Fresh Rumors Suggest WSOP is on the Move From its Home at The Rio

August 30th, 2018 | by Brian Corlisse

Rumors that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is set to move from its current home inside the Rio have resurfaced thanks to Las Vegas blog, Vital Vegas.

Rumors regarding the Rio and a potential sale continue to swirl, putting the future of the WSOP up in the air. (Image: The Telegraph)

Posted on site’s Twitter account, the news story that Caesars Entertainment is ready to offload the Rio, which would leave the WSOP needing a new venue.

“Previously shared Rio sale rumor looks like the real deal. Caesars highly motivated to cut her loose, insider confirms three viable entities circling. Aftermath of sale will include move of WSOP to Caesars Forum convention center, despite denials,” reads the August 27 tweet.

Insiders Leak Info

Citing “inside” sources, author Scott Roeben said that a deal isn’t done but it could be a “land play.” That suggests any new owners won’t be looking to redevelop the Rio but will, instead, tear it down in favor of building something new.

Since the WSOP moved to the Rio in 2005, rumors of a potential sale haven’t been far behind. In 2006, Bloomberg reported that the Rio was on the market for $500 million.

Three year later, PokerStars announced that Caesars had offered to sell it the Rio and the WSOP. More recently, the Vital Vegas blog has picked on rumors of another sale, writing on August 3 that “next level chatter” was taking place between Caesars and some potential buyers.

Searching for clarification on the situation and how it would affect the WSOP, gaming news site USPoker reached out to Caesars.

“We have had no discussions to move the WSOP. We consider the Rio its home for the foreseeable future,” read the email response to USPoker.

WSOP Remains a Strong Product

Looking forward, social media commentators believe the summer tournament series could be relocated to Planet Hollywood or the new Caesars Forum convention center on the strip. Given the success of this year’s WSOP, it’s unlikely Caesars will want to lose it.

Following a downswing in the wake of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006 and Black Friday (2011), the WSOP has rebounded. In 2018, 123,865 entries were collected throughout the summer, with the $10,000 Main Event attracting 7,874 unique entrants.

With the WSOP hosting its second largest Main Event in history and players now traveling from all four corner of the world to play, Caesars won’t want to mess with the current formula too much.