The Chip Race, the multiple GPI award-winning poker podcast, has received new sponsorship from WPT Global. The show lives on!
With its radio-style format, the podcast amasses thousands of listens per episode. Segments include in-depth discussions covering the latest happenings in the poker world and curated guest appearances from poker personalities and industry professionals. Since launching in 2015, The Chip Race has become a staple listen for poker fans around the globe.
With their eight and a half year sponsor Unibet Poker facing industry headwinds and declining market share, it was announced in mid-April that The Chip Race would be left without a sponsor come June 1, 2025.
Not only was sponsorship of The Chip Race ending, but so was the sponsorship of its spin off show, the Lock-In, that carries a much more informal tone. In addition, the Unibet Poker ambassador roles that co-hosts Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin had for almost a decade would also be coming to an end.
Due to the time-intensive nature of creating the show, its future was thrust into uncertainty. The co-hosts revealed at that time that they would be actively seeking new partnership opportunities. Continuing without a sponsor was a no-go.
But hard work pays off. In less than two month since that announcement was made, O’Kearney and Lappin, along with their cherished podcast portfolio, will continue on. A new sponsor at the helm.
WPT Global has Entered the Chat
Without any notable disruption for fans, the change over to WPT Global sponsorship has been seamless. Already there are guests lined up for The Chip Race and a new episode of The Lock-In is coming out Monday June 2.
Triton Poker Super High Roller Series winner and WPT Global ambassador, Xuan Liu, is headlining the show as the pair’s first guest. The show airs just one day after the Unibet Poker sponsorship officially ended.
“We have a big international audience and we want to bring them on this journey with us,” Lappin told pokerfuse. “We want them to sign up to the site, battle us at the tables and hang out with us at WPT live stops. In the short term, the thing I’m most looking forward to is the response to our first few shows. We’ve booked some huge guests! I’m not going to reveal my hand quite yet but right out of the gate we have a Lock-In with Triton WPT Global Slam winner Xuan Liu which will come out on Monday.”
The sponsorship deal with WPT Global will also have O’Kearney and Lappin patched up as ambassadors for one year. They plan to attend WPT live stops so we can expect to see them at the live tables very soon. “We’ve been to the WPT World Championship every year since it started and it was the best event on the calendar. I can’t wait to attend more WPT stops,” said O’Kearney.
“For me, it was a very easy decision,” Cameron Soane WPT Global Online Marketing Manager for Ireland told pokerfuse. “I’ve recently taken on the role of leading our online marketing operations in the Irish market, so it was quite the treat to hear that The Chip Race was coming available, and that there might be an opportunity to work with both Dara and David. However, The Chip Race is more than just an Irish facing poker podcast. Over the last 10 years they’ve received multiple global awards, and together, they’ve done an incredible job at keeping the brands they’ve previously worked with recognized globally. We are delighted that they’ve chosen to work with us, and we have big plans for our partnership in the second half of 2025. Expect some exciting announcements soon!”
The duo are confident that they can contribute behind the scenes too at WPT Global brand, bringing their vast experience on and off the felt to their new team. “We feel like we can advise on our areas of expertise, like tournament schedules, live events and most importantly of all, the player experience,” per comments make to pokerfuse by O’Kearney.
Fans of the podcast can expect much of the same, but new elements will include creation of short form content and skits.
“One difference is that on top of our usual slate, 20 Chip Race episodes, 15 Lock-Ins and 15 strategy segments, we will also be making some short form content — that’s the way the industry has gone so we’ll be having fun with clips, skits and snappy strategy tips,” Lappin added.
Fans of the duo’s candor will be relieved that the new sponsorship deal will not shackle them to WPT-only content.
Being able to interview guests that are affiliated with other brands will also be possible, per comments made by Lappin — an element to the show that always seemed non negotiable. “[WPT Global] completely understood the The Chip Race mission statement; how it’s USP is the variety aspect and how keeping that means letting us interview a wide range of guests, sometimes people with other brand affiliations.”
Focus on the recreational player experience was also something that attracted Lappin and O’Kearney to affiliate themselves with WPT Global. For those not in the know, WPT Global is a real money online poker site, serving the international market. However, it is not available in the UK, US, Ontario or other segregated EU markets.
“In terms is specific USPs, David and I know that the recreational player is the lifeblood of the game so we really like how the software limits the number of ‘pro’ players at cash game tables, disincentivising predatory play from the better players whilst simultaneously rewarding the game-starters,” O’Kearney said. “We’ve also been impressed with how rapidly the player base has grown and the focus on game security.”
“In a nutshell, that’s what’s cool about this partnership, simultaneously being part of a big company while at the same time knowing that we can contribute to a newer part of that company that has room to grow,” added Lappin.
The WPT Global sponsored the Lock-In with Xuan Liu airs June 2, 2025.
