'It's No Fluke!' Jennifer Tilly Wins WORLD POKER TOUR™ Ladies Night III to Capture Back-to-Back Women's Championship Poker Titles

Saturday, September 3rd, 2005

Jennifer Tilly jumped up from the table after winning the WORLD POKER TOUR Ladies Night III™ tournament last night at the Bicycle Casino in California, saying that her win was convincing evidence that her victory in the World Series Ladies tournamentin July was "no fluke."

"I felt like I was suffering from the 'imposter syndrome,'" said Tilly, Academy Award™ nominated actre (Bullets Over Broadway, Monsters, Inc.). "I had these niggling self-doubts. But now I know I can really play. These women were extremely tough pros with blood lust at the poker table. My goal has always been to win a WORLD POKER TOUR™ event and now I've done it! "

The stunning achievement for a player who only began playing poker a year ago, is like an amateur boxer winning two heavyweight titles. The actress is the first woman to hold both of these prestigious titles in women's poker. The victory earned her a seat in the $25,000 buy-in WPT Championship next April at Bellagio, and a specially created pink poker set with the WPT logo and Breast Cancer ribbon. The WPT and the Bicycle Casino will donate $10,000 to Breast Cancer Research in honor of Tilly and the other competitors at the Final Table.

"Jennifer Tilly embodies the new breed of player on the WPT," says Steve Lipscomb, Founder and CEO of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE). "Regardless of gender, age, education, or economic background you can become a champion if you work hard to learn the game. We have always said on the WPT, "Anyone can play, anyone can win." When an actress who has only been playing for 12 months can best some of the best players in the game, you witness the democracy of poker."

Tilly began her pilgrimage to poker eminence by first playing in the WPT Hollywood Home Game series. She then played in the WPT Invitational event which annually pits celebrities versus professionals. There she met Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, a top player who would go on to win that event. They began dating several months later, and she took up the game under his tutelage. At the award ceremony, Mike Sexton, host and commentator on the WORLD POKER TOUR which airs on the Travel Channel, said, "I nominate Phil Laak for Coach of the Year!"

Laak celebrated with her, saying: "I'm so proud of her. I directed her to read poker books and gave her maybe one piece of advice each week. We'd watch the WPT DVDs and I'd pause them, asking her what she would do and how many "outs" that player had (chances to win). I knew she was finally ready to play tournament poker when it only took her about 14 seconds to come back with the right answer."

For her part, Tilly says the best part of her training was in "Felting Phil (taking all of his chips down to the felt on the table). I loved beating him and then he'd go over to the couch and sulk, staring at the ceiling." Responds her boyfriend, known for his ultra-competitive style of poker and the hooded sweatshirt he wears at the table, "What can I say? I hate to lose even to my girlfriend." But he said it with a grin.

Tilly said the best piece of advice she ever received from Laak was to "Play my own game. You can read all the books, but you have to listen to your intuition and not do everything exactly as they say. You have to do what feels right."

In recounting her WPT Ladies Night III victory said, "This was tougher than the World Series. There may have been more women in that event to get through, but by the time I was at the final table, I knew how all of those women played. With the exception of Cecilia Reyes Mortensen, I had never played these women before tonight. I didn't know their style and the way the blinds went up, I was forced to be aggressive. Mostly I just didn't want to be the first one out, so winning is incredible."

The other competitors included defending Ladies Night Champion Isabelle "No Mercy" Mercier -- a fiercely competitive French Canadian lawyer-turned- poker pro; Marsha Waggoner, the Grand Dame of Poker with 30 years of experience; Cecelia Reyes Mortensen, up-and-coming pro and wife to WPT champion Juan Carlos Mortensen, and Aidiliy (Lilly) Elviro, an aggressive new player, and one of the WPT Season III's top woman competitors who is coached by her soon-to-be-husband, WPT champion Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. Tilly says that she was raised by her parents to be non-competitive in a "house with a hippy mentality ... always to be the good girl, and be polite. But I love playing poker and especially the WORLD POKER TOUR events because I get to be mean and crush people in a socially acceptable way. I can lie, steal (blinds) and be generally deceptive. Poker lets me indulge my inner bad girl."

