The European Poker Tournament (EPT) was held again this year at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel with record attendance.

The tournament, which brought 5 thousand tourists to the TRNC at once last year, broke its own record this year and brought 6 thousand tourists to our country, despite the war in the Middle East.

Underlining that they brought poker players from around the world to the TRNC for the tournament, Merit Poker President Songül Bekem noted that 6 thousand guests from 75 different countries were hosted in tourist facilities in the Kyrenia region within the scope of the EPT event.

Its contribution to tourism and economy is great

Merit Poker President Songül Bekem, who pointed out that the 2nd European Poker Tour, organized as part of the Merit Hotels operation, is of great importance in terms of promoting Northern Cyprus, noted that they see each guest as a tourism ambassador and that they make great efforts to ensure that they remember and tell about the TRNC well.

Bekem, who pointed out that it made significant contributions to the international recognition of Northern Cyprus, underlined that this event, which increased the tourism potential of the region, made significant contributions to the tradesmen in the Kyrenia region and made a great contribution to the regional economy.

Bekem stated that they are pleased to see the increasing interest in Northern Cyprus and the feedback they receive and that their only expectation is for our country to be recognized more around the world, and noted that they are preparing a calendar with a larger and wider participation for next year.

What is EPT?

The European Poker Tour (EPT) is considered the most prestigious poker tourism organization in Europe. Founded in 2004, the EPT has become a major event for poker players worldwide and is a series of professional poker tournaments held in various cities in Europe, usually in large and famous hotels.

The EPT offers players many tournament opportunities in different formats (such as Texas Hold'em, Omaha) and hosts large prize pools. The tournaments are open to amateur and professional players, which makes participation attractive and appealing to a wide audience. In addition, the EPT provides great prestige worldwide for its winners and offers an important platform compared to other major poker events.

The EPT's annual stops include international cities such as Barcelona, ​​Monte Carlo, Prague and Paris, with Northern Cyprus becoming a stop on this prestigious tour from 2023. The EPT has contributed to the promotion of poker around the world and helped develop poker culture.