With No Love from Russian, EPT Moves August Event to Ukraine
With Russia's recent ruling that poker is no longer considered a sport, the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour is having to make some adjustments to its schedule.
"That event has been cancelled because our ability to run the event was placed in doubt due to the recent closure of all casinos in Russia," said the EPT.
Instead of a stop in Moscow in August, the EPT will head to Kiev, the largest city and capital of the Ukraine. The event will take place at the Kiev Sports Palace Aug. 18-23.
The EPT Kiev Sports Poker Championship will be held under the regulation and authority of the Ukrainian Ministry of Youth, Family and Sport in partnership with the Ukrainian Poker Federation. According to the EPT, the event is expected to be the largest poker tournament ever held in the Ukraine.
The buy-in for the EPT Kiev Sports Poker Championship main event will be 5,000 EUR.
PokerStars said the players who qualified online for the Moscow event will have their packages converted to EPT Kiev packages. They will also be eligible to take a credit for a future event or receive the cash equivalent value as alternatives.
"Euro Poker Tour Ltd. sincerely apologises to all players who were intending to attend the Moscow event, but unfortunately these circumstances were beyond our control," said the EPT. "Players are encouraged to consider attending the Ukrainian event instead, and to participate in the opening of the EPT's sixth season."
Players planning on attending the Kiev event won't have to worry about a visa if they're citizens of the European Union, United States or Canada and will be traveling to the Ukraine for less than 90 days. For those who live outside those countries, you can find visa information here.
If you'd like to qualify for an EPT event, check out PokerStars.com