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Pokerati.com is reporting that the Sports Legends Challenge Poker Tournament has been cancelled or at least postponed to an undisclosed date.
The premise of the event, which was slated to feature the likes of Phil Hellmuth:
"Party-party-party with not just poker pros but real celebrity athletes, and $10 million worth of prizes, all on a beach!" The event was to take place at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.
Here is the letter that was sent out this week:
Hello,
On behalf of the Sports Legends Challenge, this letter is to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control, we have decided to reschedule the inaugural Sports Legends Challenge event.
From the outset, our unvarying commitment has been to produce a world class event for participants, sponsors and spectators. It is our conviction, that this goal can best be achieved by rescheduling the event for a domestic location that will not only make the event more accessible to major population centers, but also make travel much easier for the participants. We are also modifying the time of year for the event so that weather issues are much less of a concern (a major issue for a September event in the Bahamas).
We are pleased to note that not only are the investors involved in the program fully supportive of this change, but it is also supported by our key sponsors, partners and affiliates. The essence of the program will be unchanged - creating unique opportunities for sports and gaming fans to interact with some of the greatest Sports Legends of our time along with some of the world's top poker pros while competing for major cash prizes. However, we plan to use the time leading up to the rescheduled event to add elements and make adjustments that will make it even more exciting.
Over the next few days we will provide you with additional information about the rescheduled event, including the new location and dates. We appreciate your patience in working with us to accommodate this change and will do all in our power to help ensure that the Sports Legends Challenge is a highly successful event.
Thank you,
Bruce Bibbero, CEO and Larry Lubin, President
There is a bigger problem, Pokerati points out. Those who forked over thousands of dollars to attend (not to mention air fare to and from the Bahamas) are not exactly sure whether they will be refunded their money since the event is supposedly being "rescheduled" and the Sports Legends Challenge website claims that refunds will be offered only if the event is "cancelled".
Then there is the situation with Bibbero and Lubin previously backing out of planned poker tournaments and a lawsuit that followed.
Sludikoff Gaming Tournements Inc. of Las Vegas, led by longtime gaming industry publisher Stanley Sludikoff, last year filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court against Hall of Fame World Poker Championship LLC, a Nevada company, and that firm's principals, Bruce Bibbero of Marietta, Ga., and Lawrence Lubin of Alpharetta, Ga., according to a report that appeared in the Las Vegas Sun earlier in the year.
According to the lawsuit, Sludikoff's company was hired in 2007 by Bibbero and Lubin to help them launch a new celebrity poker tournament offering teams of athletes and celebrities the opportunity to advance to a final round and win a $1 million prize. One of Sludikoff's roles was to line up casinos as sponsors of the events, including the final round.
Sludikoff Gaming, which said it was initially paid $10,000 per month for working on the project, said the Hall of Fame company later tried to profit from its experience, expertise and reputation without compensating it and also made defamatory statements about Sludikoff Gaming to casino officials and others in the gaming industry.
Bibbero, Lubin and Hall of Fame World Poker Championship then claimed in a lawsuit that Sludikoff made false allegations and was an abuse of process.
"Defendants had an ulterior purpose other than resolving a legal dispute,'' says the suit filed against Sludikoff last week.
Gambling911.com will continue to follow this story and follow up should new dates be announced for the Sports Legends Challenge.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
