Decrease in WSOP Entrants Largely Effects Prize

The World Series of Poker 2007 Main Event has seen a decline not only in entrants, but in direct relation, a decline in the prize as well. The 2006 WSOP Main Event revealed record breaking numbers, with 8,773 entrants competing and the final table winner, Jamie Gold, pocketing a hard-fought prize of $12 million.


This year's WSOP Main Event received 6,358 entrants, a 40% decrease since 2006. As such, the prize will be espectively small as well, now estimated between $8.25 and $8.75 million - more than $3 million lower than last year.

In recent years, a large portion of the entry fees were not paid by participants, rather by online casinos and online poker rooms who sponsored players who won Satellite Tournaments at the site. In fact, the last 3 year's WSOP winners were sponsored by online gaming sites; Jamie Gold sponsored by Bodog won WSOP 2006, Greg Raymer sponsored by Poker Stars won WSOP 2005 and Chris Moneymaker sponsored also by Poker Stars won WSOP 2004.


Free entry to the WSOP via online poker sponsorship is a thing of the past, thanks to President George Bush signing a Port Security Bill last October with an unrelated Internet Gambling Bill attached - the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The law made is illegal for US financial institutions to facilitate transaction between online gambling operators and US players, effectively criminalizing online gambling in the United States.