LAS VEGAS, May 28 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Mitsuhiro Nakao bested a field of more than 1,000 players in the 2nd Annual All-Japan Poker Championship presented by SEGA SAMMY Group, an official satellite of the World Series of Poker(R), and will compete in the 2008 WSOP Main Event in July at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Harrah's License Company announced today.
"Poker's popularity in Japan continues to increase, and we are delighted to once again support the growth of this sport through one of our premier entertainment brands," said Michael Chen, President of Asia for Harrah's Entertainment. "We supported this tournament last year, and we are proud to do it again this year as a sign of our company's ongoing commitment to expand our presence in Asian markets, particularly Japan."
"We are thrilled to have the winner of the All-Japan Poker Championship, participate in our event," said Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the World Series of Poker and vice president of sports and entertainment for Harrah's. "This event continues to be an important step for us in Asia and we look forward to further introducing the world's most prestigious poker brand to this vibrant market."
The 2008 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee's Best Light, the world's richest sporting event, will begin May 30 at the Rio(R) All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Last year, players from 87 countries competed for a total prize pool exceeding $159 million. More information on the tournament is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com.
ABOUT THE WSOP
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker's longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2007, the event attracted more than 54,000 entrants from 87 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded just under $160 million in prize money as players competed for game's most coveted trophy, a WSOP bracelet. Harrah's License Company, LLC., an affiliate of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., has owned and operated the WSOP since 2004 and over the last four years, fostered an increase in player participation by nearly 300-percent. In addition, the WSOP has experienced groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker Europe. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit our website at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com.
ABOUT HARRAH'S ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages resorts on five continents, hosting over 100 million guests a year. The Company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's(R), Caesars(R) and Horseshoe(R) brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and the World Series of Poker(R). Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. For more information, please visit http://www.harrahs.com .
