Poker Writer
A new World Series of Poker retail merchandise store opens today, the first permanent flagship store for the WSOP. The store is inside the Horseshoe and Paris retail center, in the same resort where the WSOP tournament is played.
Former Horseshoe President Jack Binion and Caesars Regional President Ken Ostempowski were present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 12. Binion’s presence indicated a connection to WSOP history, given his family’s deep-rooted ties therein. The Binions started the WSOP in 1970.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony included several WSOP dignitaries, who posed for pictures with Binion and WSOP Vice President Jack Effel as they perused the merchandise.
There have been temporary retail shops for WSOP gear around the series since at least 2008, but this is the first full retail shop outside of the confines of the WSOP tournament location. The Paris Las Vegas X account showed a brief video with images from the store.
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Caesars-Led Effort
The timing of the store opening is a little bit strange. One would have thought a store like this would have existed long before, given the immense popularity of the WSOP.
Caesars sold the WSOP rights to GGPoker before the 2025 WSOP. Since then, Caesars has slowly pulled away from the WSOP by seemingly putting in less effort to the online product, still owned by Caesars. But the WSOP will still be played in Las Vegas under Caesars Entertainment until 2044. Until then, it looks like Caesars will create more of a brick-and-mortar connection.
The store appears to be Caesars-controlled, given Ostempowski’s presence at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The store’s merch is also WSOP-focused, with little apparent overt connection to GGPoker.
The store being referred to as the “flagship” store could indicate that more WSOP stores are to come at other Caesars properties, either in Vegas or elsewhere on the WSOP Circuit.
Connection to WSOP History
The store is also a venue for WSOP nostalgia, connecting players and fans to the history of the event. The store has a large screen that cycles through WSOP moments and a bracelet displayed in a high-security box in the center.
It seems like the location is meant to be a history center for the WSOP and a touchpoint location for patrons as much as purely a vessel for selling merch.
WSOP Executive Business Manager Kamila Winska said that the connection to history is one of the driving forces behind the shop:
We want people to remember that World Series of Poker is poker, and poker is World Series. This is where legends are born. This is where dreams are dealt.
PokerScout has reached out to Winska for further comment on the store and its goals.
Photo Credit: Monique Marestein / WSOP
