in 2014.
Additionally, Caesars Digital will license the brand to continue operating its WSOP Digital online poker site in the four states it is operational.
GGPoker operated WSOP.ca powered by GGPoker in Ontario, which was the only jurisdiction where the two are co-branded but now the WSOP.ca URL redirects to a GGPoker-branded site.
So far, GGPoker has not announced anything about how it plans to deploy the WSOP brand across the rest of the world. The group is currently promoting the upcoming WSOP Paradise event in the Bahamas this December. GGPoker has pledged to award at least 1,000 satellite seats to the event, which includes a massive $50 million guaranteed, $25,000 buy-in Main Event.
GGPoker Canada recently ran a WSOP online series in Ontario including eight WSOP bracelet events and a $500,000 guaranteed Main Event.