GGPoker adds Middle Eastern poker platform to online network
Poker giant opens doors to players from Lebanon-based PokerArabia amid ongoing commitment to “open access to global liquidity to online poker markets worldwide”
GGPoker has added players from Lebanon-based platform PokerArabia to its online poker community, expanding the company’s global liquidity network in the process.
PokerArabia, operated by Casino Du Liban, is currently the only government-licensed online poker room in the Middle East.
As part of the agreement, PokerArabia players will be able to gain access to GGPoker platforms from 1 September as part of a migration to the GGPoker platform.
Lebanon-based players will be able to access the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the region, while Casino Du Liban will host a WSOP in-person event in the near-future.
Caesars Entertainment sold the tournament’s intellectual property rights to GGPoker’s parent company NSUS Group in a $500m (£392.5m) deal earlier this month.
The sale will be completed in two parts, with $250m due in cash up front and the remaining $250m due five years after the transaction’s closing date.
Casnio Du Liban first obtained its land-based operating licence from the Lebanese government in 1957, before launching its online platform BetArabia in November 2022.
According to GGPoker, the PokerArabia agreement represents a “significant milestone in GGPoker’s ongoing commitment to open access to global liquidity to online poker markets worldwide”.
Sarne Lightman, managing director of GGPoker, said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome PokerArabia players to the GGPoker family.
“This partnership with Casino Du Liban underscores our commitment to bringing global liquidity and the best online poker experience to players worldwide.
“Lebanese players can now look forward to joining the world’s biggest poker community and competing in the best games and biggest tournaments available anywhere.”
Jad Gharios, chairman and CEO of PokerArabia operator Onlive Support Services, added: “We are constantly looking to provide our clients with the best services and products in the market, and our partnership with GGPoker complements this direction.
“We look forward to the online launch, offering WSOP [World Series of Poker] online to the region, and hosting a live WSOP event at the historically acclaimed Casino du Liban in the near future.”