We are excited to present an exclusive interview with Alex Scott, the President of our partner WPTGlobal. WPTGlobal is currently the talk of the town and is the fastest-growing poker room, promising a lot of potential for the future.
The full interview
YourPokerDream: What can players expect from WPTGlobal in the next one or two years?
Alex: You can expect to see us grow significantly during this time, both by attracting new players from our current markets and entering new markets for the first time.
We will also be known for incredible value. We aim to be the most generous online poker site, giving more back per player than anyone else. We’ve offered two months of rake-free MTTs on our platform, which is unprecedented in the online poker industry.
Our product will improve rapidly in the next couple of years, adding a mixture of brand-new innovations and popular, tried-and-tested features that players are familiar with. Some of these will remain a mystery!
You can also expect more integrations between WPT Global and our partners at the World Poker Tour. This means more and better ways to qualify for WPT events worldwide, a revised WPT Passport scheme, bigger guarantees in our satellites, and so on. Expect a lot of excitement leading up to the WPT World Championship at the Wynn later this year!
YourPokerDream: Players love variety. Are there any plans to introduce new variants in cash games or tournaments?
Alex: Yes! We have an exciting new cash game variant coming soon, but I won’t spoil the surprise. Since our launch, we’ve already added Pot Limit Omaha (both 4 and 5-card varieties) and we’ll definitely be looking to add more in the future when the time is right.
YourPokerDream: What sets WPT Global apart from the rest of the online poker competition?
Alex: Our technology. We’re still very new, and our software is much more modern than the competition’s. From day one, we’ve been built with big data and artificial intelligence capabilities, giving us significant advantages.
Ten years ago, storing large amounts of data was difficult, slow, and very costly. But today, this data is essential to keep up with game integrity challenges like bot detection and the use of real-time assistance. If you can’t process big data at scale, you fall behind in the race against bad actors. Our platform allows us to spot unethical behavior and cheating quickly, using AI technology (machine learning and other techniques). It’s the best game integrity tech I’ve seen in nearly twenty years in this business.
Our AI foundation also enables another key differentiator: FairGame, our smart ecology management system. FairGame accurately predicts the win rate of every player and reserves seats at each table for recreational players (typically 6 of the 8 seats, but it varies by game type). This results in a better balance between pros and casual players, allowing everyone to be more successful and have a better chance to win.
Beyond technology, and in addition to the incredible value promotions and our WPT integrations I’ve already mentioned, a crucial difference between us and other big operators is that we are poker players ourselves. We’re part of the community and we understand what it feels like to be a poker player. The same can’t be said for the leadership at our competitors, unfortunately. We treat our customers with respect and see every interaction with a player as an opportunity to deliver exceptional service that lives up to the WPT name.
YourPokerDream: What are your key markets for the future, and do you plan to get more countries on board, specifically some of the more regulated ones like Germany and the UK?
Alex: To continue growing at our current pace, we’ll need to enter more markets in the future. Our ultimate goal is to be in every market possible—we want to give players the opportunity to make their poker dreams come true, wherever they are in the world. Both the UK and Germany are on our radar, and we’ll take a sensible approach to entering new markets that maximizes the number of players who can enjoy WPT Global as soon as possible.
YourPokerDream: Do you have any plans for live events or series in the future just for WPT Global?
Alex: I wouldn’t rule anything out, but our partnership with WPT is very special, and we’ll be focusing the most on making this a success before we explore other opportunities. We have many plans for online series (like the $7 million guaranteed Spring Festival, running at the time of writing). There will be at least one major festival like this every quarter, and we expect them to keep growing. We also have big plans for how players qualify for WPT events on WPT Global, making it even easier and more flexible for players when they win a seat.
YourPokerDream: Are there any special developments that would be particularly exciting for players?
Alex: We have a lot of innovation and product development coming up, as previously mentioned—some of which will remain a mystery!
YourPokerDream: How does WPTGlobal fit into the online pro and poker stable scene? Is WPTGlobal looking to become a key part of a regular grinder’s arsenal?
Alex: With such good, juicy games and incredible value on offer, it’s inevitable that grinders will want to play on WPT Global. Fortunately, FairGame (our smart ecology management technology) means that we don’t have to be afraid of pros and poker stables as other online poker rooms are.
While some poker stables have been implicated in cheating, that’s a different story. No cheater will ever be welcome at WPT Global, and thanks to our AI technology, we can differentiate between a group of friends supporting each other and an organized cheating ring.
YourPokerDream: Do you have a favorite poker moment of all time, whether personally or professionally?
Alex: A moment I will always remember is playing a Mega Stack event at Caesars in Las Vegas with my friends. A couple of my mates who busted out early left to play elsewhere in the casino and ran into ‘Devilfish’ Dave Ulliott, who took them on an epic night out, checking out the incredible Vegas nightlife in a limo. I missed all of this—because I went on to win the tournament! It was a great day all around.
YourPokerDream: Where do you see online poker and iGaming trending in the next few years?
Alex: I think both will continue to grow. There’s a misconception that poker hasn’t been growing in the past few years, but it’s hard to know because there has been such a big shift towards black market operators, especially in the USA. Some of the club-based apps have as many daily users as PokerStars.
It’s only a matter of time before there’s a scandal involving one of the US-facing black market sites or apps. When it happens, I hope there’s not too much damage and that it results in a shift in mentality, so players look for safe and trustworthy places to play.
YourPokerDream: In your opinion, where does the online poker industry need to focus in the coming years?
Alex: I’m in two minds. For years, the big operators have been distracted by their legacy issues and the challenges of entering new regulated markets. As a result, we haven’t seen much innovation. I’m in two minds because if the other operators don’t step up, we will outshine them with some of the things we have planned. That will be great for us but perhaps not as beneficial for the poker community as if we had strong competition.
I’d also like to see players vote with their feet. There’s far too much apathy in the poker community at the moment, and players stay loyal to operators that don’t treat them well, or even with respect. Players should go where they feel safe and valued. My job is to make WPT Global that place.
