NIAGARA FALLS, ON, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Officials with Fallsview Casino Resort announced today that the resort will host the first-ever World Poker Tour (WPT) Canadian Open from October 22 to October 24 - just days before the giants of the poker community arrive in Niagara Falls for the WPT North American Poker Championship, beginning October 25.

Created to give recreational poker players from both sides of the border the opportunity to experience a big-time professional poker event, the WPT Canadian Open will be run exactly like the WPT North American Poker Championships, but will have lower buy-in costs both for the tournament itself and its various satellite tournaments, which are already underway in the Poker Room at Casino Niagara - Fallsview’s sister property.

“Players taking part in the WPT Canadian Open will experience everything the professional WPT players experience - the bright lights, the TV cameras, the pressure - everything,” said Greg Medulun, the Manager of Corporate Communications for Fallsview. “Playing on-line and in regular casino games is one thing, but sitting where the stars sit with all eyes on you is quite another.”

The participants in the WPT Canadian Open will play down until, at the end of the day on October 24, there are just six players left for the final table. Then, Fallsview will run the WPT North American Poker Championship from October 25 to October 28 with the final table being held on October 29. Finally, after allowing the pressure to build for six days, the six WPT Canadian Open finalists will play their final table on October 30 in front of the cameras.

“We recognized the need for a major national televised poker event that Canadians could call their own,” said Steve Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. “Canada is rich with poker fans - both new and long-standing - who have already embraced the WPT on their TV networks. They have watched several of their own rise to the top on World Poker Tour, including Gavin Smith, the Season IV WPT Player of the Year, and Daniel Negreanu, the Season III WPT Player of the Year. We look forward to working in concert with the Fallsview Casino to establish the WPT Canadian Open as the premiere poker event in Canada.”

Players can buy directly into the WPT Canadian Open’s main event for $2,700CDN or into the satellite tournaments at two different levels - $50 events on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and $330 events on Fridays and Saturdays until October 21. A win at the $50 level earns the winner a seat at the $330 level. A win at the $330 level earns the winner a seat in the main event. In addition to the satellite tournaments already underway at Casino Niagara, satellite events will also be held in poker rooms at other participating Ontario Lottery and Gaming casinos and charity casinos.

Members of the public who would like additional information or are interested in registering for the WPT Canadian Open, the WPT North American Poker Championship or any of their satellite tournaments can call the Fallsview Casino WPT Hotline at 1-866-5-POKER-5 or visit the Players Advantage Club booth at either Fallsview Casino Resort or Casino Niagara. Information on all WPT tournaments is available at http://www.worldpokertour.com/ .

Fallsview Casino Resort is rapidly gaining a reputation as ‘Canada’s Poker Capital,’ thanks to its role as host of the World Poker Tour’s North American Poker Championship (the first WPT event ever held in Canada) and the inaugural WPT Canadian Open.

About Fallsview Casino Resort

Built on a cliff overlooking the world-famous Horseshoe Falls, Fallsview Casino Resort is the largest and most elegant gaming resort facility in Canada and the crown jewel in Niagara’s stunning array of wonders. It features a casino with over 3,000 slot machines and 142 gaming tables, a 374-room luxury hotel, a full-service spa and fitness centre, a 1,500-seat showroom, dozens of dining and shopping options, over 30,000 square feet of meeting and convention space and the only wedding chapel in a Canadian gaming facility.

About WPTE

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour(R), a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and more than 150 markets globally. With the WPT in its fifth season, WPTE has launched a second series on the Travel Channel, the Professional Poker Tour(TM), which focuses on the play of poker’s leading stars. WPT also operates a real-money online gaming website, http://www.wptonline.com/ , which prohibits wagers from players in the U.S. and other restricted jurisdictions. WPTE currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to http://www.worldpokertour.com/ . WPTE is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO). Photos and media information can be found online at: http://www.worldpokertour.com/media

CONTACT: Greg Medulun, Manager, Corporate Communications, (905) 358-3255,
extension 53010, gmedulun@fallsviewcasinoresort.com

SOURCE Fallsview Casino