The Spanish city of Barcelona is emerging as one of the world’s poker capitals.
Ninety-three players gathered in the city’s Casino Barcelona earlier this month for the European Poker Tour Super High Roller tournament, which opened with table stakes of €50,000 (US$56,400). It was just one 71 tournaments hosted in the Catalan capital this year, attracting 4,000 players in all from 150 countries.
Considering that it’s been only 12 years since poker was legalized in Catalonia, the turn of events has been remarkable.
“Barcelona has been a fixture on the EPT schedule since the very first season and its popularity is demonstrated by the increase in player numbers each year,” said tour President Edgar Stuchly.
Barcelona, along with Malta, Prague, Dublin and Monaco, will host the EPT until at least 2017.
Ever since its selection for the 1992 Olympics, the city has been exploiting its location, climate and cuisine to attract international events. The most lucrative to date has been the Mobile World Congress, which drew 93,000 participants earlier this year and generated €436 million in spending over four days. The city also hosts the popular Primavera Sound and Sonar music festivals, Formula One racing and other sporting events.
The city currently is the focus of an international pitch backed by the Catalan government for investors in a plan to develop a large-scale leisure and entertainment complex with casinos just outside the city. The proposal has attracted interest from Hard Rock International and Macau casino magnate Lawrence Ho among others.