Tilly is currently starring in a new CBS sitcom called "Out of Practice" with Henry Winkler, due to air this fall. She plays one of her signature quirky not-very-bright characters. Said Tilly after toasting her victory at WPT Ladies Night III, "Its fun to play dumb, but it's a lot more fun to be smart!"

WPT Ladies Night III will air Saturday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Travel Channel.

On the night the show airs, poker fans will be encouraged to supplement the Ladies' Night donation to Breast Cancer Research by purchasing a WPT Ladies' Night commemorative gift from the WPT webstore at worldpokertour.com . The choices, which will remain available on the site for several weeks and will include a specially-designed WPT/Breast Cancer Ribbon necklace by Roberto Martinez, with a portion of the proceeds going to the cause.

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. Viewers and aspiring tour players can log on to www.worldpokertour.com for ways to improve their game. The highest rated show ever on The Travel Channel, the WPT is now seen in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. WORLD POKER TOUR(R) airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the Travel Channel.

Gabe Kaplan, Jerry Buss and Barry Greenstein Among the Chip Leaders as Tournament Prize Pool Reaches $4,195,000

Thursday, September 1st, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- WORLD POKER TOUR (Nasdaq: WPTE), continues to draw record numbers of players to its events, as evidenced by this weekend's record-breaking turnout for the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino.

With 839 players coming to the table, resulting in a $4,195,000 prize pool, the event stands as the largest ever on the WPT circuit, and those substantial numbers portend potential growth across the board at the remaining 14 events to be filmed for Season IV on the Travel Channel.

That sets the scene for another record-shattering total prize pool for the season. Last year, the WPT awarded nearly $70 million to players on the Tour. First place for the 2005 Legends of Poker will net $1,125,000 for the winner. Last year, the legendary Doyle Brunson captured the crown. That 2004 event drew 667 players and a $3,335,000 prize pool. The turnout this weekend marked a 20% increase in the field. Among the chip leaders are Gabe Kaplan, Jerry Buss and Barry Greenstein. The tournament continues today at 4:15 p.m.

"Our hats are off for the great job done by our colleagues at the Bicycle Casino in securing a field large enough that it had to be split into two starting days," said Steven Lipscomb, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE). "The WPT is poised for another season of exceptional play and exceptional growth. Modifying our policy to allow players to wear sponsor logos will also encourage more companies to sponsor players and award seats in our events. This continues to demonstrate our impact on the growth of the sport. We anticipate another record-shattering season."

Next up on the WPT calendar is the Borgata Poker Open at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, Sept. 19-22. The WPT 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. Viewers and aspiring tour players can log on to http://www.worldpokertour.com for ways to improve their game or to find out how to register for the 14 remaining WPT tournaments. The highest rated show ever on The Travel Channel, the WPT is now licensed for broadcast in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. WORLD POKER TOUR(R) airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the Travel Channel.

About WPT Enterprises, Inc.
WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the World Poker Tour(R), a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and more than 100 markets globally. WPT Enterprises currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to http://www.worldpokertour.com. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc., a publicly held company. Photos and media information can be found online at: http://www.worldpokertour.com.

Contact:
Aimee Lirette/ WPT: 323-330-9872
alirette@worldpokertour.com

FUN Technologies' SkillJam signs multi-year skill-gaming agreement with Sportingbet

Press Release

LONDON /CNW/ - FUN Technologies plc ('FUN'), a leading provider of skill gaming, online sports information and fantasy sports, announced today that its subsidiary, SkillJam Technologies Corporation ('SkillJam'), has entered into a multi-year agreement with London-based Sportingbet plc ('Sportingbet') to be its pay-to-play skill-gaming provider.

Under the agreement, SkillJam will develop, host and manage a private- label, pay-for-play, customized skill-gaming platform for Sportingbet.

