World Poker Tour - Travel Channel Re-up for a 4th Season

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2005--Seizing to continue to capitalize on the poker craze it helped to launch, The Travel Channel exercised its option early and announced today that the Travel Channel will broadcast the fourth season of the WORLD POKER TOUR? (WPT) which airs on Wednesday nights at 9pm ET/PT.

The WPT is the league that launched the poker phenomenon when it first aired on the Travel Channel on March 30, 2003, and it continues to lead the way in developing poker as a major international sport. The highest rated show ever on The Travel Channel, the WPT is now seen in over 60 countries worldwide, and its tournaments are held at first class locales and resorts as far ranging as Paris, the Bahamas and Las Vegas. When the WPT rolls into town, players are accorded a hero's welcome and poker fans plan their schedules around the WPT Final Table taping.

"We are thrilled to extend our relationship with The Travel Channel," said Executive Producer and Founder of the WORLD POKER TOUR, Steven Lipscomb. "Their commitment further reinforces the WORLD POKER TOUR as the preeminent brand of poker while maintaining Wednesday night as Poker Night! Together we will continue to build Poker as a mainstream sports sensation.

"The WORLD POKER TOUR has demonstrated its ability to resonate with viewers, and we remain confident that the audience will grow over the fourth season," said Vice President of Programming at Travel Channel, Dan Russell. The WORLD POKER TOUR continues to be a ratings juggernaut, and the extension of our deal with the WORLD POKER TOUR will keep the popular weekly series a fixture on the network."

The WORLD POKER TOUR series airs every Wednesday night on the Travel Channel from 9-11 PM (ET/PT). The Third Season began airing on March 2, 2005. For more information on WORLD POKER TOUR, go to www.worldpokertour.com

The WORLD POKER TOUR series blends the compelling drama of reality television with the production values of leading sports programming, including expert commentary. Thirteen cameras capture the action, including tiny cameras that reveal the player's hole cards, which let viewers see who is bluffing and who is not. At stake on a single hand can be as much as a million dollars.

The WORLD POKER TOUR series is produced for the Travel Channel by WPT Enterprises, Inc. Steven Lipscomb is the show's creator and serves as Executive Producer. Joe Swift is the Executive Producer for the Travel Channel. WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE - News) is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc.

News Added: 04 April, 2005

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