The world of live poker is slowly going towards the point of a standstill, with the choice of live tournaments significantly going down due to the impact of the coronavirus. Many live tournaments have already been canceled or postponed, with news coming about new cancellations almost every day.
Moreover, many casinos are also closing their doors to the public, to stop the virus from spreading further.
One of the tournaments that were long “under review” was the European Poker Tour in Sochi, which was supposed to take place on March 20. However, the officials pulled the plug and decided not to proceed with it.
Right now, the only certain EPT tour is the one that will take part on Oct. 2-11, with the Main Event scheduled on Oct. 6-11.
Severin Rasset of PokerStars stated that they were “deeply disappointed” that they had had to postpone the tournament due to the circumstances caused by the coronavirus. However, he added that the priority was players’ good health and safety in this “uncertain time.”
World Poker Tour Also Announces Postponements
World Poker Tour recently adopted a scenario where several stops that reached the final table would wait for the end of March and beginning of April to see those final table play out. All participants were supposed to go down to Las Vegas at the HyperX Esports Arena, and the events were supposed to be broadcast live.
However, the best of the best at the WPT Gardens Championship. WPT L.A Poker Classic and WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open are going to wait a bit, as the officials of WPT announced that the final tables are postponed.
According to the CEO of the World Poker Tour, Adam Pliska, all the final tables will be postponed to late May, which is the time when another set of WPT tournaments is scheduled.
However, since everyone thinks that events throughout April would be canceled as well, it’s not certain whether Pliska’s plan is going to work out or not.
Nevada Mandates Non-Essential Business Closures
The biggest news came from Nevada recently, where its governor, Steve Sisolak, plans to mandate the closure of all businesses state-wide that are considered non-essential. This group of businesses, sadly, also includes all casinos in Nevada, meaning we could see Las Vegas coming to a standstill.
If this day comes, we could see something that will be remembered as one of the saddest days in the history of the casino industry. All casinos will close their doors in Sin City for the first time since the legalization of gambling back in 1931.
Apart from announcing possible closures, the Governor also pleaded for all residents and visitors of Nevada to behave responsibly and take saving lives as most important.
In other words, they are asked to cease all recreational activities, such as sleepovers, theatre outings, athletic events, and more. A total of 55 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Nevada.