Aside from filling the poker tables, the World Series of Poker attracted gamblers of every sort to the Rio, the WSOP's host casino. During the six weeks that the WSOP convened at the Rio, "game usage" a gauge of efficiency based partially on the ratio of games played, demonstrated that the casino benefited from the WSOP, and not just for poker. Isolating poker games, the general game usage grew 12% between June 2 and July 15. More specifically, game usage for table games, other than poker, increased by 29 percent during that period. Growth in both general game usage and table game usage was considerably lower at other Strip casinos during the same period.

Aside from this seasonal increase, ESPN's televised coverage of the WSOP, broadcast repeatedly throughout the year, also constitutes a boon for the Rio. The WSOP program has provided priceless media exposure among cable viewers.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Friday, 22 July 2005