Inside Asian Gaming

IAG AUG 2019年8月 亞博匯 54 however it is more than just the players who benefit from the modern-day behemoth that is the World Series of Poker. The WSOP brand, acquired by Caesars Entertainment (then known as Harrah’s) in 2004 as part of its US$37 million purchase of the Horseshoe Club Operating Company, has proved one of its more important assets during an otherwise difficult decade for the US casino giant. While Caesars, which runs the WSOP via its Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) arm, doesn’t provide specific financials on its annual poker festival, the company did reveal that the US$266 million it awarded in prize money in 2018 came after subtracting between 4% and 10% for operation of the event – a total of between US$11.1 million and US$29.6 million. That likely puts direct revenue from the annual summer series somewhere in the vicinity of US$18 million. Caesars also earns year-round revenue from its WSOP Circuit events – a secondary series of events comprising 33 stops across the US – and from its WSOP.com online poker site which operates in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, but doesn’t publicly release annual breakdowns of CIE’s financials. However, as Palansky explains the real value of the WSOP for Caesars is in the ancillary, “filling up hotel rooms in the summer in Las Vegas, restaurants, shows, pools, clubs. It’s about bringing all the people to Las Vegas that the WSOP does.” Also arriving in Las Vegas for WSOP each summer are around 2,000 temporary staff, including dealers “borrowed” from around the country as well as HR, compliance, PR, accounting, legal, food and beverage, retail, marketing, cashiers, payout clerks, surveillance, security, cocktail servers, convention staff, and audio and video teams. They join the WSOP’s 45 full-time staff who spend 11 months a year planning and running this extraordinary event. “A lot has changed in 50 years in poker, but the WSOP has been so successful because it exists to serve all poker players,” says Palansky. “Anyone who dreams of playing poker, dreams of coming to Las Vegas and competing in the World Series of Poker.” WSOP亦見證了撲克史上一些最重要的時刻，當時名為Chris Moneymaker的牌手在839名首發牌手中脫穎而出，一舉奪得 2003年主賽事的冠軍。就如故事般的情節發展，當時作為一名正 在苦苦掙扎的會計師的Moneymaker，贏得了一場價值89美元的 線上衛星賽，得以順利晉級入圍，一路闖進主賽事的決賽，在這享 譽全球的賽事中取得勝利，贏獲250萬美元的獎金。他的成功在美 國引起了全民當起業餘牌手的熱潮，令參賽人數在此後數年一路 飆升，在2004年攀升至2,576名選手、2005年5,61名選手和2006 年8,773名選手參賽，同年另一位出色牌手Jamie Gold在主賽事 中贏得了1,200萬美元，是有史以來最高的獎金紀錄。 今年的冠軍Hossein Ensan贏得1,000萬美元的獎金，然而現 今受益於WSOP的已不僅僅是牌手而已了。 2004年，Caesars Entertainment (後稱Harrah’s) 以3,700萬 美元收購了Horseshoe Club Operating Company。事實證明，在 這家美國娛樂場巨頭艱難的十年裡，WSOP這品牌依然是集團裏 最重要的資產之一。 營運WSOP的Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE)沒有 提供撲克大賽年度財務的具體資料，但該公司透露，在2018年發 放的2.66億美元獎金，是在減去4%到10%、共約1,1100萬到2,960 萬美金的營運費用後所得的金額。從此可得撲克大賽這個年度夏 季活動可能讓該公司的直接收入達到約1,800萬美元。Caesars的 全年收入亦會從在美國擁有33個站點組成的二級賽事——WSOP 巡迴賽和分別在美國內華達州、新澤西州和特拉華州營運的線上 撲克網站——WSOP.com中賺取。但CIE年度財務的具體數據卻不 對外公佈。 然而，正如Palansky所解釋，對Caesars來說WSOP的真正價 值在於它的附帶利益，「在夏季把拉斯維加斯的酒店房間、餐廳、 表演、游泳池、夜店通通塞滿人。WSOP就是要把人們帶到拉斯維 加斯來。」 每年夏天，約有2千名臨時員工為WSOP抵達拉斯維加斯，當 中包括從全國各地「借來」的荷官、人力資源、審計、公關、會計、法 務、餐飲、零售、市場營銷、收銀員、帳房員工、監控、保安、雞尾酒 酒保、會展員工以及影音團隊。 他們將加入有著45名全職員工的WSOP團隊，而這支團隊每 年都會花11個月的時間策劃和營運這非凡的大賽活動。 「五十年來撲克發生了許多變化，但WSOP之所以成功，皆因 它的存在是為了服務所有的撲克玩家。」Palansky說道。「任何夢 想著打撲克的人，都夢想來拉斯維加斯參加世界撲克大賽。」 IN FOCUS