The second annual World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), currently underway in London, England, is expected to be the most widely-viewed poker tournament in television history, according to WSOPE officials.

American cable sports network ESPN, which did not televise the initial WSOPE last year, is planning to televise this year’s WSOPE.

ESPN can be seen in about 100 million households in the USA, and millions more households throughout the world.

In addition, this year’s WSOPE is also to be televised by Sky Sports, a British sports network available throughout Europe.

The combined audiences of ESPN in the USA and Sky Sports in Europe for the WSOPE telecasts should make the second annual WSOPE the most widely-viewed poker tournament in TV history, WSOPE officials predicted.

According to ESPN, it will televise a total of eight hours of the 2008 WSOPE.

The telecasts will be on a tape-delayed basis and will not air until the WSOPE is concluded.

The Sky Sports telecasts will also be shown on tape-delay.

The 2008 WSOPE began on September 19 and is to run through October 2.

It consists of four separate poker tournaments, including a Main Event finale with a buy-in of 10,000 British pounds, or about $20,000 U.S.

ESPN annually televises the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the Las Vegas-based older brother of the infant WSOPE.

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