Online poker giant PokerStars has announced an update involving the European Poker Tour (EPT) due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The EPT stop in Sochi, Russia will continue as planned, but all other events will be postponed until April 10th.
Delay in Events:
The Sochi stop at the Casino Sochi will continue as planned, beginning on March 20th. The tour stop will last for 10 days and offer plenty of live poker action. The stop is actually one of just three that PokerStars has decided to keep on their live schedule due to the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the source…
PokerStars published a note over the weekend that stated that the brand is closely monitoring the coronavirus and working with casinos that are offering their live poker events to stay up to date on all developments.
In speaking with casino partners, PokerStars decided to postpone all events in Europe until April 10th, 2020. Events affected by the decision include the Road to PSPC in Germany, France, and Spain. PokerStars wants to act responsibly and protect attendees from contracting the virus.
Additional Tournaments Still Running:
Along with the Sochi stop, the online venue will still be operating the Okada Manila Millions which takes place in the Philippines and the Brazilian Series of Poker which will take place in Brazil. It is working to ensure that the casinos are taking extra precautionary steps due to the virus.
Poker equipment must be sanitized, and card decks changed out on a regular basis. Venues will also have hand sanitizer on hand for cleaning.