If the Mayans will give us a reprieve this December 21, you may live long enough to see online poker hit a stadium near you. Yes, I did combine the terms “online poker” and “sports stadium”in the same sentence. When people think online casinos, poker rooms, bingo halls and sportsbooks, they generally think of playing them from the comfort and privacy of their own home, office or some other cozy environment. It seems the newly formed International Stadiums of Poker Tour (ISPT) is trying to change all that.
Yes, coming to a stadium near you beginning in 2013 will be a host of poker tournaments you can play on your smartphone, laptop or Tablet PC at one of the participating stadium venues. This isn’t the first time that the ISPT tried to get the Stadium Tour underway, as they jumped the gun and made several preliminary announcements they had to retract. However, funding seems to be in place for what will definitely be a landmark event in the world of online gambling.
One of the most audacious claims made so far concerning the ISPT was delivered by Groupe Bernard Tapie, claiming there would be as many as 30,000 players at Wembley Stadium playing online poker using their wireless devices. Groupe founder Bernard Tapie, French businessman, occasional actor, singer, and TV host, recently adjusted that participation number to 3,000, and those tournament entrants will challenge each other for the incredible opportunity to take home some of the €20 million prize pool, roughly $30 million US.
Felt top poker tables will adorn the football field at Wembley, and will probably be seen as an act of sheer heresy in the eyes of many of the traditional football lovers who frequent this storied stadium that was first built in 1932. The current Wembley Stadium was built on the site of that historical field in 2007, but English football fans traditional or modern probably never thought of the venue as a destination for a wireless online poker tournament. If you would like to get involved, the first of the ISPT tournaments will be held from May 31st to June 6th, 2013 at the Wembley Stadium.
Just to ensure that this event really is taking place, and has the blessing of Wembley Stadium officials, Calvin Ayre contacted all interested parties, and had Wembley executives confirm the dates of that first ISPT online poker event. They remarked that they expect anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 enthusiasts to show up as spectators, and they are happy to be the destination of such a historical online gaming event. Poker, both online and off, when played properly and profitably, contains a very high degree of skill and gambling. No doubt those two skill sets are in vast abundance in the event organizers, and we stand ready and excited to see how this new online poker experience will develop, Mayan Doomsday notwithstanding.
If you’re interested in refining those poker skills before the big event, try visiting one of the Bonusgeek.com featured USA Online Poker Sites for some big free money bonuses and great opportunities to advance as a player.