Paddy Power and PokerStars set to sponsor Irish Poker Open

Paddy Power and PokerStars set to sponsor Irish Poker Open - Banner
Charlie Vogelsang
by Charlie Vogelsang Last updated:

Europe's longest-running poker festival is set to be sponsored by PokerStars and Paddy Power

Two of the biggest names under Flutter Entertainment, Pokerstars Casino and Paddy Power, have joined together to become the new official sponsors of the Irish Poker Open which is set to take place from 3rd to 10th April 2022 at the RDS Ballsbridge Dublin.

The Irish Poker Open is Europe's longest-running poker festival and will feature a Main Event guarantee of €1m. Each brand will be able to promote the event with the tournament live-streamed on the platform as well as online satellites to mirror the European Poker Tour events.

About the Irish Poker Open

Every year, thousands of players flock to Dublin to take part in the Irish Poker Open. It's an absolute must for poker players and is the biggest poker event outside of Las Vegas.

The event has been going for over 42 years and started when a group of around 25 American players travelled to play at Killiney Castle. This group included world champion Tom McEvoy, Stu Ungar, Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson. When this happened, it attracted widespread TV and press coverage in Ireland and put the Irish Poker Open on the map.

“Only be a great thing for players,” says Irish Poker Open

Paul O’Reilly and JP McCann, CEOs of The Irish Poker Open, explained: “We are very proud to announce PokerStars and Paddy Power as the official sponsors of The Irish Poker Open and we are looking forward to bringing our players another epic Irish Open Poker Festival, whilst welcoming new players from around the globe.”

He added: “We have exciting plans in place for the growth of The Irish Poker Open, Europe’s longest-running poker festival, and we believe, with PokerStars and Paddy Power as the new sponsors this aligns perfectly with our vision for the growth of The Irish Poker Open over the coming years. This can only be a great thing for players.”

“The greatest poker tournament Europe has ever witnessed,” says Paddy Power

Speaking on the news, Kevin Harrington, Chief Commercial Officer at PokerStars, said: “Ireland is the home of Flutter and we are truly delighted to partner with the already well-loved Open, and work with our colleagues at Paddy Power and The Irish Poker Open to make this a very special event for all our players, not only for those in Ireland but for players from across the world.”

Similarly, a spokesperson for Paddy Power echoed the sentiment. The spokesperson said: “Paddy Power have over a decade of heritage as former sponsors of The Irish Poker Open, so the opportunity to make a comeback bigger than Boris Johnson (we could tell he was bluffing) by going all in with our colleagues in Flutter made us royally flush with excitement.”

The spokesperson also compared Dublin to Las Vegas but with a lack of heat. They even added: “We’re at full tilt with plans to ensure the 2023 Irish Poker Open is the greatest poker tournament Europe has ever witnessed.”