The 2007 World Poker Congress started on Thursday November 29th and the event was kicked off by an opening speech from Sue Schneider of Clarion Gaming. She spoke on the challenges in arranging poker and gaming related conferences and how finding a friendly environment is important. This year’s event took place in Malta and it met the requirements of being friendly and hospitable.
The next speaker was Mario Galea. He is from the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta. He spoke about Malta’s growth in the poker market. They have some of the more advanced jurisdictions on poker activities in the world. He also spoke on the complexities of poker regulation and how Malta is prepared to deal with that. The Lotteries and Gaming Authority that he is a part of receives two applications a day from new operators and in 2008 they will see new gaming related bills being introduced.
The next speakers were Jeffrey Pollack and Steve Lipscomb who gave the keynote address. Pollack is with Harrah’s Entertainment and Lipscomb is with WPT Enterprises. Pollack’s address was recorded because he was unable to attend. His speech gave a synapses of the 2007 WSOP success and the WSOPE.
He made some suggestions on the 2008 WSOP. He said there will be no tents or outdoor structures during the event. Registrations for the event will begin early and a concierge will be available for players to have a more enjoyable stay.
Lipscomb spoke on the phases of growth in the poker industry over the past few years. He then discussed what might happen in the future. He gave specific scenarios for certain situations such as: a big government clamp down on poker, if the “big boys†in the offline gaming industry enter the online market and also least risk averse providers will win.
The 2007 World Poker Congress had a great number of speakers that gave very insightful speeches on the poker and online gaming industry. It was a great chance to learn more about what is going on in today’s market and what one might could expect in the future.
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