Just days after the Asian Poker Tour (APT) grabbed some free publicity by publicly inviting Olympic swimming champ and poker fan Michael Phelps to an APT tournament next week in Macau, China, the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) has done it one better.

WSOPE sponsor Betfair, a British online gambling site, has publicly invited Phelps, winner of eight gold medals at the recent Olympic Games in Beijing, China, to attend next month’s WSOPE in London, England.

And, unlike the cheapos at the APT who declined to give Phelps any grease, Betfair in its publicity stunt has promised to pay Phelps’ buy-in for the WSOPE Main Event–a fee of 10,000 British pounds (about 20,000 U.S. dollars).

The WSOPE Main Event will be a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tourney with a top prize of a million British pounds, or about 2 million U.S. dollars.

In a news release, Betfair (www.betfair.com) announced: “Encouraging the 23-year-old American to showcase his card-playing talents, Betfair, sponsor of the World Series of Poker Europe, is inviting the Olympic hero to compete for 1,000,000 British pounds in cash and his ninth gold of the year, in the form of a prestigious World Series of Poker bracelet. To encourage Michael to dive-in, Betfair has made the generous offer to pay the 10,000 British pound stake required to join the World Series of Poker. Phelps will be free to wear his famous LZR swim suit at the table although organizers fear it may not give him the same competitive edge outside of the pool.”

Unlike the flacks from the APT who invited Phelps to their tournament in a Macau casino next week, the WSOPE shills have a real chance to get the Olympian for their event.

First, Phelps enjoys playing poker in England–he was seen doing so at the Mayfair Casino in London last week, after participating in an Olympic handover ceremony in London to celebrate London having the 2012 Olympics.

Second, and most important, what poker player wouldn’t participate in a poker tourney with a $2 million prize when your $20,000 buy-in taken care of?

The WSOPE begins September 19, 2008, and runs through October 2, 2008.

Consisting of five separate poker tournaments, including the Main Event, which will take place last, the 2008 WSOPE will take place at the Empire Casino in London, England.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)