Betfair gearing up for European WSOP

The World Series of Poker action in Vegas may have been centre stage in the media last week, but for UK gambling group Betfair the focus was probably on gearing up for the inaugural European version of the poker epic later this year

Betfair has been selected as the presenter for the first WSOP outside the boundaries of the United States, and the company has already announced that it will be sponsoring at least 125 players to the $10 000 buy-in main event in London in September.

The poker wing of Betfair will be the main driver of the World Series of Poker Europe 2007, providing online satellites and making sure the big event meets the high standards established by the original tournament in the States.

"As presenting sponsor I want Betfair to have a strong presence," says Head of Poker Ben Fried, "There are a limited number of seats and at Betfair Poker you can be assured that you will have a place at the tables in London."

Pro player Ben Grundy said: "There are so many issues these days with online qualification, particularly for the World Series. It's worth going with Betfair Poker just for the value they provide, but also your seat is more secure."

Internet player Stuart Drysdale alias "CreamBun" was one of Team Betfair's first online qualifiers. He is used to playing in MTTs from $5 to $20 so the WSOP Europe is a significant step up. "I am only a break-even player at those levels," he said. "If I can do it, that must mean that plenty of other low-stakes players can as well."

Betfair Poker has already launched its $250 000 Freeroll Grand Final, where 10 packages worth $23 000 each plus $20 000 will be up for grabs. This takes place in September and is part of a $1.5 million WSOP Europe promotion Betfair Poker will be running right through to the big event. Full details are available on the Betfair site.