Calvin Anderson, the Las Vegas-based professional poker player, emerged as the winner of the 2023 World Poker Tour (WPT) Prime Championship. The prestigious event took place at Wynn Las Vegas and saw a staggering 10,512 entries that helped generate a prize pool of $10,196,640.

This year’s Prime Championship enjoyed much more interest when compared to its debut in 2022. For comparison, the 2022 WPT Prime Championship attracted a field of 5,430 entries. In other words, this year, the number of participants nearly doubled, helping generate a staggering prize pool that surpassed $10 million.

Emerging as the winner, Anderson collected the first-place prize of $1,386,280. Moreover, the poker pro earned secured the WPT Prime Championship trophy. The recent win represented Anderson’s first WPT win and also granted him a seat in the 2024 WPT World Championship.

During the 2023 WPT Prime Championship, the poker pro met other notable poker veterans, including Frankie Cucchiara who finished in 52nd place, Daniel Lowery, a 14-time gold ring winner, who ranked 18th as well as Steven Jones, the 2023 WSOP Main Event runner-up who ranked 10th place during the recent tournament.

There was a total of six players that endured to reach the Prime Championship’s final table. With Anderson emerging as the winner, Aaron Pinson finished second, collecting a $910,000 prize. The third place belonged to Jay Lu, who took home $675,000, while Jon Glendinning ranked fourth, taking home $505,000. At the 2023 WPT Prime Championship, Bob Buckenmayer ranked fifth, taking home $380,000, while Valeriy Pak finished sixth, collecting a $290,000 prize. Just outside of the top six was Mukul Pahuja, who finished in seventh place.

The Recent Win Grows the Poker Pro’s Total Live Earnings

The WPT Prime Championship rounded off the 2023 WPT Prime season and comes ahead of the 2024 WPT Prime season. The new WPT Prime season starts on January 26, 2024, and is expected to attract more seasoned poker professionals.

Adam Pliska, WPT’s CEO, shared his excitement about Anderson’s recent win. “The astounding increase in the WPT Prime Championship exceeded expectations, and further fortifies the event as a pillar of the WPT World Championship festival at Wynn Las Vegas,” he explained in a statement released by WPT on Wednesday. Finally, Pliska congratulated Anderson for his “monumental win.”

The 2023 WPT Prime Championship win further grows the total live earnings for the Las Vegas-based poker pro. According to the Hendon Mob, Anderson’s total live earnings are close to $5 million or $4,961,841 to be exact. His latest win represents the best live cash prize collected by the poker pro throughout his professional career.

The post Calvin Anderson Wins WPT Prime Championship, Takes Home $1.4M appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship saw 973 players enter Day 1c on Thursday, bringing the total number of entries to 2,312. Day 1d is set to take place on Friday and is expected to attract enough players for the tournament to hit the $40 million guarantee.

PokerNews reported that the first three Day 1 events ended up attracting fewer players than expected but the Friday session is expected to make up for that. In order for that to happen, it would need approximately 1,800 more players to register.

Registration will close late Friday evening, meaning that there is a whole day of anticipation remaining. The prize pool will be announced following the conclusion of the registration period.

Several Players Collected over a Million Chips

The global tournament has been attracting tons of players and is poised to be one of the most exciting poker tournaments ever. The first few Day 1 events already saw a few professionals finish with huge stacks of chips.

Kyle Ho, Chance Kornuth and Hossein Ensan, for example, all surpassed a million chips, bagging 1.21 million, 1.13 million and 1.1 million chips respectively. In the meantime, Jeff Hakim almost reached a million, bagging 998,000 on Day 1a of the event.

In the meantime, a number of notable professionals failed to qualify for Day 2. This included Phil Hellmuth, also known as the Poker Brat. However, Hellmuth and other unlucky players will have one final shot at advancing on Day 1d this Friday.

The participation of such players is expected to further bolster the Friday numbers, allowing the tournament to hit its goals and $40 million guarantee.

