For the first time in the 22-year history of its main circuit, the World Poker Tour (WPT) has announced it will be holding a poker festival in Macau complete with a $5,100 buy-in championship event as well as a $25,500 ante high-roller competition.

Considered the ‘Las Vegas of the east’, Macau is home to more than 35 casino destinations, including the 3,000-room Venetian Macao from Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited’s 28-acre City of Dreams Macau. The former Portuguese enclave home to 673,000 people regularly racks up aggregated monthly gross gaming revenues of over $2 billion while additionally playing host to some of the planet’s most lucrative cash games.

Summer Selection

The WPT Macau is scheduled to take place at the five-star Wynn Macau from June 18 to 24 as part of the WPT’s fresh alliance with casino operator Wynn Macau Limited and global experiential entertainment provider Allied Gaming and Entertainment (AGAE).

Adam Pliska serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the WPT and he explained the decision to host a poker festival in Macau comes as part of a larger project that is designed to expand the brand’s reputation across the whole of Asia. The 47-year-old moreover detailed that the move follows his organization’s first-ever Cambodia stopover in January after it first ventured into China via the WPT Beijing extravaganza in April of 2017.

“Macau has long been a sought-after destination for us, wanting to deliver the WPT experience to the region,” Pliska said. “Thank you to AGAE and Wynn Macau Limited for helping us expand our global footprint. We look forward to an incredible event.”

Positive Potential

For her part, Linda Chen, the President, Vice-Chairman and Executive Director for Hong Kong-listed Wynn Macau Limited, admitted to being ‘thrilled’ the 1,000-room Wynn Macau will be hosting the upcoming WPT Macau. She additionally expressed excitement at the prospect of being able to present ‘one of the most prestigious global poker competitions’ to the ‘vibrant city’ that is Macau.

“The WPT invites legendary poker players from across the world, which will enhance Macau’s global allure and reinforce its status as a world center of tourism and leisure,” Chen said. “This exciting mega-event further demonstrates our commitment to delivering top-tier international entertainment events to Macau and is set to captivate a new wave of global visitors eager to experience the dynamism of our city.”

Admirable Ambition

The Chief Executive Officer for AGAE, Yinghua Chen, asserted her firm has a commitment towards ‘enhancing offerings in the burgeoning entertainment market’ of Macau and will assist in marketing, producing and managing the upcoming WPT Macau.

“This marks WPT’s inaugural physical presence in Macau after over two decades of operation,” Chen said. 

“As we expand our business, this collaboration represents another exciting advancement, leveraging our extensive resources and expertise in hosting world-class events to create unforgettable experiences in this dynamic market.”