COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on Live Poker Industry COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on Live Poker Industry
Key Takeaways
  • The outbreak continues to cause closures and suspensions of casinos and live poker events across the globe.
  • The number of live poker events that have been impacted has seen a threefold increase over the weekend.
  • This includes almost all of the live events in mainland Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia and some parts of South America.

The coronavirus global pandemic has hit the live poker industry hard as the outbreak continues to cause closures and suspensions of casinos and live poker events across the globe.

Last week, more than 20 live poker events were canceled in wake of the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, that has to date infected over 175,000 people across the globe and has caused close to 7000 deaths.

The number of live poker events impacted has seen a threefold increase over the weekend, affecting almost all live poker events that were scheduled this month or in the next month.

This includes almost all live events in mainland Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia and some parts of South America. Some events were forced to cancel abruptly due to restrictions imposed by the host countries banning large gatherings.

Two of the more notable cancellations were PokerStars’live events: EPT Monte Carlo, scheduled to take place next month, and BSOP series in Brazil. It brings the number of PokerStars LIVE event cancellations to five.