In a bold move, the highly acclaimed cruise line, Virgin Voyages, will be the first to establish a permanent poker room in collaboration with the World Poker Tour (WPT) on its adults-only Scarlet Lady ship.
With this collaboration, Virgin Voyages aims to broaden its offerings and attract a wider audience, including individuals with an interest in sports betting in the United States.
Virgin Voyages All-In on Poker
Virgin Voyage’s Scarlet Lady won Cruise Critic’s 2021 Best New Ship of the Year award and is tapped to be the first in the fleet to house a WPT-sponsored poker room.
The esteemed cruise line was a blue-ribbon winner in several categories this year in the 11th annual Cruise Critic’s 2023 Cruisers’ Choice Awards, which saw it win best-in-class in the Large Ship category, ranging from Best Overall to Best Service, Best Dining, and Best Value for Money, but now there will be even more to offer.
The WPT lands on the Scarlet Lady and a recent press release by Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour, has stated “After witnessing the magic of cruise-line poker with Virgin Voyages last season, we instantly sought to establish a permanent fixture. Scarlet Lady provides the perfect residence for WPT at Sea, which will bring the WPT poker experience to the high seas.”
Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages, echoed that enthusiasm in an April 20 press release saying “As a new brand with an innovative spirit, we’ve been fortunate to introduce many industry firsts, including our partnership with the World Poker Tour and WPT at Sea. Our adult-only, premium experience offers an incredible backdrop, not only for a great vacation but also as an oasis for the WPT in a way never seen before.”
Cashless System Implemented
There will be eight custom WPT poker tables equipped with professional poker dealers that will serve as a training ground for beginners, and command central for all cash and tournament games onboard the ship. WPT Prize Package tournaments will be offered with buy-ins ranging from $80 to $320.
The ‘WPT at Sea’ will be the ship’s main event with a $320 buy-in and a WPT prize package with a reported value of $5,000 will be up for grabs if the attendance merits it. The winner can use the earnings on a future cruise or WPT event.
Guests can also take advantage of the new cashless system which will allow players to wear devices linking their financial institutions which will enable digital monetary transfers. The Scarlet Lady casino features 115 slot machines and 10 gaming tables as well as a variety of electronic gaming machines.
Prioritizing Quality and Calculated Growth Strategies
The cruise line is a new player in the industry and one that has been calculating in rolling out new ships to ensure the quality of the product is maintained. With only two active vessels and a third waiting to make its debut, Resilient Lady, the CEO, McAlpin stated:
“We play the long game here. This is not about cutting some corners getting the ship in service. We want to make sure we do it right, do it on our terms. And this allows us to do that and launch the business on our terms at the right cadence and the right pace,” he said.
Virgin Voyages was created in 2014 and its headquarters are located in Plantation, Florida.
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