One of the pieces of information Gambling911.com is anxiously awaiting in regard to the 2009 World Series of Poker is how many people will be playing in the main event, which starts today (July 3). Will records be set?
Arnold M. Knightly of the Las Vegas Review Journal writes that, despite a worldwide recession, "attendance at this year's multiweek World Series of Poker at the Rio will probably set records".
Thus far a number of the events leading up to July 3 have broken records.
"We're beyond ecstatic," Seth Palansky, series director of communication, said Thursday, the day before the 40th World Series of Poker's main event kicks off. "Everything you read and heard about for the past several months led us to believe we would be swept up in it. But the resiliency of the poker community has humbled us. We are on par to set records again this year."
According to the LVRJ report, through Wednesday, the first 55 events of the 57 event series had drawn more than 53,460 entries and awarded more than $111.6 million in pay-outs.
Last year, the series paid out $180.7 million in prize money and drew 58,720 entries, with 6,844 of those entries for the main event's $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas hold'em tournament.
2007 witnessed a drastic drop in attendance following passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in October 2006, down to 6358 from a record 8773. Last year's numbers were up only slightly to 6844. All said, the last two years attendance was greater than any year prior to 2006. In 2005, 5619 people played in the main event. In 2004, there were only 2576.
Ace King, Gambling911.com