Costello Won the WPT Ladies Championship

Speaking of WTP events, Lisa Costello just won the World Poker Tour’s Ladies Championship, taking home $85,297, a trophy and the title of “champ.” This is not her first win at a big event but she still described her emotion about the victory as an “incredible feeling.”

The final table saw Costello face other women’s poker powerhouses, such as Kathy Stahl, Chris Read, Aylar Lie and Ada Lang.

Costello’s victory surprised poker fans considering her long recent hiatus.

The post WPT World Championship Poised to Hit $40M Guarantee appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Pro League Network (PLN), a sports entertainment company, has ventured into the world of slap-fighting by acquiring the renowned SlapFight Championship. 

JT Tilley Takes the Helm as Creative Director at PLN

The acquisition brings not only the SlapFight Championship assets but also the expertise of its Founder and CEO, JT Tilley, who will now take on the role of creative director within PLN. Tilley, whose background spans sports, entertainment, comedy, and music, is tasked with shaping the creative direction of PLN’s entire sports portfolio, emphasizing entertainment value alongside betting opportunities.

SlapFight, established in 2017 by Tilley, has transformed slap-fighting into a legitimate sport with strict rules and a growing fan base. Notable fighters, including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia and home-grown talents like Wolverine, The Bell, and Neanderthal, have graced its roster. The championship’s live pay-per-view and tape-delayed events have drawn millions of social media impressions, especially on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

Since PLN secured wagering rights for SlapFIGHT in 2022, the sport has gained recognition in six US jurisdictions, making it available for betting enthusiasts through DraftKings. With this acquisition, PLN takes full control of SlapFight Championship, encompassing branding, content libraries, and social media channels.

In October 2022, slap-fighting officially became regulated in Nevada after approval by the Nevada Athletic Commission. 

PLN Unveils Ambitious Plans for SlapFight

PLN’s co-founders, Mike Salvaris and Bill Yucatonis, expressed their enthusiasm, saying: “We couldn’t be more excited to add SlapFight to our portfolio and are looking forward to growing the brand, as well as introducing SlapFight fans to other PLN sports.”

They also highlighted Tilley’s talent for developing sports that are not only easy to comprehend but also captivating to watch and likely to go viral. This collaboration aims to bring even more unique sports experiences to the audience.

Additionally, as part of the deal, PLN plans to establish a state-of-the-art studio in Branson, Missouri, where Tilley will oversee the creation of a new entertainment series, including “BFC Extreme.” This series will showcase a regular roster of athletes competing in emerging PLN sports, promising an immersive sports and entertainment experience. Tilley shared his vision, stating:

When I first met the PLN team last year it was clear that we shared a vision for the future of sports entertainment – one where sports that may be considered ‘niche’ could, if produced correctly, be appealing to a broad audience and engaged with across multiple channels – including betting, fantasy and watch-alongs.

PLN creative director JT Tilley

PLN, founded in 2022, has gained recognition for promoting alternative sports and creating wagering opportunities, filling under-optimized slots on the sports calendar. It boasts a portfolio of over 16 brands, including the World Putting League, CarJitsu Championship, XTreme Long Drive, Pro Footgolf, National Carrom League, Strongman, T3 TouchTennis, and Beastball.

The post Pro League Network Broadens Reach with SlapFight Championship Acquisition appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Irish gambling operator Paddy Power will be the official sponsor of the upcoming PDC World Darts Championship. The company jokingly promised its customers a room full of “of bleary-eyed revelers, raucous singing and ill-fitting and even more ill-judged attire.”

Describing the sponsorship deal as a “match made in heaven,” Paddy Power expressed its excitement about supporting the darts event. The company noted that the competition will kick off at the legendary Alexandra Palace in London on December 15 and will run through to the final on January 3, 2024.

Paddy Power solemnly invited everyone to the event, reminding fans to secure a Paddy Power World Darts Championship ticket in advance so they can be safe knowing that they’ve secured a place “at the best Dartsmas ever.”

