Paphos looks set to host the prestigious 2013 Nations Cup poker tournament in April according to the vice president of the Cyprus Poker Association (CPA).

Antonis Theophanides told the Cyprus Mail he was pleasantly surprised at the level of support shown by the mayor.

“We (CPA) had a meeting with the mayor, Savvas Vergas, last week and explained the ins and outs of the tournament and after just a few minutes of talking he said he would give us all of the support he could. He also showed that he understood that it’s a sports event and not a gambling event.”

The CPA and its members have faced a number of problems with the Cyprus police. In July last year, police raided two venues in Larnaca and Limassol and arrested 31 CPA members on various charges relating to illegal gambling. Players insisted they were taking part in initial tryouts for the national team and that they weren’t playing for money which is illegal in Cyprus.

Theophanides had been concerned about further problems with the police and said that the CPA had already spoken with the ministries of interior and finance to see what permissions, if any, needed to be granted. In the arrests last year police also seized equipment and cash, which the CPA said had been collected for membership fees. The arrests shocked CPA members because they had previously been allowed to hold similar tryouts in Nicosia.

Twelve teams of six players will take part in the 2013 Nations Cup. These include the top six teams, Estonia, Lithuania, Serbia, Poland, Hungary and Bosnia from a recent qualifying event held in Vienna.

In addition, six seeded teams potentially from the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark or Spain and Cyprus as the host nation, will also participate. If the budget permits, this may be increased to sixteen participating teams.

Theophanides said: “I have been told by both ministries, that as there is no money involved in these games whatsoever- we don’t need a licence. In fact, they said that there isn’t one which they can give us. This is a major sporting event and a great opportunity for Cyprus, as teams from all over the world will be taking part.”

The 2013 Nations Cup poker tournament looks set to be held in Paphos at an as yet undisclosed venue from 12-15th April. It will cost around €70,000-€100,000 to host. The CPA has already raised close to €50,000 of that in sponsorship in Cyprus and internationally.