Budweiser is Official Beer for WPT

7 September 2005

LOS ANGELES – (PRESS RELEASE) -- WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) welcomed Budweiser today as the "Official Beer" of the WORLD POKER TOUR(R) (WPT) for the WPT's fourth exciting season of riveting televised poker on the Travel Channel. The World Poker Tour was the show that ignited the worldwide poker boom when it launched in March 2003 and continues to lead the way in developing poker as a major international sport.

"As the WPT(TM) repositions poker as a leading sport -- not just a pastime -- Budweiser is the ideal sponsor. Our long association with sports increases poker's recognition by the sports-loving consumer and television viewer," said Peter McLoughlin, Vice President, Corporate Media, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "We are pleased to continue our three-year relationship with WPT Enterprises and look forward to toasting another great year."

Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser television spots will air on Travel Channel's broadcasts of Season IV. Additionally, viewers will see the Budweiser logo on the "table ring" around the Final Table arena and on in-show graphics for the WPT's popular "hole card camera" segment. The winners of each WPT tournament will celebrate a toast with Budweiser as part of the WPT's traditional closing sequence.

In jurisdictions where it is legal, Budweiser will support the sponsorship with retail promotions which will begin in December 2005 and will run through February 2006 with a "Texas Hold'em tournament", to feature a shortened elimination version of Texas Hold'em. Players will begin each round with an equal number of chips and play until they "bust out." Only the top chip winners will progress to the next round. Players will not pay or purchase anything to play in this tournament, but must be 21 or older. The top two players at the National Finals will secure coveted seats in the WPT Invitational, the World Poker Tour's celebrity pro-am tournament boasting 300 players vying for a $200,000 prize pool. Skilled celebrities such as Ben Affleck, James Woods, Jennifer Tilly and Tobey Maguire have joined the roster of WPT tournament winners and leading pros who participate in the WPT Invitational.

The sponsorship enables Budweiser to capitalize on the global growth of WPT viewership. The show is currently licensed for broadcast in more than 100 countries and territories around the world. The WORLD POKER TOUR, which reinvented poker as a televised spectator sport, will air tournaments filmed at leading casinos from Paris to Las Vegas, beginning with the broadcast of its fourth season in March 2006. Airing every Wednesday night in the U.S. at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the Travel Channel, the WPT is the highest-rated series in the network's history.

The sponsorship agreement was hailed by Steve Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE): "The WPT has become the gold standard in poker and the Budweiser brand is the same to beer. It's a great match of two iconic brands."


Related Links
Ranked Online Poker Rooms
WPT Gaming Vendor Information
WPT Enterprises Gaming Vendor Information

Featured Vendors
Casino Network
Betson Imperial Parts & Service
Casino Network
20+ years experience selling refurbished slot machines, parts & glass for all major brands
Betson Imperial Parts & Service
Your one stop shop for all your gaming and OEM needs!
OCR - Online Casino Reports
Talisman Group Creators of EZ Baccarat
OCR - Online Casino Reports
Delivers highly targeted casino traffic from over 70 countries! Get your casino listed today at OCR!
Talisman Group Creators of EZ Baccarat
With over 800 tables in 150+ casinos, EZ Baccarat is the number one brand in baccarat.
TribalHub
Casino City Press
TribalHub
24th Annual TribalNet Conference Sept 18-21, 2023 Town & Country Resort, San Diego, CA
Casino City Press
A leading publisher and distributor of casino and gaming business data and market research reports.
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) Conference
GamblersPick
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) Conference
The biggest little show in Indian gaming! Save the date: Aug 14-16, 2023 in Tulsa!
GamblersPick
Share & Read other players' reviews! A top player community-driven portal for online casinos.
Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
House Tech Ads
Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
The largest gathering of global, commercial and tribal gaming professionals in North America.
House Tech Ads
Drive quality casino-gambling traffic to your brand from over 70 countries from our premium assets!
Top One Tech Limited
Sunkist Graphics, Inc.
Top One Tech Limited
GLOBAL TOUCH SOLUTION PARTNER OF CHOICE,10+ years OEM manufacturing,100+ thousand units application
Sunkist Graphics, Inc.
Specializing in the creation of best-of-breed gaming graphics - slot glass, sign faces, and more
New Level Radio
Acres Manufacturing
New Level Radio
Your Casino. Your Music. Your Message.
Acres Manufacturing
Cashless Loyalty & Bonusing in a Single Mobile App
AmericanChecked
Goldfinger Monitors
AmericanChecked
Background checks for the gaming industry with key & non-key packages & fingerprinting solutions
Goldfinger Monitors
Innovative touch-screen solutions - vibrant lighting, high-def imagery, bright, bold colors
Casino Trac - Table Trac, Inc.
Patriot Gaming & Electronics, Inc.
Casino Trac - Table Trac, Inc.
CasinoTrac™ is a full CMS platform, operating in 225 locations, across 13 countries, since 1995.
Patriot Gaming & Electronics, Inc.
Patriot Gaming…Parts is what we do. Visit us: www.patriotgaming.com
Casino Schedule Ease
Slot Machines Unlimited
Casino Schedule Ease
Full Featured & customizable for the complex scheduling needs of table games & other casino depts
Slot Machines Unlimited
Exporter of IGT, Williams, AVP, Trimline, Aristocrat, Konami, Bally, & parts over 20 yrs experience


Your Guide to 14,817 Gaming Industry Suppliers