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Marking the transition from the old to the new world of professional tournaments, the Backgammon World Championship will for the first time offer a $20,000 cash prize in a move that will rival the strong hold that the poker community has held over the skilled gaming industry. Adding yet more glamour to the Monte Carlo venue, TV and film production company 8mm productions has been commissioned by the digital channel Pokerzone to produce four 60 minute series to capture the action at this year's World Championship. But can online backgammon rival online poker? Maybe says defending champion Peter Hallberg in a recent interview, where he says the promotional strength of some of the industries leading backgammon servers have done much to enhance the reputation and awareness of the game in the online community. 'Servers such as Play65 have demonstrated the amazing power of promotion to draw awareness to the game,' he said whilst noting the major developments at this year’s event. 'I am looking forward to seeing how the tournament will develop this year, as there have been several new initiatives (while) the top level of backgammon players are now of a very high standard, so we will see a very strong player win this year.' | 