The inaugural week-long event, The Festival Bratislava, took place September 20-26 at Banco Casino and has been a big success with attendees. It featured 22 tournaments covering multiple Poker variants as well as brand new events, including Roulette, Blackjack, and Sports Betting tournaments.
"I am happy that we took the risk of launching a live event and made it happen despite a very challenging year. The interest we've seen and the players' appetite have been incredible!" says Martin von Zweigbergk, Director of Live Events at Acroud.
"In addition to the Main Event and plenty of poker side events, we introduced fun casino games, mixing them all up with three sports wagering contests in collaboration with the Gambling Cabin. I think together we've put on something really quite special."
The first of its kind mixed games format attracted players from all over Europe representing over 25 nationalities, as well as a large number of online viewers who followed the live streams with commentary.
The €550 buy-in Poker Main Event drew 621 entries hitting a guaranteed prize pool of 300.000 Euros on its second day, and was won by Austria's Martin Mauthner, former EPT dealer, who took home €47,600. In the side events, the Pokerlistings Deepstack was won by the UK's JJ Hazan, while Norwegian scene stalwart Ylva Thorsrud won the Acroud Charity Tournament. Twitch streamer Tommi Heimonen took down the Roulette Championship and the Åland Islands´ Andreas Höglund claimed the Blackjack trophy.
Besides bringing innovation to gaming festivals and facilitating inclusion among those more apt to play casino games, the festival intends to become a destination in itself for everyone, providing an all-round experience outside of the casino. In this concept, The Festival Bratislava attendees enjoyed and savoured Slovakia's capital by joining various extracurricular activities, including wine tasting, local cuisine dining experiences, a cabaret show and sightseeing tours.
"Combining the digital sphere with land-based gaming provides both operators and the player communities with a tangible value, which is a pivotal element to the future success of affiliation business; and I am incredibly proud of The Festival Team, who delivered such a sound premiere, amidst the uncertainty around live events," says Robert Andersson, CEO and President, Acroud.
Acroud thanks its partners for their invaluable work and support with The Festival Series launch: Banco Casino Bratislava, Casinoroom, Coolbet, Dal Negro Casino, Guts, Metal Casino, Paf, Pokio, Slots.io, SuperNopea, Uhmapelaajat, PokerNews, Pokerisivut and Olybet.
The Festival Series will return in 2022, and the next stops will be announced in due course.
