In 2003 the annual revenue of online poker amounted to a mere $300 million, but in a relatively short space of time that shot up to $6.7 billion in 2012.
That is an impressive growth rate, but industry experts such as the World Series of Poker executive director Ty Stewart believe that there is a lot of untapped potential in Asia which could be exploited.
For that reason, the WSOP has struck a deal with Tencent to promote the tournament throughout the continent.
The WSOP’s partnership with Tencent and their plans to add eSports elements to poker events could prove fruitful.
The idea behind it is to promote more crossover between the two genres and tap into as wide an audience as possible.
Stewart believes that the notoriety of the WSOP brand, along with Tencent’s firm grip on the Asian market will help “spread the great game throughout the entire continent.”
The WSOP/Tencent partnership could be buoyed by the success of the Las Vegas eSports community’s recent event which was designed to attract poker players and give them a chance to test their skills in a new arena. It appears that both poker players and eSports players are beginning to realize that playing both is a good way to improve their skills in either game.
