Las Vegas – Kunihiro Sakamoto bested a field of more than 2,000 players in the inaugural All-Japan Poker Championship presented by SEGA SAMMY Group, an official satellite of the World Series of Poker, and will compete in the 2007 WSOP Main Event in July at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Harrah’s License Company announced today.

The All-Japan Poker Championship, co-organized by the newspaper Yukan Fuji, raised money to benefit The Sankei-Shimbun Social Welfare Association, a charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of socio-cultural affairs.

„We are delighted by the opportunity to not only introduce one of our premier entertainment brands to the Japanese consumer, but support a worthy charitable cause in the process,“ said Michael Chen, president of Harrah’s Asia-Pacific Region. „This tournament represents but a small sign of our company’s ongoing commitment to expand our presence in Asian markets, particularly Japan.“

„We are proud to have the winner of the All-Japan Poker Championship, participate in our event“ said Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the World Series of Poker and vice president of sports and entertainment for Harrah’s. „This event is an important first step for us in Asia and we look forward to further introducing the world’s most prestigious poker brand to this vibrant market.“

The 2007 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light, the world’s richest sporting event, will begin June 1 at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Last year, players from more than 50 countries competed for a total prize pool exceeding USD 171 million. More information on the tournament is available at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.