GGPoker has signed 100-year-old Ivor Parker of Ab Kettleby, Leicestershire, as a full ambassador, making him the world's oldest paid professional poker player. The deal was announced at a Grosvenor Casinos VIP event on August 3, held ahead of the Goliath 2026 festival in Coventry.
An 86-year love affair with poker
Parker first played poker at age 14 in a Boston pub in 1940. He said the game hooked him the moment the cards hit the felt, and he has kept playing everywhere from wartime service to modern casinos. He believes the game has helped him stay sharp for nearly a century.
I've loved poker for as long as I can remember. I started playing when I was 14. I loved the game straight away and I've never really looked back. I've played poker all over the world, especially during the war. I think poker has kept me sharp and I'm thankful for that.
Ivor Parker
GGPoker's rationale
Angela Martin, GGPoker's head of marketing, framed the signing as an argument about what the game is really about: bringing people together, continually learning, and challenging yourself no matter your age. UK and Ireland ambassador Leah Hauer, who shared a table with Parker at the launch, said the experience was 'incredibly inspiring' and showed 'exactly why poker is such a unique game.'
The story was first broken by The Mirror and then picked up by The Independent, Hochgepokert and Pokerfuse. Parker will be a regular ambassador presence at Grosvenor's UK live circuit and at select GGPoker digital events tied to the network's UK and Ireland roster.
