HomeAPT China scheduled to take place next month has been postponed until the end of the year.
Making the announcement, Jeff Mann, Chief Executive Officer of The Asian Poker Tour said he was disappointed by the decision, but is confident it was the right move given the circumstances.
“Our local partners- by far the most successful poker room in Guangzhou – have worked diligently over the last eight months to put everything in place including event venue, hotel, and everything required to stage a 500 plus player entry event; and most importantly, securing local Government and police department approval. However, to ensure the success and longevity of the event in China, APT also required Provincial Government approval, which was set to be received this week. Yesterday APT was notified that written approval was unlikely to be processed within the next three weeks, which clearly does not leave enough time to stage the event to APT standards or give our players sufficient notice,” said Mann.
Last month APT’s Tournament Director, Lloyd Fontillas spent seven days in China to attend Government arranged meetings in Guangzhou which all paved the way for a successful staging of an APT event in China. With a significant amount of preparation already complete, the June event will now be re-scheduled to the end of the year, following other Asia Tour events including APT Cambodia (July) and APT Manila (September).
Mann remains enthusiastic about the program. “APT China will now close our event year. When staged, APT China will break new ground for poker events in China with the APT standard 8-day schedule consisting of 16 events in total; no restrictions on player buy-ins and 100% all cash prize pool payout. A great way to finish the year!”