No Drop Off in Attendance at World Series of Poker 2011: Actually Up 10 Percent
Many feared a huge drop off in attendance at the 2011 World Series of Poker following the events of April 15 where three of the top US-facing online poker rooms found themselves indicted. Worse still, two of those rooms – Full Tilt and Absolute Poker – are yet to release funds to players.
The initial fears have proven unfounded, however, as the World Series of Poker 2011 has seen a 10 percent uptick in attendance.
The Las Vegas Review Journal noted that, if the event were to have concluded this weekend, it would have been the 4th most attended WSOP in history.
That might not be saying much, however, since attendance only began increasing dramatically around 2003, the start of the online poker revolution and company ad spends that helped generate interest within mainstream venues, most notably ESPN.
The Main Event kicks off this week and it remains to be seen how many players will ultimately partake.
"It's hard to discount how almost every event has grown in participation," World Series of Poker Executive Director Ty Stewart said.
Currentlly the tournament money pace was 6.7 percent greater than last year.
"It is one thing to plan and prepare to accommodate such a large number of people on a daily basis," World Series of Poker tournament director Jack Effel said in a statement, to the Las Vegas Review Journal. "But it is truly an amazing feeling to see it all unfold in front of your eyes like we have witnessed at the World Series of Poker in 2011."
- Patrick Flanagan, Gambling911.com
