Speaking during a press conference for the official launch of the SiGMA Poker Tour, Operations Manager Ivonne Montealgre announced the launch of two official tour locations for 2025 – Brazil and Malta. She also shared that the first-ever edition of the Hendon Mob Latam Championships (THMC Latam) will take place during the Brazil leg of the tour.
Roland Boothby, Head of Partnerships at GPI/The Hendon Mob, offered further insights into the strategic partnerships between SiGMA and the Hendon Mob – an industry standard for ranking poker players. Boothby said: “One place we´ve never entered in terms of the live event realm is South America. Brazil is booming when it comes to poker, Brazilian players are known for being the most fun to play with. The market is at the start of its journey and SiGMA has unique potential to connect events and networking to the poker community.”
“The 2025 Hendon Mob championships will take place across 5 different continents and we are very proud to join the SiGMA team to explore the Latam market. Poker is in a position where it needs to attract new players to the game. SiGMA has already proved itself in the B2B space and the launch of the Poker Tour will be a great opportunity to prove themselves in the B2C world.”
The tour aims to attract players from diverse backgrounds and skill levels to high-stakes tournaments in major cities around the world. Eman Pulis, the founder of SiGMA Group, spoke to the broader vision of the event, explaining how the Poker Tour complements SiGMA’s mission to connect the gaming industry worldwide.
“We have set the bar very high for this mission. We have, from the beginning, done this with charity in mind. Surrounded by a hyper-successful industry in the B2B industry, we have tried to merge the two – connecting charity outreach with our exhibitors. We now want to replicate this formula on the B2C side of things,” he explained.
“We want to elevate poker. Poker players are pro consumers – giving them access to the SiGMA platform is something that every player has been craving. Combining poker with business and pleasure should pave the way for a dynamite tour,” noted CEO of SiGMA Group Emily Micallef.
Also joining the panel was Keith Marshall, SiGMA’s Chief Philanthropist, who highlighted the philanthropic goals that are making an impact on communities worldwide.
Marshall noted that SiGMA is committed to leveraging its platform to support a number of important charitable causes, including women empowerment projects across Africa, reconstructive cleft palate surgeries for children in Columbia, and housing projects in the Philippines.
The SiGMA Poker Tour will align with the SiGMA Foundation to make an impact in the communities it visits. For each main tour stop, a percentage of every buy-in at a designated side event will be donated to support local SiGMA Foundation projects.