Poker brand APT gets cryptocurrency partner

Apr 13, 2018 Newsdesk Latest News, Top of the deck, Trends & Tech  

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The Asian Poker Tour (APT) says it has a sponsorship agreement with CoinPoker, described as a “worldwide cryptocurrency-based” online poker room.

Under the deal, CoinPoker will offer players around the world the chance to enter online qualifying events for APT Main Events, Super High Roller events and other APT tournaments. CoinPoker will also sponsor live online streaming of selected events.

The tie-up officially begins at the APT Macau Championships 2018 due to start later this month.

“APT event players will now be able to buy in and cash out using CHP, the cryptocurrency developed by and used on CoinPoker,” said APT general manager Lloyd Fontillas, in a statement contained in a press release announcing the tie-up.

GGRAsia approached Macau’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau – a body also known as DICJ – which is responsible for overseeing casino-based poker tournaments in the city, for its comment on the potential use by APT event players of cryptocurrency for buy in and cash out.

The gaming bureau told us: “For APT to run a tournament in Macau, it must first have an agreement with one of the six gaming concessionaires.  After that, the respective gaming concessionaire will send the DICJ an application for the authority’s approval.”

It added: “So far [as of April 11], the DICJ has not received any gaming concessionaire requesting to run the APT tournament in a casino.”

(Updated 1.10pm, April 19)

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