Caesars enters France through Barrière tie
The deal will bring the World Series of Poker brand to the French market, as Caesars prepares to launch real-money poker.
Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) has forged an online and land-based tie with French casino group Lucien Barrière for its WSOP brands as it prepares to launch real-money poker in France.
The US casino giant’s interactive arm will initially offer WSOP-branded poker tournaments on BarrierePoker.fr, the joint venture between Barrière and Française des Jeux launched in May 2010, ahead of launching real money poker with Barrière on WSOP.fr. The site will initially debut this year as a French-language WSOP news and information portal.
The offline component of the deal will see BarrierePoker.fr replace Betfair as the headline sponsor of the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), with the event relocating from the Empire Casino in London to the French hotel and casino group’s Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette in the South of France. The event to be held from 7-21 October 2011 will present the culmination of a new seven-stop poker tour held at Barrière’s casinos across France, called the Barrière Poker Tour 2011.
CIE said in a statement: “By signing an offline and online alliance with the same group, Caesars now has the ability to tap into this terrific market in a meaningful manner.” CIE chief executive Mitch Garber added that he was “excited to work with [Lucien Barrière Hôtels & Casinos] to access the French market with high-quality and reputable poker events both in their hotels and casinos, and online with BarrierePoker.fr.”
Dominique Desseigne, Groupe Lucien Barrière’s chief executive officer, added: “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.”
The deal follows CIE clinching an online-offline deal for its WSOP brand in December with leading Italian poker network Microgame in Italy, which runs the People’s Poker Tour, featured on Italian television through a deal with Dutch television giant Endemol.
For an interview with CIE chief executive Mitch Garber, see the forthcoming issue of eGaming Review.