Paddy Power celebrated the occasion with a humorous video featuring a number of world-class darts players, such as Dimitri Van Den Bergh, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Michael Van Gerwen and Peter Wright.

A Match Made In Heaven

Paddy Power’s marketing & brand director, Michelle Spillane, addressed the new deal, saying that her company has “hit the bullseye” with this new deal.

This tournament is the ultimate example of sport colliding with entertainment, a mix we at Paddy Power are naturally drawn towards.

Michelle Spillane, marketing & brand director, Paddy Power

Spillane added that her team is very excited about the partnership with the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace and believes that it will be very beneficial to the company.

Matt Porter, the chief executive officer of the PDC, also commented on the agreement, welcoming Paddy Power as the new title sponsor of the upcoming World Darts Championship. He lauded the operator for its unique way of announcing the agreement and praised the operator’s collaboration with major darts players.

The World Darts Championship is the flagship event in our sport, and Paddy Power’s involvement will add extra excitement to an event which is already the highlight of the festive sporting period.

Matt Porter, CEO, PDC

In other news, Paddy Power continues to make headlines thanks to its deals with major companies in the gambling sector. The operator recently signed a milestone deal with Stakelogic, adopting cutting-edge content from the supplier.

Earlier, the operator extended its virtual sports agreement with Inspired Entertainment. As a result, Paddy Power will continue to benefit from the provider’s Virtual Sports solution.

In other news, Paddy Power recently landed itself in hot water because of an alleged marketing violation.

The post Paddy Power to Sponsor the PDC World Darts Championship appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Global betting powerhouse Betsson announced that it will serve as the official sponsor of the upcoming 26th IHF Women’s World Championship 2023, brokered by SPORTFIVE. The arrangement affirms the operator’s commitment to supporting women’s sports.

The championship’s group stage will be hosted by Sweden, Norway and Denmark and will engage sports fans from November 29 to December 17 this year. As noted by Betsson, the draw took place yesterday, July 6, in Gothenburg. The final, meanwhile, is set to take place in Herning, Denmark.

The event will welcome 32 national teams. At the time of Betsson’s announcement, Norway led the operator’s odds list, followed by Denmark in third and Sweden in fifth place.

The current sponsorship deal is Betsson’s first sponsorship in handball and will expand the operator’s presence in professional sports. The company has been supporting sports in the Nordic region since 1963 and is happy to continue and expand its sports initiatives.

Under the agreement, Betsson’s branding will feature on the led screens across the handball arena. The operator will also give away tickets for the event and will offer a wide range of odds for the matches.

While this is Betsson’s first time supporting a handball event, it is not its first time supporting women’s sports. The company has previously served as the exclusive sportsbook partner of the CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina 2022 and the main sponsor of Athletico Paranaense and Club Atletico Boca Juniors’s women’s teams.

Betsson Wants to Support Women’s Sports

IHF’s president, Dr Hassan Moustafa, welcomed Betsson as the partner of the 26th IHF Women’s World Championship. He thanked the operator for its commitment and said that the two parties will now have a clear aim – “to excite.”

SPORTFIVE’s chief growth officer, Robert Müller von Vultejus, said that he considers Betsson to be a valued partner. He noted that the operator’s experience with female leagues made it a perfect partner for the handball championship.

With their [Betsson’s] wealth of experience in supporting women’s sports globally we are confident that this collaboration will further elevate the excitement and bring the tournament to new height.

Robert Müller von Vultejus, chief growth officer, SPORTFIVE

Finally, Betsson Group’s PR manager, Robin Olenius, said that the sponsorship reflects his team’s desire to promote and support women’s sports.

We hope that through our support of the tournament and our global presence, we will help to increase the excitement globally”, says Robin Olenius, PR Manager Betsson Group.

Robin Olenius, PR manger, Betsson Group

Recently, Betsson strengthened its horse racing content thanks to a partnership with PA Betting Services.

The post Betsson Named Official Sponsor of IHF Women’s World Championship 2023 appeared first on Keno Wizard.