The UK live poker scene was dealt a blow this week with the official
confirmation by gambling group, Gala Coral, that it not be running the Gala
Coral British Poker Tour in 2009.
Rumours have been flying in the media regarding the future of the tour, with
many experts dismissing them due to the high quality of the event and the
excellent attendance record in the past two years.
Unfortunately, however, Gala Coral came out with a statement that confirmed
the rumors. There was no official reason given for the cancellation of this
year's British Poker Tour, although it can be understood that the economic
problems facing the UK are very much part of the company's decision.
""While we've had two fantastic years running the 'Great British Poker Tour',
we've now decided to look at a number of new events and promotions for 2009 that
will not only excite our players but are of great value and are accessible to
poker players of all levels," said GCBPT Tour Manager, Mark O'Donnell.
Gala Coral did not comment on any future live poker events that could be
expected in the future, although it did speak about a several interesting
promotions that would run on its online poker websites.
"Through our poker websites, we are already planning to run more satellites
than ever to the world's biggest poker tournaments including the European Poker
Tour (EPT), World Series of Poker (WSOP) and Aussie Millions," he said.
UK poker industry analysts agree that there is a very real need to introduce
a quality live poker event into the local poker scene, especially with the
withdrawal of the GCBPT this year.
