The PokerStars supported Italian Poker Tour (IPT) has brought on board a sponsor in the form of the world’s biggest electronic payment organisations, Neteller.
The IPT is a joint venture between PokerStars and the Pagano group, and is now heading into it’s fifth season. The tour started back in 2009 when the first event was won by Stefano Puccilli in San Remo.
With season five sponsored by Neteller, the value of playing has also gone up. the highest placing player with a Neteller account wearing a Neteller patch will win a buy in for the next IPT, courtesy of the payment giant.
The other player who will be happy will be the bubble boy. Traditionally this is the worst position in the tournament universe, to be the last player not to get paid. Neteller are curing that stigma by awarding the player to lose out on the bubble a €1,000 cheque.
The Vice President of Neteller owners, Optimal Payments, Lorenzo Pellegrino, was positive about the new partnership: “We are excited to sponsor a series of events like the IPT, and to provide our support. For many years, NETELLER has been offering a system of services able to meet the needs of operators and users in the gaming industry.”
Luca Pagano, the CEO of IPT Service, who operate the tour, was also very upbeat about the future: “This is a very important agreement, which brings together a valuable global company and the biggest Italian poker tour. We are honored that NETELLER has chosen IPT as its partner for Italy, as this demonstrates the company’s recognition of our brand’s values and the work we have done over the years. At the same time, we are sure that this collaboration will offer the players a great advantage for their money transactions, thanks to the excellent NETELLER payment account and the Net+ Prepaid MasterCard®, as well various promotions which will be offered at each stage of the Italian Poker Tour.”
With IPT San Marino starting on Thursday, this announcement is just in time for the first event of Season Five. The €2,000 + €200 Main event is going to be a little light on the big names, given so many of the top Italian players are in Las Vegas for the WSOP.
