WPT Settles Lawsuit With Five Elite Players

The World Poker Tour Championship event that begins today just got that much harder because five elite players who refused to play in WPT events while engaged in a lawsuit with World Poker Tour Enterprises have settled.

Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Phil Gordon and Howard Lederer have settled a lawsuit with WPTE they brought against it in July of 2006. They contended that the release that all players who compete in WPT events are required to sign violated federal and state antitrust laws.  WPTE denied that its casino contracts, releases or other activities violated antitrust or other laws.

The release used from the beginning of the WPT gave WPTE the right to use names and images of the players any way they wanted to --  from its video games to commercials to its website -- without compensating the players. The suing players didn’t think it was fair and for most of them would violate contracts they held with other companies who had paid for the use of their personalities if they signed the release.

WPTE settle the dispute by agreeing to implement a new standard form release that will be used for all players starting at today’s $25,000 WPT Championship event at the Bellagio.

WPTE admits no wrongdoing in the settlement and no money was exchanged. The revision of the player’s release was enough to satisfy the players.

“We are happy to have come to an agreement that is fair to all players, and to have put in place a new release that clears up ambiguities in how players’ images may be used,” said Ferguson, through a press release. “We are especially happy that this new release will apply to all poker players who wish to participate in WPT tournaments and events.  WPTE has created some of the best poker events in the world, and we are excited to participate in them once again.”

And here’s what Steve Lipscomb, founder and CEO of WPTE, said in the same press release: 

“We are glad to put this dispute behind us, and we look forward to working with all players to grow the sport of poker.” 

Former World Series of Poker champions Joe Hachem and Greg Raymer were originally part of the group of players to sue, but they dropped out as it stretched more than a year. Hachem benefited most by leaving the lawsuit. He played in the WPT Five-Diamond World Poker Classic and in December of 2006 and won it for $2.1 million.