Founded in 1998, Sportingbet is a fully regulated, tax-free, online gaming and sports betting company. Publicly traded on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM), it is one of the world's largest online gaming companies. Operating under fully regulated licences in the UK, Australia, Antigua and Curacao, it provides services to over 2.5 million customers in over 200 countries, who place over 1 million bets (casino, poker, sports and virtual games) per day via its 30 brands across the world. Total bet volumes show the Group now takes 14 bets per second, and deals over a million games of poker every day on the Paradise Poker site.

SkillJam, a subsidiary of FUN, is a multi-channel provider of skill- gaming technology and solutions. It develops and distributes private-label gaming solutions for a broad network of partner destination sites in the US and abroad, including AOL, MSN's Zone.com and Disney's Go.com. In 2005 alone, SkillJam has signed over 15 skill-gaming deals with leading global brands, including Virgin Games and eBay.

Lorne Abony, CEO of FUN, said, 'FUN Technologies is excited to be working with one of the largest, most prestigious operators in the online gaming sector. Sportingbet is a pioneer and market leader in online gaming, and we are delighted to be chosen as their skill-gaming partner. Beyond that, this deal marks a further extension of SkillJam's position as the leading supplier of skill games to the online gaming market.'

Sportingbet's Director of Strategic Marketing, Andrew May, added, 'We are pleased to be able to partner with FUN Technologies and add its world-class skill gaming offering to our growing portfolio of entertainment-focused gaming products. The addition of skill gaming further facilitates our strategy of innovative product development and excellence in marketing to existing and new customer groups.'

About FUN Technologies plc

FUN Technologies plc is a leading provider of person-to-person skill gaming, online sports information and fantasy sports. FUN's strategy is to provide its cutting-edge, person-to-person gaming systems to top, licensed distribution partners in regulated markets around the world. FUN is a public company, incorporated in England and Wales, and is listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol 'FUN'.

For further information:

FUN Technologies, Alex Mackey, Catullus
Consulting, +44 (0)207 736 2938; Tracey Irwin, Director of Communications,
(416) 840 0806;

Sportingbet, George Hudson, Smithfield Consultants,
+44 (0)20 7903 0669

2005 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions to be Held Nov. 6-8 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., said today the World Series of Poker 2005 Tournament of Champions (TOC), a $2 million, free-roll tournament, featuring a select group of poker's biggest names, will be held November 6-8 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The final nine players from the World Series of Poker's 2005 main event are eligible to join more than 100 top players who qualified for the TOC at five World Series of Poker Circuit events earlier this year. The event will be taped for telecast by ESPN.

Among those eligible to participate in the TOC are top-ranked professional players, such as: Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Antonio Esfandiari, Jennifer Harman, T.J. Cloutier, Chris Ferguson, Robert Williamson, Russ Hamilton, Yosh Nakano, Michael Mizrachi, Tony Le, Eric Cloutier, and Mimi Tran.

Other qualifiers include reigning WSOP Champion Joseph Hachem, who won $7.5 million at this year's main event, and fellow final-table millionaires Steve Dannenman, Derek Barch, Aaron Kanter, Andrew Black, Scott Lazar, Daniel Bergsdorf, Brad Kondracki, and Mike Matusow.

The TOC is a free-roll event - players aren't required to put up any of their own money to enter - that will award $2 million in prize money. First prize will be $1 million, second $325,000, third $250,000, fourth $150,000, fifth $100,000, sixth $75,000, seventh $50,000, and eighth and ninth $25,000.

"This Tournament of Champions is just one way of saying 'thank you' to the skilled and talented players who have helped make the World Series of Poker the richest sporting event on the planet," said Jeffrey Pollack, vice president of sports and entertainment marketing for Harrah's. "We're especially proud to host it at Caesars Palace, the premier luxury brand in the Harrah's portfolio."

Contacts

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., Las Vegas
Daniel Foley, 702-407-6370 (Investors)
Alberto Lopez, 702-407-6344 (Media)