Inside WPT Global: President Alex Scott on Fair Play, Innovation, and Poker’s Future – Part II
WPT Global still seems to be a new player on the market to many poker players. However, big steps have recently been made, with players around the world starting to find their ways to, what we believe, is a real competitor among the giant online poker operators nowadays.
In the first part of this interview, you can find out what WPT Global stands for, and what is important to them when looking at the player pools. In this episode, we take a more detailed view on what Alex Scott, as well as WPT Global, thinks for example about the use of software such as PokerTracker and HUD's.
Our very own Social Media Manager & Content Creator, Melvin Schroen conducted the interview.
Melvin: If you could change one thing in the poker industry, what would it be and why?
Alex Scott: ‘’The sense of apathy that I see among players and feel in the community. As a community, we know that the big sites are not treating players well. And players expect to be taken advantage of. We’re not surprised when there’s a scandal. We know that it’s not possible to win without rakeback, and poker on these sites has become a soulless grind.
I’m trying to change the industry by giving players a choice and a genuine alternative to the current market leaders.’’
Melvin: You have always prioritised players and put them first, even in your previous roles for other brands such as Microgaming and Full Tilt. Do you think this has brought you to where you are now in your current role? What do you think are the more important aspects to perform such a role in the best way possible?
Alex Scott: ‘’It’s very kind of you to recognise that because, as you can imagine, you don’t get a lot of positive feedback when you work for an online poker site. I guess I prioritise players because I am one. I think it’s really important to be able to empathise with players, put yourself in their shoes, and understand the game from their perspective.
We’ve all seen the damage that the Amaya era did. A few men in suits with MBAs or casino experience alone can’t run a poker site. Poker is far too complex and nuanced a game to be picked up in a few days - it takes months, years even, of passionate study and play to become an expert, and without that expertise, you’ll make mistakes.’’
Melvin: We've seen some massive events and promotions lately, such as the Winter Classic and Meet Up Game at Playground in Montreal, the WPT Voyage package giveaways, and now a month of MTTs that are rake-free. Can we expect more of the same when it comes to the scale of these promotions?
Alex Scott: ‘’Absolutely, you can. One of the fantastic things about this company is the scale of our ambitions. We want to do amazing things, HUGE things, things that change the poker business forever. And we are not just full of ideas, we have the financial backing to make it a reality.
WPT Global will be the most generous poker site, in terms of value per player, in the world. You don’t have to believe me - as a player, you will feel it.’’
Melvin: A big topic of debate amongst regs is the banning of PT4 and other HUDs for GGPoker, which is now in their T&Cs. I know WPT Global is heavily favoured towards recreationals, so where do you stand on this subject?
Alex Scott: ‘’From the very beginning we have prohibited third-party software and we take active measures to prevent it. There are a couple of nuances here though. First, we have stopped short of banning software that can only be used at other sites. PokerTracker and HEM, for example, can’t be used on WPT Global but we know that players use them on other sites.
We also know that, as a challenger, many of our players will be playing with those other sites and not only with us, so banning these tools will hurt us. We prefer to be smarter about the problem and address the nefarious tools like hand converters and custom HUDs, that bad actors attempt to use to get around our restrictions.
Secondly, it’s obviously important to be able to track your own game. We know that this is an important part of being responsible, as a player. We’re working on a solution to this that will also protect the ecology of our games and I expect it to be released later this year.’’
Melvin: What are the current focus points for WPT Global in Europe? We have seen that for example, in Slovakia, you partnered with Polish Poker Days. Can we expect more collaborations from WPT Global like this? Will you offer online qualifiers for such events as well?
Alex Scott: ‘’While most of Europe is regulated and that makes things difficult for us as a fully legal poker business, there are certainly opportunities for us. You’ll have seen experiments like those in Ireland and Slovakia and you can expect two things - first, that we will double down on the experiments that work well, and secondly that we will try new experiments whenever possible! As a start-up, this is what we do best.’’
Melvin: What will be your main goals for WPT Global going forward? What impact do you hope to achieve?
Alex Scott: ‘’Our vision, which we share with WPT as a whole, is to make poker players’ dreams come true. So if you want to climb to the top of the tournament ladder, claim the triple crown, or be at the top of the Hendon Mob leaderboard in your country - the WPT can help you achieve that, and WPT Global is the best place to get started. If your dream is to travel the world meeting interesting people playing poker, we can be the first step on that journey as well.
If our impact on the world is that we’ve achieved this, and in a few years we can show numerous examples of how we’ve helped players to achieve their dreams, then I’m OK with that!’’
Melvin: Where do you envision WPT Global going, both in the short term and long?
Alex Scott: ‘’In the short term, I know we have a lot to do. The trust of the poker community is not easily earned, and it's not enough for me to simply talk about what’s special about WPT Global and how incredibly well we’re going to treat players - we have to show it as well. So I don’t think our success will come in just a few months. More likely, in 12 to 24 months, after we’ve poured years of blood, sweat and tears into this business, people will see us as an overnight success!
In the long term, we aspire to be the biggest and most successful online poker site that there has ever been. To do that, we’ll not only have to beat the biggest poker businesses of the modern day but also the giants of the past. It’s quite a lofty goal but I am so excited to be on the journey with this team.’’
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