WPT To Unveil Subscription-Based Online Poker To US

The World Poker Tour (WPT) has announced its intentions to unveil an online poker site for US customers as a subscription-based program. This would eliminate the need for wagering and buy-ins, therefore bypassing the laws that prohibit 'online gambling' in the United States.

Subscribes members of the online poker room would be able to play poker legally in the US for prizes as high as $100,000. However, not all state laws adhere to this type of subscription-based online gaming, therefore only residents 38 states will be able to participate.

The web site, ClubWPT.com, will operate under the sweepstakes law of 38 states and the District of Colombia, according to WPT CEO, Steve Lipscomb. Poker players from all 50 states will be able to enjoy the games for free.

Lipscomb stated that US laws prohibit monetary transfers for online gaming, but that had not stopped "enormous amounts of money being made in Internet gaming."

"We [WPT] have not felt comfortable taking those bets," Lipscomb continued. "With comfort, we can provide something that the Justice Department says is not illegal."

WPT revealed their plans to partner with Stats LLC, the intention being to create the poker industry's first sports-style database of statistics for online poker gaming. The mathematical system would gauge a player’s aggression and abilities when playing online poker.

"We're going to develop statistics that will allow you to compare one win against another," Lipscomb said. "The first stats you're going to get are rather basic, telling you what your ranking is based on the strength of field. All we have now are the World Series of Poker bracelets but some of those are smaller buy-in events.

"If you won a World Series of Poker tournament years ago with 150 people in it, how does that compare to a World Poker Tour event with 500 people in it? This will tell you."