WORLD POKER TOUR(R) Unveils Revolutionary WPT Academy(TM)

WORLD POKER TOUR(R) Unveils Revolutionary WPT Academy(TM)

World's Most Comprehensive Online Poker Education Center Delivers Instruction via Actual WPT Poker Play, Unique HANDSIM(TM) Database, Video Sessions and More

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The company behind the poker television phenomenon, WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE), today unveiled the next breakthrough development in poker -- WORLD POKER TOUR Academy(TM). A comprehensive web-based poker education center that uses authentic poker play, WPT Academy is designed to provide a compelling, interactive learning tool for both poker enthusiasts and novices alike. To ensure everyone in the poker community can experience WPT Academy, full access will be available on a free subscriber basis for a limited time.

Leveraging a database of over 1700 final table hands during 13 WORLD POKER TOUR(R) (WPT) Season I tournaments -- including 900 hands that never made it to air on the Travel Channel -- WPT Academy offers a vast database and ground-breaking features, including:

* HANDSIM(TM): HANDSIM is a graphically compelling and sophisticated
hand search engine and simulator. Utilizing hole camera data, bets and
actions, and play-by-play details, HANDSIM allows users to search the
database for players, hole card values, card combinations, odds
percentages, position, pre- and post-flop and much more. For a full
list of HANDSIM capabilities, visit www.worldpokertour.com.

* VIDEO SESSIONS WITH THE PROS: These short, engaging video tutorials
are hosted by WPT stars, including WPT Player of the Year Gavin Smith,
WPT Ladies' Night(R) stars Evelyn Ng and Vanessa Rousso, among many
others. These entertaining, educational videos cover a variety of
topics which include "Win It Now," "Aces," "Bluffing," "Aggressive
Play," "Short Stack," and "Maximizing Value."

* INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY: Enhancing the WPT Academy's interactive
experience, poker fans will be able to log on and comment on their
favorite hands, submit their own analysis, rank hands -- creating a
community for WPT fans to share their thoughts about thousands of hands
and reflect on how they were played.

* FOLLOW YOUR FAVORITES: Poker fans can follow their favorite players --
even the hands they folded. WPT Academy features final table
play-by-play from pokers' best, including Scotty Nguyen, Doyle Brunson,
Gus Hansen, John Juanda, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Kathy Liebert,
Antonio Esfandiari, T.J. Cloutier and many more.

"Bringing together the depths of our content library and the vast number of WPT resources, WPT Academy provides for the poker community THE foremost edge on all things poker," said James Revell, Vice President of WPT Interactive. "We will continue populating the database, integrating fresh content and distributing new video lessons on a regular basis so that people will come back again and again to increase their knowledge in a fun and creative way. It's an exceptional tool for the serious student to the person who just wants to win a bet on the best way to play pocket sixes."

"WPT Academy is the most innovative and comprehensive community-driven learning environment on the Internet," says Steve Lipscomb, founder and CEO of WPTE. "Coupled with additional content pieces, such as articles, pictures and educational pieces, the WPT Academy will deliver the full circle poker experience -- watching WPT on the Travel Channel, honing your game with the WPT Academy, and maybe even playing poker in a WPT tournament."

For more information or to register for a free WPT Academy subscription, please visit www.worldpokertour.com. All components of the WPT Academy database and content are the exclusive property of the WPTE.

About WPTE

WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) is a company engaged in the creation of internationally branded entertainment and consumer products driven by the development, production, and marketing of televised programming based on gaming themes. WPTE is the creator of the WORLD POKER TOUR(R), a television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments that airs on the Travel Channel in the United States and more than 150 markets globally. With the WPT in its fifth season, WPTE has launched a second series on the Travel Channel, the Professional Poker Tour(TM), which focuses on the play of poker's leading stars. WPT also operates a real-money online gaming website, www.wptonline.com, which prohibits wagers from players in the U.S. and other restricted jurisdictions. WPT Enterprises currently licenses its brand to companies in the business of poker equipment and instruction, apparel, publishing, electronic and wireless entertainment, DVD/home entertainment, casino games, and giftware. The company is also engaged in the sale of corporate sponsorships. For show information, tools for improving poker play, and other WPT news, fans may log on to www.worldpokertour.com. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO). Photos and media information can be found online at: www.worldpokertour.com/media

WPTEG

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by WPT Enterprises, Inc.) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the expansion of WPTE's brand licensing, the development of new television and film projects, the development of WPTE corporate sponsors and other business development activities, as well as statements regarding other capital spending, financing sources and the effects of competition. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of WPTE. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, WPTE's significant dependence on the Travel Channel as a source of revenue; difficulty of predicting the growth of our online casino business, which is a relatively new industry with an increasing number of market entrants; the increased time, cost and expense of developing and maintaining WPTE's own online gaming software; the potential that our television programming will fail to maintain a sufficient audience; the risk that competitors with greater financial resources or marketplace presence might develop television programming that would directly compete with WPTE's television programming; the risk that WPT may not be able to protect its entertainment concepts, current and future brands and other intellectual property rights; risks associated with future expansion into new or complementary businesses; the termination or impairment of WPTE's relationships with key licensing and strategic partners; and WPTE's dependence on its senior management team. For more information, review WPTE's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:
Lyndsay LaGree/WPTE 323 330 9876
llagree@worldpokertour.com

Karen Trachtenberg/WPT: 323 330 9854
ktrachhtenberg@worldpokertour.com

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050809/LATU100LOGO )

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050809/LATU100LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: WPT Enterprises, Inc.

CONTACT: Lyndsay LaGree, +1-323-330-9876, llagree@worldpokertour.com; or
Karen Trachtenberg, +1-323-330-9854, ktrachhtenberg@worldpokertour.com, both
of WPT Enterprises, Inc.

Web site: http://www.wptonline.com/

Web site: http://www.worldpokertour.com/media

Web site: http://www.worldpokertour.com/

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