WPT Global has reportedly fired dozens of their media staff members under the leadership of its new CEO.
Many of those shown the door were highly respected and accomplished staff who’ve been in their roles for many years.
The changes were swift and unexpected, with insiders claiming the tally to be as high as 60 people losing their jobs. This includes a mixture of staff from the WPT Global media team and A5 Labs, the people behind the AI Smart Ecology Management tool which focuses on player safety.
It’s believed the CEO wants a fresh start, implementing their own team through a series of group layoffs, with three to date. The overhaul has largely been kept under wraps, with no public statement on either the implementation of a new CEO nor a reason for the layoffs.
One place the news has been announced is on social media platform, X. Lance Bradley, Vice President of Media at WPT and winner of four Global Poker Index awards, posted on January 28 that his team was “moving on from WPT”.
A lot of the team members who’ve been let go are well-known in the live poker circuit, and have overseen highly successful events for many years. They include:
- Jeff Walsh, Senior Creative Editor
- Tim Fiorvanti, Managing Editor
- Easton Oreman, Social Media Manager
- Eric Lusch, Media Relations Manager
- Evan McColl, Content Coordinator
- Raul Silva, Content Coordinator
- Scott Pesick, Affiliate Business Manager
An Indicator of Even Harder Times Ahead?
As it stands, players in the US are unable to join WPT Global. Some have speculated this could have been a factor, as it’s reported many of the employees were based in the US – though this is currently unconfirmed.
There is also mounting pressure on the sweepstakes model in the US. In August 2024, the American Gaming Association made it clear that they believed companies were using sweepstakes to get around existing laws. They also specifically called out Virtual Gaming Worlds, which operates the WPT Global site.
And even their live events are facing new competition. After announcing the live WPT World Championships would be held at the Wynn, Las Vegas in December 2024, the WSOP tried to blow them out of the water by simultaneously running their Paradise series, including a $50 million GTD Super Main Event.
In 2023, the WPT World Championship had a then-record $40 million guarantee. In 2024, they abandoned their guarantee but still pulled in an unbelievable $23,441,000, though it was nearly half the year prior.
The Many Faces of WPT
If you’re not already familiar with it, the structure of the WPT and its related companies can be a bit confusing, as there are many similarly named companies with different roles.
WPT is a world-famous brand, famed for hosting some of the most prestigious live poker tournaments in the world. WPT Global is an online enterprise, sharing a close partnership with the WPT, and is also responsible for holding online WPT events.
ClubWPT Gold is slightly different. It was first revealed in September 2024, offering online sweepstakes. You can buy Gold Coins to receive a gift of Sweep Coins, which you can use to enter tournaments and redeem real cash prizes. This workaround makes it more widely available. For example, you can play poker in Texas at ClubWPT Gold, but not WPT Global.
Even if you’re not a member, you’ve probably heard of ClubWPT Gold, as they recently held the largest freeroll in poker history with a massive $5 million guarantee – an amount that eclipses the prizes even at the world’s best poker sites with freerolls. The close timing between the $5 million giveaway and mass layoffs has drawn criticism from many in the industry.
As if all of that wasn’t confusing enough, there’s also ClubWPT, which is separate to ClubWPT Gold. ClubWPT is a subscription model, where subscribers get access to a bunch of WPT shows, VIP perks, and invites to tournaments where they can win real cash. Some employees work across multiple branches of the WPT organization.