GGPoker Signs 100-Year-Old Ivor Parker Ahead of Goliath 2026
The poker brand marked the deal with a VIP event in Coventry as Goliath returned with 25 events and a £2 million Main Event.
GGPoker signed 100-year-old Ivor Parker ahead of Grosvenor Casinos’ Goliath 2026, and the company used a VIP event on the eve of the festival to mark the partnership. GGPoker said the move made Parker one of the world’s oldest professional athletes.
The festival returns to Coventry for 12 days and is billed as the world’s largest live poker tournament outside Las Vegas. The report also says GGPoker had already welcomed more than 6,000 players to Grosvenor Casino Coventry before the event.
The Grosvenor Casinos page for Goliath lists 25 events across the festival, including the £2 million estimated Main Event with a £160+£40 buy-in through the Poker Live App. It also says tickets won in LIVE EVENT CREDIT satellites can be used in all Goliath tournaments, and that the credit never expires.
GGPoker said the VIP gathering brought together journalists, creators and sporting personalities. The event included a masterclass from new UK and Ireland brand ambassador Leah Hauer, followed by a winner-takes-all showdown with Team GGPoker UK ambassadors and invited guests Mark Labbett and Rory Jennings.
The company framed the signing as a contrast between generations, with Hauer representing the next wave of professional talent and Parker standing for a century of passion for the game. Angela Martin, GGPoker’s head of marketing for UK and Ireland, said poker has always been about much more than cards and that Parker perfectly embodies what the brand loves about the game.
Parker said he started playing poker when he was 14, loved it straight away and never really looked back. He also said poker today is much more strategic than when he began, and that there are many brilliant players, especially at the event.
Goliath runs in Coventry from 23 July to 2 Aug.
