Recently, Poker News Daily brought you word that poker may be on its way to becoming the next Olympic event. With top-tier players located around the world, poker has truly become an international phenomenon. However, the game all of us love lacks a central rule-making body similar to those found in golf (the Professional Golfers Association) and basketball (the National Basketball Association and its subsidiaries), among other sports. However, so far no central rules committee or governing body exists in poker. Read the original article on poker as an Olympic sport.
Jesse Jones, the Founder of the World Poker Association, is looking to change that. His aim is to bring standardization to the fractured poker world, where casinos across the globe hold tournaments under their own sets of rules. Each event typically includes different blind structures, buy-ins, and player codes of conducts. In total at this point, the only commonality among various World Poker Tour (WPT), European Poker Tour, and independent tournaments is the actual game being played. However, poker continues to explode worldwide, with major organized tournaments traveling to Asia, Australia, and the Americas.
In total, Jones believes that poker has not yet been legitimized as a worldwide sport capable of an Olympic run. He told Poker News Daily, “I have said all along that professional tournament poker will not be recognized as a legitimate sport by sponsors, networks, or the Olympics until there are objective regulations that are enforced in each event. I’ve often wondered why the various venues and tours around the world do not see the value in this.” Many sponsors of the major tours are the poker sites themselves. For example, Everest Poker served as the on felt sponsor during the World Series of Poker (WSOP). FullTiltPoker.net has received extensive product placement as part of its endorsement of the seventh season of the WPT.
Whether it is the WPA or another industry organization that may pop up, in order for poker to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), central rules will most likely need to be formulated. Jones explained, “I firmly believe the WPA is the best opportunity to make this happen. It needs support from the players and poker community to bring it to fruition.” The WPA has just brought Nancy Todd to its Board of Directors. She is a political consultant who also writes an article in Casino Journal every month entitled “The Politics of Gaming.” She is the founder of The Hayden Scholarship, which helps students pay for college. Jones revealed, “She has many years as a recognized political consultant and is a pretty good player to boot.”
Also on the WPA board are John “The Greek” Leontakianakos and “Captain” Tom Franklin, who have both signed on in recent months. Both are established names in the poker world and bring a brand new perspective to the WPA. 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem and Michael Binger also serve as non-voting Ambassadors. The organization was co-founded by Blair Rodman, although he no longer appears on the list of Directors.
Other founding members who put up money to give the WPA its initial funding include Patrik Antonius, Andy Bloch, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Allen Cunningham, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Kenna James, Marcel Luske, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, and David Williams. The list of founders numbers 130 and includes marquee names in the world of poker. The WPA boasts a total of 1,400 members in 41 countries and has recently reached out to foreign trade organizations offering free memberships.
