Bedlam in Prague: Poker Dies?
Right before the start of Poker Festival in Prague where the best poker player in the world should compete, city authorities have made new amendments to the gambling laws and that have already led to the best city poker clubs to be closed, including Card Casino Prague. In the New Year situation might worsen….
European Union with its intolerance towards gambling came to Prague unexpectedly. Prague was different to Paris, Vienna, Oslo and other big cities in Europe. Serious changes are coming to Bratislava as well in the nearest future.
Major dissatisfaction cause not by the number of poker clubs but with everlasting slot machines halls, the number of which is overwhelming in the city. The issue is in these halls full of entertaining mechanisms. Local regional administration complain about gambling problems among locals.
Prague City Hall adopted an amendment on November. 26th and it should come into legal force on January, 1st 2016. But the process of cleaning has started in some places already. More than 200 slot halls are planned to be closed during the next year.
The revenue of the capital will seriously decrease due to gambling prohibition as now it gives ~ $37 million annually with 30 million from the slots.
What about EPT and WPT in December?
Casinos and poker rooms weren’t the target, but have suffered from new gabling prohibition in some regions of Prague, namely: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 12.
Card Casino Prague – one of the biggest poker facilities in the world is situated in the 5th region of the country. Club should have been stop its activity on November,30th and ше did so. As many of local facilities of those regions.
So what about Prague Poker Festival?
CPT Masters Main Event
The question makes sense. Unlike in CIS, Europe respects made agreements. So the Festival will take place in the hotel Corinthia according to its schedule. But after that from January, 1st poker dies there as well as the facility is situated in region 4.
Ukrainian series WSF Poker Tour cancelled its stage in Card Casino Prague (scheduled on February, 2016). The administration of the series is frustrated.
We don’t have a clear vision of the situation yet, but ir isn’t some sort of try to frighten players – it’s a fact that Poker will suffer in Prague; Clubs will have to be placed in other regions, maybe to the suburbs.
What about Poker Festival?
So it’s worth mentioning about poker festival in Prague, annual huge event.
Cenbtral Event – EPT €5,300 Main Event, December, 11-16 and:
- €1,100 Eureka Main Event (December, 5-10),
- EPT €10,300 High Roller (December, 14-16),
- EPT €48,500 Super High Roller (December, 8-10).
World Poker Tour will come here as well, Main Event with €3,300 buy-in will take place in Corinthia in the beginning of December.
RedBet Live, GrandLive are also coming together with more not yet that huge of the brand series.
Prague is on the map of European Poker tour since 2007 and for the first time might be excluded from the list of stages.