World Poker Tour Headed to Vietnam

We are expecting to go ahead with a World Poker Tour event in May." Shaun McCamley, Grand Ho Tram President, www.ggrasia.com;

The tournament is scheduled for May 2015 and will be held at theGrand Ho Tram Casino resort. The casino president confirmed WPT's booking, so Vietnam is en route to hosting its first-ever WPT event.

At this point it is uncertain just how big the tournament will be in terms of either attendance or coverage, as all the details have not yet been released. This is an important step for the World Poker Tour, but it could also prove very beneficial to the casino.

The property has been really struggling since opening in 2013, as finding customers in Vietnam is not an easy task. The reason is quite simple – the government does not allow locals to play in the casinos, so casino operators must rely solely on tourists.

Situated on a beach 120 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh, a WPT event could provide a much needed boost in traffic for the casino and perhaps put Vietnam out there a bit more as a potential location to visit for some poker players.

This should prove especially true if the event gets TV coverage and some air time on international channels. The possibilities of that happening remain up in the air, as organizers always have to weigh potential gain against the expenses involved with a TV production.

The deal with Ourgame should be helpful in terms of attracting players in light of their previous collaboration to organize and host a WPT National China event, which took place at the MGM Grand Sanya on the Chinese island of Hanin. That event proved quite successful and led to WPT officials wanting to take their cooperation to the next level.