Caesars Entertainment started a new sweepstakes offering a lucky winner airfare, a hotel stay, and a seat in the 2021 Main Event — a good sign the company intends to hold a live World Series of Poker this year.
The Ultimate Poker Champion Experience sweepstakes, available to enter for free here, began Monday and runs through April 30. US residents aged 21 years and up can participate. Caesars will draw a winner on May 6.
Restrictions Reduced as COVID Cases Decline
Caesars canceled the live WSOP last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, holding a primarily online festival in the summer. The company ran a second online event in the fall, with the final table of the Main Event played live in Las Vegas. The status of the 2021 WSOP remains in doubt due to the ongoing pandemic. Although cases have been going down in the US, and more citizens are getting vaccinated, restrictions on large gatherings remain in place.
Nevada implemented a policy allowing several facilities to increase their capacity limits from 25% to 35% on Monday, including churches, gyms, restaurants, and casino gaming floors. Gov. Steve Sisolak said science is driving the reopening plans because the situation remains perilous.
Because of that, WSOP organizers remain mum on their 2021 plans. No one yet knows if casinos and poker rooms will operate at full capacity by late May, when the festival usually begins.
In a typical year, Caesars would have released the WSOP schedule by now. The event typically runs from May until mid-July, but the 2021 WSOP could be pushed back from its normal schedule to ensure the greatest participation. The terms and conditions of the sweepstakes state that the trip to Las Vegas must be taken before Dec. 31.
Details of the Sweepstakes for the 2021 WSOP
Here’s what’s included for the winner of the sweepstakes:
- Seat into the $10,000 buy-in 2021 WSOP Main Event
- Round-trip airfare to Las Vegas
- Three-night stay in a suite at Caesars Palace
- Dinner at a celebrity chef’s restaurant (promotion doesn’t specify)
- Whisky and cigars at Montecristo Cigar Bar
- $1,000 in spending money
Interestingly, the hotel stay occurs away from the site of the event, assuming Caesars holds the 2021 WSOP at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino as usual. Although Caesars Entertainment sold the Rio in 2019, it agreed to manage the property for two years, and expressed its intentions on keeping the festival in place for now.
