MEDIA RELEASE
October 8, 2008

Million Dollar Dress Launches Skycity Festival Of Poker

Celebrating the inaugural SKYCITY Festival of Poker, Amber Peebles wore a specially designed chip dress worth $1 million at the SKYCITY Lee Nelson and Brooke Howard-Smith Celebrity & Media Invitational poker tournament last night.

The event, attended by Kiwi celebrities and sports stars alike, included All Black Ali Williams, former Rugby League player Dean Lonergan, musician Che Fu, as well as stars Simon Doull, AJ Whetton and Siobhan Marshall. The never-to-be-worn again garment weighed more than two kilograms and featured 200 casino chips worth $5000 each, highlighting the glamour of New Zealand’s biggest ever poker tournament.

Increasing public interest combined with the success of the invitational tournament, hosted by poker legend Lee Nelson and TV personality Brooke Howard-Smith, has proved that New Zealand is ready for world-class tournament poker.

Ejaaz Dean, Executive Manager – Table Games, said: “The Festival of Poker is not only a fantastic draw for world-class players, but also a great opportunity for the New Zealand public to visit a foremost entertainment destination.

“As the New Zealand home of poker, it is important for us at SKYCITY to thrill and excite customers by creating an offering unmatched elsewhere.”

The week-long event has transformed SKYCITY Auckland Casino into a poker player’s paradise, with single and multi-table satellite tournaments throughout the week culminating in a four-day main event starting on Thursday, October 9 and featuring international poker stars including Joe Hachem and Lee Nelson. For information on how you can take on the world’s best poker players, the tournament schedule and online registration for events; visit www.festivalofpoker.co.nz or call 0800 SKYCITY.

Tournament poker is one of the world’s fastest growing sports and has huge television appeal and viewership.

ENDS