On the eve of their one-year anniversary in Nevada, WSOP.com has announced the signing of their first brand ambassador, 2012 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Champion Greg Merson.
The signing of Merson comes amid a slew of announced promotions and enhancements at WSOP.com to celebrate their one-year anniversary.
Among the promotions announced by WSOP.com is a week of Anniversary tournaments with $70,000 in guaranteed prize-pools up for grabs.
WSOP.com has also announced the addition of a new geolocation tool, increased deposit and withdrawal options, and being a step closer to mobile, which WSOP.com expects to happen towards the end of the year.
Greg Merson becomes WSOP.com’s first ambassador
The signing of Merson comes during WSOP.com’s weeklong celebration, culminating with Friday’s historic one-year anniversary.
Originally WSOP had made it clear they would not be using sponsored pros, but the situation with Merson (and potentially other WSOP champions down the road) may have been too good of an opportunity to pass up.
Despite winning the game’s most prestigious tournament Merson was initially a reluctant ambassador for poker, but he has grown into the role in the two years since his World Series of Poker victory, and has become one of poker’s leading voices over the past year.
“Greg is a terrific ambassador for the game of poker,” WSOP.com Head of Poker Bill Rini stated in Thursday’s press release. “He loves the game, is passionate and opinionated about its future, and he will help us spread the word about our offerings and ensure the poker playing community has a respected, experienced voice to help shape WSOP.com moving forward.”
Merson’s role as a brand ambassador for WSOP.com will include promoting the site in both Nevada and New Jersey.
WSOP.com’s first year
Of all the online poker sites that have launched in the United States, it’s safe to say that WSOP.com has been the most consistent and well received. WSOP.com has avoided major controversies and major software glitches.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing, but overall WSOP.com has had a solid first year.
“It has been a year full of excitement, with plenty of lessons learned,” said Rini. “Most importantly for the game’s long-term health, the technology and the regulations have worked as intended. We have established a solid foundation for this recently-regulated digital form of entertainment in the United States, and remain fully-committed and bullish on the long-term prospects of the business.”
According to WSOP.com, the site has registered over 100,000 accounts in Nevada, hosted 14,564 tournaments, and dealt over 15 million hands at its cash game tables. In all, over $363 million was wagered at WSOP.com during their first year, and 245 players won their way into the WSOP through WSOP.com in Nevada.
During the 45th Annual WSOP, WSOP.com’s traffic eclipsed their out-of-state competitors in New Jersey (despite a third of the population), making WSOP.com the No. 1 regulated online poker site in the United States.
More from WSOP.com’s Press Release:
1-Year Anniversary Promotions
Anniversary Tournament Series – A week-long tournament series running from September 19-27. The series features $70,000 in guaranteed prize pools, including the “Super Sunday” event on September 21. (Super Sunday replaces the usual Sunday $15k guarantee, with a $25,000 guarantee tournament).
Tournament Ticket Sale – A 24-hour sale where players can purchase tournament tickets (good for one year) at 50% off our normal tournament fees. (Runs from 9:19am on September 19 through 9:19am on September 20).
Double Me Up – Players can opt into this promotion to earn double APPs on all ring game and tournament play from September 19-27.
New features and software enhancements
New Geolocation Tool – Players are now able to verify their location using Wi-Fi, instead of a mobile device. This is expected to eliminate a great majority of location verification issues that existed with the mobile verification process. Players are required to upgrade their WSOP.com software, keep their Wi-Fi turned on (don’t need to be connected via Wi-Fi, but do need to be able to see Wi-Fi connections available) and not run any remote software.
In-Person Deposits & Withdrawals – The Main Cage at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is now offering deposit and withdrawal options for players. Players can visit http://nvcage.wsop.com to initiate financial transactions online and then complete the transaction at the Rio. (Of course, all current online deposit and withdrawal methods remain intact).
Mobile & Tablet Options – WSOP.com is closer to offering mobile / tablet options for customers. We expect to be able to rollout both iOS and Android compatible gaming options later this year, with players being able to link their account to their mobile devices. Players will be able to sign-up/sign-in, deposit and participate in all game play via the mobile app, once they download it to their device.
Expanded Payment Options – Another area we have focused on improving is payment options for players. We are pleased to report some positive discussions with major credit card issuers and banks, and are optimistic there is a path to resolve the issues so that players can utilize some of the same credit cards they do for other everyday transactions. We are also always looking at additional payment options for our players.
