Caesars Entertainment has reached an agreement with Groupe Lucien Barriere, a French company specializing in hotels and casinos, which will extend their partnership into the foreseeable future. Their initial dealings began last year, culminating in the relocation of the the World Series of Poker Europe onto French soil.
Caesars, which owns the rights to the WSOP, had previously been running the tournament in London. After the partnership papers were signed, however, Barriere managed to swing the event across the English Channel and into the city of Cannes. The new venue proved to be a hit, strengthening the business relationship between the two parties.
But perhaps most importantly, the duo has announced plans to launch a French online poker site. Should this prove to be a success, they have hope of entering some of the world’s other regulated gaming markets.
“Having reached an initial agreement for the WSOP Europe,” said Caesars CEO Mitch Garber, “we are now happy to build with Lucien Barriere Poker an online strategy through long-term co-development of a proprietary poker platform… The potential for this French technology by Lucien Barriere Poker will help us accelerate our strategy of developing our brands in the online environment in all countries where poker is or will be legal.”
Should such a site see the light of day, it could prove to have interesting effects on the American poker market. With Caesars gaining more and more experience in the online world, they could be one of the prime candidates to offer legal online gaming once the US market becomes regulated.
While the development process is underway, plans also continue for the next installment of the Barriere Poker Tour. In its inaugural year, this tournament series covered seven locations across France, handing out prizes and seats at the WSOP Europe. Some of the previous stops included Toulouse, Nice, Trouville, and Bordeaux.