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LAS VEGAS -- An online poker tournament, which was part of this year's World Series of Poker (WSOP) for the first time ever, will become a permanent event at the WSOP, Gambling 911 can reveal in a world exclusive report!
In an interview with Gambling 911, Seth Palansky, the official spokesman of the WSOP, said the WSOP's first online poker tourney, held in July, was a huge success and he predicted the format will become a regular feature at the WSOP.
"We haven't made any decisions yet regarding the 2016 schedule," said Palansky, who is also an executive with Caesars, the Las Vegas company which owns the WSOP. "But if I were a betting man, I would venture that an online bracelet would indeed be part of any future World Series of Poker."
Palansky's comments were the first public comments the WSOP has made about the future of online play at the WSOP.
The WSOP had previously shunned online tournaments because of Federal legality issues surrounding poker played over the Internet.
But after the State of Nevada not long ago legalized online poker for its residents, the WSOP decided online play was now okay and held its history-making, first online tournament at this year's WSOP.
Officially 2015 WSOP Event #64, the first online tourney was a three-day, no-limit Texas hold 'em tournament that had an entry fee of $1,000, drew 905 participants who were all Nevada residents and was played at the WSOP's official website, WSOP.com.
After the field of 905 was whittled down online to a final table of six players, the sextet converged at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Vegas, where the WSOP is held, to play out the final table live.
The event, technically a hybrid online/live tournament, was won by Anthony Spinella, an American, who earned $197,743 for his victory and also received the first-ever WSOP gold championship bracelet for an online event
The WSOP's maiden online event was hugely successful and went off without a hitch, Palansky told Gambling 911.
"It ran very smoothly," he said. "Attendance was great. Getting people registered, deposited and withdrawn was seamless. So we're very pleased with the inaugural iteration."
Palansky also said the 2015 WSOP overall was a great success.
"There are always plenty of things to change, tweak and improve upon," he said. "But overall, it was a terriffic 2015 WSOP, record-breaking on many levels. The WSOP, year in and year out, continues to be the annual gathering place for the game of poker in the live arena and we always remain humbled and in awe of the player turnout, support and passion for the WSOP.
"We can always do better," he continued. "Including communicating with the players more effectively and ensuring the playing condiitons are the best in the industry. The event has grown in magnitude so much that the problems we face are all good problems to have. We just need to continue to innovate with new events and make the customer experience as positive and painless as possible."
The 2015 WSOP resumes and culminates in November, when the nine-player final table for the WSOP Main Event is played out.
By Tom Somach
Gambling 911 Staff Writer
