Old Trafford Poker Festival Cancelled

The newly announced Rivercard Poker Festival to be held at Old Trafford, Manchester in June 2006 has had to be cancelled due to newly published guidance from the Gambling Commission.

The event, hoped to be the biggest poker festival in Europe to be held outside of a casino environment, has now been put in an untenable situation due to its inability to legally promote and run the event effectively due to the restrictions which now govern the way the event can be advertised.

With the current high profile crack down on gaming within the UK, the Gambling Commission have just issued a Guidance Notice on Section 42 of the 1968 Gaming Act which now seriously restricts our ability to hold and promote such an event in the UK. This, together with a lack of cooperation from the Gambling Commission on the matter has today led to the difficult decision to cancel this event.

All players who have qualified for the tournament to date have been duly compensated for the inconvenience and The Rivercard apologises for the position it finds itself in, but is keen to ensure it remains within the law.