Everest Poker and WSOP in Legal WrangleLawsuit Alleges Breach Of Contract By Harrah’s over Everest Poker WSOP Sponsorship Deal |
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Everest Poker and the World Series of Poker are about to become embroiled in a legal wrangle over the former’s sponsorship deal of the latter according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Ultra Internet Media says Harrah’s Entertainment, which owns the WSOP brand, has breached the contract between the two companies which saw UIM’s Everest Poker as the sponsor of the felt on the poker tables at the WSOP in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Everest Poker has paid the WSOP $6.2 million for 2008 and $7.9 million for 2009 but has informed Harrah’s it will not be paying the $8.4 million due in 2010 according to the news report.
As part of the deal between the companies Everest Poker’s logo was supposed to be prominently displayed on the poker tables at the WSOP but claims Harrah’s breached the contract when TV broadcasts on _ESPN_s French affiliate RTL9 substituted the Everest brand for that of competitor Full Tilt Poker in French broadcasts.
The lawsuit claims officials from Harrah’s, Everest and ESPN met in February 2009 to discuss issues and Harrah’s and Everest agrred to “control their affiliate, RTL9, and require RTL9 to cease causing violations of the agreement during its broadcasts and transmissions into France."
However according to UIM a WSOP broadcast in France as recently as February 2010 featured the Full Tilt name and logo. The lawsuit, filed by Las Vegas law firm Marquis & Aurbach.states "Every material breach of the agreement represents lost potential future profits, erosion of goodwill and compromise of UIM’s international business reputation.”
WSOP spokesman Seth Palansky told the newspaper he had no comment on the allegations.
A 60 percent share in Everest Poker was sold by Giga Media to Mangas Gaming last year. The company does not accept players from the USA and UIM is based in the West Indies.
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