Gala Cancels Poker Tour For 2009

Gaming firm scraps poker tour in favour of online tournaments.

The Gala Casinos British Poker Tour (GCBPT) will not return to the nation's casinos this year, it has been confirmed.

After much speculation that the economic downturn would force Gala to change its live poker offerings, the gaming firm has said that it will not be releasing a 2009 schedule for the tour.

Mark O'Donnell, tour manager for the GCBPT, explained: "While we've have had two fantastic years running the Great British Poker Tours, we've now decided to look at a number of new events and promotions for 2009."

He said that Gala's new poker events will be "of great value and are accessible to poker players of all levels".

The casino firm is expected to focus more on the online poker side of its business, with the number of satellite tournaments for major events such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and European Poker Tour set to increase.

Gala may also choose to arrange one-off tournaments to satisfy the demand for live poker.

The 2008 GCBPT grand final was won by Alan Vinson, who beat Rob Akery in heads-up play to pocket £83,000 and a place at the 2009 WSOP.