The World Series of Poker will finally be heading North of the Border, Canada!  A WSOP circuit event will be held at the River Rock Casino and Resort in Richmond British Columbia from October 27 to November 7, 2012 during this 9th season.  WSOP Canada 2012 will be the first time that a WSOP circuit event will be held outside the United States.  This is some fantastic news for poker tournament enthusiasts after hearing the big news that the World Poker Tour (WPT) will be coming back to Canada.

With 12 events in 12 days the action will be hot and heavy.  Event 1 starts off with a $345 2 day event, and the series ends with Event 12 a $345 Omaha and Holdem 1 day mixed event.  Event #7 is the main event, a 5 day (3 day 1s) $1,650 buyin event starting on Friday November 2.  Players will start with 20,000 chips, with the structure remaining the same as other WSOP circuit main events.

All these WSOP Canada events are Ring events, so winners will take home a WSOP ring for their winning efforts.  Win the WSOP Canada main event, and you will also gain entry into the National Championship, where a gold bracelet will be on the line as well as $1,000,000 prize pool in which you will be freerolled into.  Next year’s 2013 WSOP National Championship will take place May 21-23, 2013 in New Orleans.

There will also be 2 online events yet to be scheduled as part of the WSOP Canada circuit. These online events will be ring events and will be played on PlayNow.com, the BC Lottery’s gaming site. For now only B.C. residents may play on PlayNow.com, but hopefully there will be an exception for these 2 wsop events so that all Canadians have a chance to win a WSOP ring online.

There is no word on satellites to WSOP Canada events yet.

More details to follow.

“I saw on the news last night that an internet gaming source is advertising in Saskatchewan,” Cheveldayoff said. “I think that it’s growing. It’s there and it’s something we’re going to have to look at very closely.”

Cheveldayoff said he estimates that about $30 million is spent yearly by people in Saskatchewan gambling online.

He said if a government entity was collecting that money, profits could be spent on community programs.

“What troubles me is that the profits are leaving the province and can’t be reinvested in the good activities that Gaming Corporation, for example, does,” he said.

This would be great news for Saskatchewan poker players and the Canadian Poker Network.  The CPN which is expected to include Quebec and British Columbia, will be waiting for the other provinces to get into the game, a very profitable one indeed.  Ontario, Manitoba, and the Atlantic provinces have all shown their desire to provide an online gambling avenue for its citizens, rather than watching big sums of money flow outside the country.  Espacejeux.com from the Loto Quebec group has been especially popular so far, even running a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool poker tournament this past Sunday.

The CBC report also notes that Ontario was preparing to launch their online gaming site possibly by 2012.  The Saskatchewan online casino and poker room would most likely be run by the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation, which operates brick and mortar casinos in Regina and Moose Jaw.

Canadian Poker Network operations are based in Canada. The system is housed in a Montreal based data centre and poker network operations are in the National Operations Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick.

“The CPN is an excellent example of the kind of convergence of the igaming and lottery industries that GTECH G2 was created to serve,” said Paolo Personeni, President of GTECH G2. “We are proud to be partnered with such innovative lotteries, and look forward to enabling other lottery corporations to enter the igaming space with confidence.”

GTECH G2 is providing eight poker variants including Texas Hold’em and Canadian Stud (or Soko) which is played the same way as 5-Card Stud except that there are two extra combinations: a four-card Flush and a four-card Straight.

The Playnow.com poker room is now open.  Grand opening promotions include a $100,000 freeroll on March 27, and you can also win VIP Vancouver Canucks tickets.  There is also a Bad Beat Jackpot going on which is now over $300,000.  Simply lose with quad jacks or better, and win the BBJ!

Here is the official press release:

Loto-Québec and GTECH G2 Launch the Canadian Poker Network

Loto-Québec’s EspaceJeux.com igaming site now live and taking real-money wagers

13 December 2010 (London, UK) – GTECH G2 and Loto-Québec have successfully launched the first regulated poker network in North America. Presented by Loto-Québec on its new Espacejeux.com igaming site, the Canadian Poker Network (CPN) features the state-of-the-art poker software operating on a number of networks in Europe but will be open only to residents of the province of Quebec, Canada.

GTECH G2 will host its Canadian Poker Network operations in Canada. The system will be housed in its Montreal based data centre. Operations will be based in the  National Operations Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick.  The agreement with this WLA lottery operator is a 5 year operating contract with two, two-year extensions.

GTECH G2 is providing eight poker variants for the history-making poker network including Texas Hold’em and Canadian Stud (or Soko) which is played the same way as 5-Card Stud except that there are two extra combinations: a four-card Flush and a four-card Straight.

Available in both French and English, Espacejeux.com, began registering players on the 19^th November and started to take its first real money wagers 1^st December. It offers a full range of control and prevention measures that are among the most innovative in the industry.

“This is a major milestone for the lottery and igaming industries,” said Paolo Personeni, President of GTECH G2. “We’re very proud to be involved with such a highly-regarded WLA member in establishing the first regulated poker network in North America.”

GTECH G2 is the only interactive gaming software and services provider that can supply a complete end-to-end solution including lottery, poker, sports betting, bingo, casino, skill games, instant games and back office systems to commercial and state-run operators.

ENDS

Media inquiries:
Larry Colcy, Lyceum Media
G2@lyceummedia.com    +44 (0) 208 123 7184

About GTECH G2 (www.gtechg2.com)
Only GTECH G2 can provide the complete suite of core platform gaming engines, innovative content and flexible support services to both enterprises who are just entering the interactive space as well as to those who already offer a fully mature suite of interactive games. Its portfolio of expertise and digital solutions covers Lottery, Poker, Bingo, Sports Betting, Casino, Skill Games, Instant Games as well as a full range of back office and business solutions to help maximize revenues. The group brings together the lottery expertise of GTECH with Boss Media, a leading innovator in software and systems for Poker, Casino and Bingo entertainment; Finsoft , a leading provider of enterprise-wide real time trading solutions for the commercial sports betting industry – both interactive and retail; St Minver, a fully managed service provider of Internet games to media, lifestyle, and other brands; and Dynamite Idea, a developer of unique, innovative digital instant and side games.  salesteam@gtechg2.com