Poker Raffles Is Sending Someone to the WSOP Main Event for Only £1

Matthew Pitt Senior Editor

Apr 02, 2025 5 min read

Everyone enjoys entering a raffle. Whether its a charity raffle at a village fete or a sweepstake for the Grand National at work, raffles tend be a cheap way to a quick thrill. Raffle prizes are often low value but that's not the point of them; they're meant to be fun. However, the team at Poker Raffles has taken an age-old concept and given it a poker-related twist, one where someone will be heading to Las Vegas to play in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event, along with flights and accommodation for two, for only £1.

Poker Raffles is an online competition website where players can buy draw tickets to win seats into live poker events or live poker packages, giving them the chance to participate in some incredible poker festivals across the United Kingdom, Europe, and now Las Vegas.

The team behind the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT), namely Des Duffy, Leigh Wiltshire, and Tom Brady, created Poker Raffles a couple of years ago after seeing the competition businesses in the UK soar.

"We're always looking to innovate in the poker world and having seen the growth of competition businesses in the UK, we thought how great it would be if there was something similar for poker players," Poker Raffles co-founder Leigh Wiltshire said. "The ability to skip the grind and the pros playing online satellites by buying some tickets for a draw with a few easy clicks and be win with a chance of winning a poker package and living the dream."

Hundreds of Poker Raffles customers have won seats in live events since the business' launch, with winners heading to the €1,000 WPT Amsterdam event along with £1,000 spending money. Last year, Poker Raffles sent someone to Las Vegas to play in the Colossus, along with hotel accommodation and flights. Earlier this week, Matthew Pitt (no, not me!) turned a £1 ticket into a $5,000 trip to the Mediterranean Poker Party in Cyprus.

"We've had a number of players cash in the event they won their way into," explained Wiltshire. "Any cash is a bonus as winning a Poker Raffles package tends to feel like a freeroll when you play the event. You've nothing to lose, so enjoy the experience."

On April 7, Poker Raffles will send one lucky customer to Las Vegas to play in the 2025 World Series of Poker Main Event, complete with flights and hotel accommodation for two. As you would expect, interest in this prize has been high. Tickets are only £1, which made PokerNews wonder why Poker Raffles put so much on the line.

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"When we sat down and initially discussed the idea of Poker Raffles, the three of us had one particular thing on our lists that we hoped we could achieve. That was to send a winner to Las Vegas to play in the WSOP Main Event. Playing in the Main Event is at the top of most recreational poker players' bucket lists. So that's what we've done. On April 7, at just after 9:00 p.m. BST, someone is going to turn a £1 ticket into a poker experience that they will never forget!"

The nature of the WSOP Main Event, with its massive field, means anyone who enters battles against the odds to even reach the money places. That said, Poker Raffles is dreaming of its winner reaching the money and even going on to become poker's world champion.

"Not only does their winning ticket give them entry to the Main Event worth $10,000, but it also gets them hotel and flights for two, so they can take their partner or a mate with them. The thought that they could then turn that opportunity into some cash is truly awesome. Even a $15,000 min-cash at the WSOP Main Event would be an incredible result for our winner, but what if….."

Enter the promotional code "pokernews25" for a 25% discount on your first Poker Raffles purchase

At the time of writing, only 4,941 tickets remain for the WSOP Main Event raffle. We asked Wiltshire what happens if this or any other raffle fails to sell its full ticket allocation.

"Unlike some other competition websites out there, we've always had a fixed draw date and fixed number of tickets available for each draw, so it's totally transparent for players to see their chances of winning a prize. If we don't sell all the tickets by the draw time, that's on us, and we pick a winner from the tickets sold. I guess, in poker terms, it would be an overlay. Luckily, we don't get many of those; most of our draws sell out in advance of their draw day, so don't leave it to the last minute if you want to get tickets."

Getting involved in Poker Raffles' competitions is simple. All that's required is a visit to the Poker Raffles website and a valid payment method to purchase your tickets. Any PokerNews reader buying tickets for the first time should enter the promotional code "pokernews25" for a 25% discount on your first ticket purchase. This means you could win the Vegas package for only £0.75!

"Poker Raffles is available to all UK & Ireland residents over the age of 18," explained Wiltshire. "It's no different than any other online shopping you might do. Just head over to the website, add tickets for whichever draws you would like to enter into your cart, and then checkout using a debit card via our secure payment provider. You'll get a confirmation email with your ticket numbers and then sit back and watch the live stream every Monday night at 9:00 p.m. BST on the Poker Raffles Facebook page. If you miss it, don't worry, we get in contact with all the winners within 48 hours to confirm prizes and make any necessary arrangements, but you can always get hold of us via email or through our social media accounts."

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Matthew Pitt Senior Editor

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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