Organisation that seeks to regulate tournament poker announces tie-up with Swedish Federation
In the past poker has been seen an a pretty anarchic activity, and gambling in general as a bit dodgy. But the landscape is evolving with changes to legislation, acceptance in wider mass culture and the influx of millions of new players around the world.
Many of these new players need to feel safe when they particpate, and similarly, the top elite players would also welcome a degree of regulation and standardisation in the way the game is managed.
To that end there are a couple fledgling organisations seeking to establish consistency in the game and one such is The World Poker Association (WPA).
The WPA was incorporated in November 2005 in Las Vegas to ‘establish uniformity through rules and regulations, benefits and privileges to those players and entities participating in land-based and online tournament poker’.
In order to do this they need players and other organisations to buy into the ethos, and this is happening with the announcement that the Swedes are onboard.
The Swedish Poker Federation has been inducted as the the WPA’s first organisational member. The Swedish Poker Federation, currently boasting 4,000 members, is an umbrella organization for clubs and players that safeguards the rights and interests of Swedish poker players.
Jesse Jones, founder of the WPA, finalized the agreement with Swedish Poker Federation Chairman Ken Lennaárd, and sees the partnership as a major step toward establishing international recognition of the World Poker Association. The Swedish Poker Federation represents the largest contingency of international membership to date, validating the WPA’s mission to elevate the integrity of tournament poker worldwide through standardized rules and procedures.
“The WPA has the vision and gumption necessary to ensure the rights of all players and organizations involved with tournament poker across the globe,” said Lennaárd. “We are all anxious to contribute to the future of our sport. We hope that the Swedish Poker Federation will work as a role model for national organizations in other countries”
Since its inception in November of 2005, the WPA has already attracted more than 100 individual members, including 17 founding members, and some of the most recognizable and respected figures in the sport such as Phil Helmuth, Joseph Hachem, Barry Greenstein, Kristy Gazes, Kenna James, and Steve Brecher. With the inclusion of the Swedish Poker Federation, Ken Lennaárd was named a founding member of the WPA, as well as the Chair of the International Committee.
“The WPA is thrilled to have the Swedish Poker Federation on board and looks forward to their insight and contributions moving forward,” said Jesse Jones. “Their involvement speaks volumes to the necessity and longing for an organized and unified voice for tournament poker.”
