Usually the approximately 2,200 Austrian professional and amateur clubs registered with the ÖFB are more at home on the green of the football pitch. In the coming weeks and months, they all have a chance to prove themselves at our green playing tables – more specifically, Casinos Austria's roulette, blackjack and poker tables. The Casino Cup is an unprecedented event: just like in football, only one team gets to win the cup and become the winner in the world of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. The preliminary round starts in June, followed by the national final in the summer. After this, one team will play its way to becoming the Casino Cup winner at the Austrian final in the autumn.
Because luck reigns supreme in the casino, all teams have an equal chance of winning, regardless of their prowess on the football field. The Casino Cup is organised in three stages: 20 minutes each of roulette and blackjack, followed by 60 minutes at the poker table. The game is not played for money, but for tournament chips. Even if Lady Luck gets to decide the outcome in the end, players can choose offensive or defensive tactics, just like on the football field. It's not the usual team of eleven players that competes at the casino tables, but the Casino Cup Captain, who ideally will lead his team through to the final.
Just like in a football match, the fans will also play an important role in the Casino Cup. Being present at the competitions in the casino is not just possible, but highly recommended. In the weeks leading up to the Casino Cup, fans of the participating teams can check in at the casino and pick up a "Supporter Bonus" ticket (without any obligation to spend money at the casino). The collected tickets will be credited to the teams as additional tournament points.
Conveying the experience of a casino visit in a playful way is particularly important to Thomas Lichtblau, Managing Director Casinos Austria: "The Casino Cup offers everything a footballer's heart enjoys: an exciting game, a unique setting and a final on primetime TV. It just happens not to take place on the football field, but at our gaming tables, in our fascinating casinos and with an entertaining final show. And because football is nothing without its fans, they can actively support their favourite teams with the "Supporter Bonus". With the Casino Cup, we not only offer Austrian football a unique setting, but also plenty of exciting entertainment for the entire football scene."
As a co-initiator of the Casino Cup, TV station PULS 4 will support the entire competition. Clubs can now register for the Casino Cup. Whichever team emerges as the winner at the Austrian final in autumn will not only take home lots of exciting entertainment from the Casino Cup, but also a spectacular main prize: a one-week training camp.
The Austrian final of the Casino Cup will be shown as part of an entertaining primetime TV show by PULS 4 in autumn 2022. A close decision and suspense until the final broadcast are planned – a penalty shoot-out on the green playing table, so to speak.