British bookmakers William Hill, one of the best known and well respected names in the global betting industry, today announced their plans to hold a series of poker tournaments on the Stena Line ferry between Oslo and Fredrikshavn. 

In conjunction with North-Europe’s leading poker consultancy & event agency, Poker Event, and one of the largest ferry line companies in the world, Stena Line, William Hill will provide first-class poker tournaments for the Norwegian poker enthusiasts.

This is a unique opportunity for Norwegian poker players to play poker in legal and secure surroundings.

The first out of six poker tournaments will be staged on Saturday 16^th December 19:30. Each cruise package, with the exception of the final, which will have a higher buy-in, will cost 4300 NOK of which 2500 NOK is going straight into the prize pool. In addition every player will get a cabin, food and drinks.

William Hill’s Norwegian Territory Manager, Per Scavenius, commented; ‘Our slogan is ‘serious about poker’ and with this series of tournaments we are showing that we are taking the Norwegian poker market seriously and are listening to the wishes of the players. We have found two world-class partners, who fit our brand perfectly, and we look forward to staging top-class poker tournaments’.

Niclas Lundqvist, director of the Swedish Poker Event says; ‘We are extremely pleased to work with two companies that not only have great traditions, but also have clear long-term strategies. This is in line with our ambition to be Europe’s leading poker consultancy agency. We are convinced this will meet the demand for large, well-run poker tournaments in Scandinavia’.

Stena Line’s Swedish Marketing Manager is excited about the prospect;  ‘In today’s climate we are working in the entertainment industry and we are very happy to work with two great partners that will help us enhance our branding profile. We are looking forward to welcoming Norwegian poker players and give them a great experience’.

To participate in the tournaments, players can either qualify through online satellites on www.williamhillpoker.com or book their place directly through Stena Line.

The tournaments are limited to 120 players only and are likely to sell out fast. Tickets will be sold on the ‘first come, first served’ principle. 

In connection with the campaign, William Hill has set up a dedicated website, www.willhillpokercruise.com to provide players with all the latest information about the tournaments.

For more information

·          Internet: William Hill has the most profitable online betting and gaming operations of all the major UK bookmakers. It accepted its first bets on the Internet in 1998. Since then its online Sportsbook (www.williamhill.co.uk), online Casino (www.williamhillcasino.com) and online radio (www.williamhillradio.com) has attracted customers from over 180 countries. Hills online poker room (www.williamhillpoker.com) was launched in January 2003 and has rapidly become one of Europe’s leading sites, William Hill Internet has over 250,000 active accounts per month.

·          Licensed Betting Offices: William Hill has a network of over 2,260 shops within the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands, making it the largest operator in the UK.

·          Telebetting: William Hill is the UK market leader in telephone betting, having led innovations in the market place by introducing freephone and debit card betting since the early ‘80’s. William Hill has approximately 500,000 registered accounts and offers more early priced races to punters than any major competitor.

Other Websites:

Corporate Site: www.williamhillcorporate.com

Media Site: www.williamhillmedia.com

 About Stena Line: 

Stena Line is an international transport and travel service company and one of the world's largest ferry operators. We are leaders in all our markets. Our strong position results from the combination of strategic company acquisition and constant service and product development.

We have four business areas: Scandinavia, the North Sea and the Irish Sea. Our route network consists of 18 strategically located ferry routes. Stena Line has a modern fleet with a total of 35 vessels including fast ferries (HSS), traditional combi-ferries, RoPax-ferries for freight and passengers, and pure cargo ships. Following several years of change and development processes, Stena Line is now a stable and profitable group that provides demanding private and freight customers with cost-effective sea transportation and unique added value.

During 2005, approx. 16 021 000 passengers traveled with Stena Line. 3 046 000 cars and 1 744 000 freight units were transported during the same period.

About Poker Event:

The business started early 2004 and is growing each day. Within a short period of time Pokerevent has gone from hosting a few events per month to have daily assignments all over northern Europe. Most respected brands use their services and their team consists of employees, consultans and over 100 dealers. The Pokerevent office is located in Stockholm but they're represented in many countries.