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Copyright 2005 PR Newswire Association
LLC
September 8, 2005
HEADLINE:
'King of Beers' Signs as Official WORLD POKER TOUR(R)
Sponsor for Action-Packed Season IV
BODY:
Budweiser to Stage 'Texas Hold 'em Tournament' in Select Markets,
With Two Winners Earning a Seat at the WORLD POKER TOUR
Invitational Celebrity Pro-Am
WPT Enterprises, Inc.(Nasdaq: WPTE) welcomed Budweiser today
as the "Official Beer" of the WORLD POKER TOUR(R) (WPT)
for the WPT's fourth exciting season of riveting televised poker
on the Travel Channel. The WORLD POKER TOUR was the show that
ignited the worldwide poker boom when it launched in March 2003
and continues to lead the way in developing poker as a major international
sport.
"As the WPT(TM) repositions poker as a leading sport --
not just a pastime -- Budweiser is the ideal sponsor. Our long
association with sports increases poker's
recognition by the sports-loving consumer and television viewer,"
said Peter McLoughlin, Vice President, Corporate Media, Anheuser-Busch,
Inc. "We are pleased to continue our three-year relationship
with WPT Enterprises and look forward to toasting another great
year."
Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser television spots will air on Travel
Channel's broadcasts of Season IV. Additionally, viewers will
see the Budweiser logo on the "table ring" around the
Final Table arena and on in-show graphics for the WPT's popular
"hole card camera" segment. The winners of each WPT
tournament will celebrate a toast with Budweiser as part of the
WPT's traditional closing sequence.
In jurisdictions where it is legal, Budweiser will support the
sponsorship with retail promotions which will begin in December
2005 and will run through February 2006 with a "Texas Hold'em
tournament", to feature a shortened elimination version of
Texas Hold'em. Players will begin each round with an equal number
of chips and play until they "bust out." Only the top
chip winners will progress to the next round. Players will not
pay or purchase anything to play in this tournament, but must
be 21 or older. The top two players at the National Finals will
secure coveted seats in the WPT Invitational, the WORLD POKER
TOUR'S celebrity pro-am tournament boasting 300 players vying
for a $200,000 prize pool. Skilled celebrities such as Ben Affleck,
James Woods, Jennifer Tilly and Tobey Maguire have joined the
roster of WPT tournament winners and leading pros who participate
in the WPT Invitational.
The sponsorship enables Budweiser to capitalize on the global
growth of WPT viewership. The show is currently licensed for broadcast
in more than 100 countries and territories around the world. The
WORLD POKER TOUR, which reinvented poker as a televised spectator
sport, will air tournaments filmed at leading casinos from Paris
to Las Vegas, beginning with the broadcast of its fourth season
in March 2006. Airing every Wednesday night in the U.S. at 9 p.m.
ET/PT on the Travel Channel, the WPT is the highest-rated series
in the network's history.
The sponsorship agreement was hailed by Steve Lipscomb, CEO and
founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE): "The WPT
has become the gold standard in poker and the Budweiser brand
is the same to beer. It's a great match of two iconic brands."
About WPT Enterprises, Inc.
WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) is a company engaged in the
creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer
products driven by the development, production, and marketing
of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator
of the World Poker Tour(R), a television show based on a series
of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel
in the United States and more than 100 markets globally. WPT Enterprises
currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker
equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and
wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games,
and giftware. For show information, tools for improving poker
play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to http://www.worldpokertour.com.
The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships.
WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes
Entertainment, Inc., a publicly held company. Photos and media
information can be found online at: http://www.worldpokertour.com.
About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer
holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-owned
and brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud
Light. Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry
in FORTUNE magazine's 2005 "America's Most Admired Companies"
and in the top 30 on FORTUNE's 2005 "Global Most Admired
Companies" list. The company is one of the largest theme
park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of
aluminum cans and is the world's largest recycler of aluminum
beverage containers. For more information, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com.
(WPTEG)
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides
a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain
information included in this press release (as well as information
included in oral statements or other written statements made or
to be made by WPT Enterprises, Inc.) contains statements that
are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the expansion
of WPTE's brand licensing, the development of new television and
film projects, the development of WPTE corporate sponsors and
other business development activities, as well as statements regarding
other capital spending, financing sources and the effects of competition.
Such forward-looking information involves important risks and
uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results
in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those
expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf
of WPTE. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to, WPTE's significant dependence on the Travel Channel as a source
of revenue; the potential that our television programming will
fail to maintain a sufficient audience; the risk that competitors
with greater financial resources or marketplace presence might
develop television programming that would directly compete with
WPTE's television programming; the risk that WPTE may not be able
to protect its entertainment concepts, current and future brands
and other intellectual property rights; risks associated with
future expansion into new or complementary businesses; the termination
or impairment of WPTE's relationships with key licensing and strategic
partners; and WPTE's dependence on its senior management team.
For more information, review WPTE's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE WPT Enterprises, Inc.
Photo Notes: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050809/LATU100LOGO AP
Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org PRN Photo Desk,
photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web Site: http://www.worldpokertour.com
http://www.anheuser-busch.com
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