According to a Facebook post from the Valley National 8-Ball League Association, the World Series of Poker is moving from the Rio to Paris and Bally’s beginning in 2022. VNEA learned of the change of venue after their own 2022 event scheduled for late May at Bally’s was abruptly canceled.
“VNEA’s long-term contract with Bally’s Hotel & Casino was suddenly canceled by Bally’s as a result of the World Series Of Poker (WSOP) moving from Rio to the Bally’s/Paris properties in 2022 and beyond.” the post reads.
The VNEA is a pool league that hosts its annual World Pool Championship in Las Vegas each year in the last week of May with approximately 6,000 annual attendees. Those dates would seemingly conflict with the start of the 2022 WSOP assuming a return to the traditional summer schedule.
The Rio Hotel & Casino, which has hosted the WSOP since 2005, was sold to a real estate investment company in September 2019. Since that transaction became public, speculation as to the future home of the WSOP has led many to believe that the newly minted Caesars Convention Center would be the future home of the Series.
Ty Stewart, WSOP Executive Director, said the organization has no comment on their 2022 venue.