Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 11:15 a.m.
WPT Enterprises Inc. has reached an agreement with poker players to allow them to wear sponsor logos in both preliminary rounds and final tables of the company's televised World Poker Tour events.
Sponsors must be cleared in advance and the size, placement and concent of the logos must comply with specific guidelines, the company said.
Poker players have criticized the WPT's restriction on logos, saying it has dampened their ability to attract major sponsors to poker tournaments and score big sponsorship deals. Most of the sponsors are Internet poker sites that have hired players as representatives.
Brian Balsbaugh, an agent who represents several players, said the change will "open the door for corporate sponsorship ... sponsors want certainty and these guidelines provide just that."
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