A much-anticipated poker tournament set to take place in Macao next month has been suddenly cancelled by its organiser, the World Poker Tour (WPT). The series had been scheduled for 18 to 24 June at Wynn Palace.
WPT offered no explanation for why the event was being canned, Inside Asia Gaming and other specialist gaming outlets reported. “[We] regret any inconvenience or disappointment for players from around the world who were planning to travel to Macao and play in the event,” a WPT statement read.
“WPT remains committed to working with Wynn Macau and [Allied Gaming and Entertainment] in the future to bring world class poker tournaments back to the region.”
[See more: Everything you need to know about baccarat in Macao]
The WPT tournament would have been the tour’s first event in Macao. Competitive poker returned to the city in March this year, after a six year hiatus, with the Macao Masters event organised by Sands China at the Venetian.
Casinos in Macao stopped hosting poker events after China’s crackdown on online poker in 2018. While the WPT has held successful events in Cambodia, Korea and Australia already this year, it joined a number of other poker companies in cancelling recently scheduled events in Vietnam – reportedly due to regulatory crackdowns.
According to Inside Asia Gaming, the Macao cancellation was not believed to have anything to do with the situation in Vietnam.