GGPoker Purchases WSOP for $500M: The Future of Online Poker

In a move that’s no real surprise to anyone, NSUS Group (GGPoker) and Caesars Entertainment (WSOP) made a joint press release announcing the sale of WSOP to GGPoker. However, the sale of WSOP will likely have extensive consequences for the online poker world.

GGPoker first entered a partnership with WSOP in 2020. It started with the WSOP Super Circuit Online Series debuting on GGPoker. However, it soon evolved into a poker room offering online qualifiers and became the brand sending the most players to the WSOP. It even hosted online bracelet events and used the brand for its site in Ontario.

The recent press release stated that the NSUS Group will buy the World Series of Poker for $500 million. The company will pay $250M cash and the other $250M five years from now. 

While this deal seems to be set in stone, it remains contingent on regulatory conditions and other requirements. 

As such, it’ll likely only be fully finalised by the end of the year. However, the two companies won’t immediately split ways once the purchase agreement is signed and sealed.

This deal will have several caveats carved out for Ceasars Entertainment, which ensure they’re still involved in the series. Caesars will be able to host several live and online events. It includes the Main Event being held at Caesars’ casinos in Las Vegas for the next 20 years, among other preferential treatment.

Finally, Caesar’s online branch, Caesars Digital, will continue to host and operate the US poker room. The reason for this is largely due to GGPoker not having the right licencing and regulatory approvals to host a poker room in the US.

With this purchase, GGPoker is expanding its global influence. The one market that has long been out of its reach is now under its purview. The US market has strict regulatory guidelines that brands must comply with. It’s unlikely that GGPoker will be able to obtain licencing for all states, given its operational footprint worldwide.

As such, this deal benefits GGPoker as much as it does Caesars, which still enjoys the traffic WSOP brings to its websites and locations. Caesars currently uses 888poker software to run its platform, but this partnership expires in 2026. 

As such, the poker room will likely not expand to another US state until it can negotiate the extension of this licence. The only other option is if GGPoker received a US licence for its poker software, thus hosting the WSOP itself.

This move has solidified GGPoker’s position at the forefront of the poker world. While the brand was already outstripping all its competitors, it now has a direct link to the US poker market, which is what it’s always wanted. However, that’s not all. 

It continues to deliver excellent tournaments, promotions, and more. We at RakeRace.com also provide an exclusive $8,000 point race for players who sign up via us. Link your GGPoker account with your RakeRace.com one, and climb the leaderboard to the top of this rake race.