Poker Tour Cancelled
Thursday, February 5th, 2009In a surprise move it has been revealed that Gala have cancelled their popular poker tour of the UK in exchange for an increased emphasis towards their online operations. The move has been particularly surprising for many because the tour is widely recognised as one of the more popular in the UK attracting the vast majority of UK professional poker players as well as those looking to make a name for themselves.
The announcement that the company wishes to concentrate on its online operations does make sense in the current economic climate but many believe they is still demand for a live poker tour throughout the UK. The company will now hold a series of Jackpot games with guaranteed prize money approaching $14 million, something which is sure to catch the eye of poker players around the world. The company will also be launching a number of satellite games for entry into some of Europe’s largest poker tournaments.
One major concern going forward is the fact that many of the competing UK poker tours have been significantly less successful than the Gala tour which does not bode well for the future. If Gala does not believe that a tour of the UK is financially sensible then where does this leave the other UK poker tour operators. Too bad to hear this, I hope this won’t be a trend for 2009.