W.S.O.P. PREPARES FOR BIGGEST ENTRY FIELD EVER

16 March 2007

Organisers are planning on 10 000 contestants this year

The trials and tribulations of online gambling in the United States notwithstanding, Harrah's Entertainment as organisers of the World Series of Poker are planning on the basis of a record breaking entry field of 10 000 players this year. In previous years a significant number of WSOP hopefuls have qualified online at numerous Internet poker sites offering sponsored WSOP packages.

Harrah's officials said this week that they are planning for 10 000 players, a 14 percent increase over last year's record of 8 773 entrants. Half of the 2006 participants were estimated to have won their seats in online qualifier events.

"It is not either a target, a goal or a prediction," tournament commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said during a conference call with reporters. "But again, you've got to plan for something. We're planning for a top level of 10 000, but if there are more, we will figure it out."

The tournament plans to build a structure beside the host Rio casino-hotel in Las Vegas and increase the number of tables to 258, Pollack said. That would be enough to allow more than 3 000 players to play on each of the first three days of the main event.

A higher number of entrants would mean the grand prize for the world's richest poker game would exceed last year's $12 million.

Harrah's also said it was distancing itself from online poker sites that accept bets from U.S. players, in line with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which prohibits US financial transactions with online gambling sites.

Groups associated with dot-com poker sites that take U.S. wagers will no longer be allowed to set up VIP booths and displays, Pollack said. The tournament is warning sites that improperly use trademarked material, such as the tournament name, to stop.

That could affect poker Web sites such as FullTiltPoker.com and Bodog.com, which are holding satellite tournaments that award World Series of Poker seats worth $10 000 apiece.

Pollack said players would not be able to sport logos from sites that continue to violate its trademark rights by the time the first events of the 47-day tournament begins June 1.

The trademark warnings could crimp registrations, said Internet gambling expert and lawyer Anthony Cabot.

"I think they're in a difficult position," Cabot said. "They're a licensed entity and therefore have to be cognisant of the new laws and the potential impact those new laws could have on them as a company. At the same time, implementation of those policies will have a negative economic impact on the tournament."

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa

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