T H E S TA G E I S S E T F E A T U R E
from International Stadiums Poker Tour president Laurent Tapie that “offline will need online and vice versa in order for each to differentiate”. “In terms of the real experience, there are things you can only get with offline that can’t be replicated in the online format,” he adds. “American casinos will have to use the experience from European providers and operators, and also with European landbased casinos that have already developed a bridge with the online guys – it becomes almost a bridge within a bridge,” adds Tapie. Chief among these tours and tournaments have been the PokerStars-sponsored European Poker Tour (EPT) and the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), the latter one of few examples of an online-offline crossover in poker by virtue of its origins in Caesars Interactive Entertainment’s partnerships with European egaming operators Betfair and Barrière. WSOPE boasts the dual bene?t of helping Caesars’ ?edgling online arm gain a foothold in its desired space while boosting the landbased ambitions of its partners, not to mention the increased player-recruitment stemming from unique and unrivalled satellite tournaments. Thomas Kremser was tournament director for the EPT for seven years before parting ways with the tour in 2011, and notes that “without the support of an online site, EPT wouldn’t have been successful, so it was very important that players were sent to an offline event”. This shows the value of such a partnership to both sides when coupled with the marketing value to an online operator of its name having ubiquity throughout the duration of a year-long tour. However, he adds: “At the beginning of EPT, PokerStars
didn’t highlight that the European Poker Tour was their own product. In the ?rst series, EPT was officially the sponsor of the tour.” As a point of reference, the grand ?nal of the third series of the EPT attracted 706 players, more than triple the turnout of the same event in season one. He also accepts that there are key differences when comparing the amenability of live circuits in the US to potential online partnerships. “WPT was established, and successful, without online support but only in the big card rooms and casinos in the US,” explains Kremser, adding: “The few land-based casinos that have their own online poker site usually understand the player mentality.” But it may prove to be the case that those land-based operators looking to encroach on the territory of WPT, EPT and other wellestablished brands may struggle to make their mark without the support and expertise of an online partner to drive players towards tournaments in the early stages. Heller notes: “The asset we’ve built in our tour is very difficult to replicate; the history and credibility are impossible to replicate for someone new. This makes it a challenge for someone coming into the market, as recent examples have shown.”
Science of alliance
Partnerships between online and land-based operators are favoured by some, perhaps unsurprising given their value to many of the aforementioned tours. Meanwhile, the Nevada regulatory approval for the online joint venture between Caesars and 888’s B2B arm Dragon?sh – the ?rst time either the Nevada State Gaming Control board or the Nevada Gaming Commission
LIVE POKER TOUR
May May September October April
2002
2003
2004
2005
The ?nal of 888’s Paci?c Poker Open is broadcast
2006
First ever World Poker Tour event, held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas
Chris Moneymaker wins World Series of Poker Main Event after qualifying online
The debut event of the Euro pean Poker Tour takes place at Casino de Barcelona
Paddy Power sponsors Irish Poker Open for the ?rst time
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