From its headquarters in Sao Paulo, a non -profit organization wants to be the main international poker representative. With 50 members associated around the world, the main challenge of the World Poker Federation (WPF) is now attracting the game’s largest global market: the United States.
Negotiations to bring Americans, however, have just begun.
“We talked to Zero people from the United States by the end of the last year. Sometimes it may seem that things are taking, but no, ”says WPF CEO Leonardo Cavarage“ is now one of the main priorities, which is defining the main partners there. ”
It turns out that there is no unique poker confederation in the United States. Due to state regulations, the main representatives of the sport are dispersed by states. According to Cavarage, the challenge will be to articulate with the major regional agents to create a unique representation of the WPF country.
So far, the WPF has 50 member countries. Among them are some of the other main markets in the world: UK, Canada and Brazil are some of them. Russia, another of the main practitioners of the sport, has suffered a series of restrictions such as the departure of game websites in the country and does not participate in the event.
It is estimated that the online poker alone moves about $ 110 billion around the world. Although it is difficult to calculate US participation in the cake, Cavarage ensures that the country is the largest market.
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The WPF strategy to attract Americans was to consolidate the participation of some of the other major players in the league. It was WPF itself who made possible that the poker had a representative at the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), when the federation was unanimously accepted as a provisional member of the group, chanceizing the claim to become the international representative of the category.
While waiting to close 2025 with 65 members in the federation, the WPF is still composed of an exclusively Brazilian board. Igor Federal One of the main institutionalization of poker in Brazil, is the one who presides over the International Federation. In addition to the founder of the Brazilian Confederation of Texas Hold’em (CBTH), he also created the main tournament of the game in Brazil, BSOP, and is Chairman of the group H2, from the Poker Club sector.
By 2027, WPF expects to do at least one of three events planned for its World Championship by 2027. “Let’s crown three world champions: online, face -to -face and world champion. The idea is to have at least one of them running until next year, ”says Cavarage. THE pitch It is already running with potential sponsors.
