Posting date: 25 May 2023 at 10:08h

Last updated: May 25, 2023 at 11:04h
After 11 years of absence, poker is soon to return at the Tropicana Las Vegas. Bally’s, the owner of Tropicana Las Vegas, has agreed to operate a new poker room in Washington State with Maverick Gaming. The hope is it will attract customers by offering low stakes and the “lowest rakes in town,” according to an announcement by Maverick.

Eric Persson, above, will be a regular player on Bally’s “Big Bet Poker” show, which will be broadcast from a studio next to the new poker room. The Maverick Gaming Poker Room is set to open in June. According to Jeremy Weinstein of Maverick, more information about the grand opening will be released soon. The show will include poker player Eric Persson, Maverick CEO Eric Persson, and other top poker players playing for high stakes at a dedicated broadcasting studio adjacent to the Poker Room. The Tropicana’s last poker room was short-lived, and it ended in disaster. It might seem that the end of online poker would be a positive thing for a poker room. But in reality, online satellites and more players bring the live game to life. But in reality, the online game feeds the live game by attracting more players and swelling tournament pools through online satellites.

CEO’s a Maverick

Maverick currently owns four commercial casinos in Nevada and three in Colorado. The company began buying up poker rooms in Washington state like they were going out of fashion after the Supreme Court defanged The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), the federal prohibition on sports betting.

Persson was banking on the state legalizing commercial sports betting to licensed gaming venues. Persson was hoping that the state would legalize commercial sports betting for licensed gaming venues. But lawmakers had other ideas. When they passed a tribal-only bill in 2020, Persson sued the state and the federal government, arguing the monopoly was unconstitutional.

When a judge ruled against him in February, Persson indicated he would fight the issue all the way to the US Supreme Court.

The Tropicana is owned by the real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc, while Bally’s is the casino operator. Bally’s is the casino operator, while Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc owns the Tropicana.