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Poker can be easily considered as one of the most popular games among masses. It is enjoyed by millions of people across the globe, and one can estimate the popularity of the game from the fact that the game is counted among the top games in terms of participation, enthusiasm, and spirit of the players.
The proof of this aspect is the long list of upcoming tournaments of poker that have been scheduled across the globe. You name a country, and you will find that a poker league has been scheduled to happen at one or another point in time. Just to give you a glimpse of the upcoming tournaments, Poker leagues are scheduled in countries like the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Manila, and Australia, among others. All these countries are hosting poker tournaments, which are the testimony that the sport is quite popular and rich revenue generation sport.
Impact of COVID-19
It is important to understand the implications of ongoing COVID-19 on the schedule of poker tournaments. The highly contagious disease is impacting businesses across the globe, and its impact on poker is also going to be disastrous. We won’t be surprised if poker tournaments will be delayed or even canceled in case casinos continue to remain shut down in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, especially if lockdown continues to remain in effect till July. We are already witnessing the impact of COVID-19 on a series of Poker tournaments with some of the prominent ones like World Series of Poker already announcing postponing its scheduled event to fall. The tournament was initially scheduled to start on May 26, but now it has been postponed to fall in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
Covid-19 Challenges
For many poker series, it will be a dubious distinction as this will be the first time in their operating history that they won’t be organizing an event. Not only scheduling of poker series will be a problem, but getting the competent staff members and crew on the ground is also a huge challenge that many professional organizations will not be able to overcome. Many experts suspect that given the monstrosity of the situation, the future seems quite uncertain for the poker leagues and tournaments in 2020. Another important challenge will be to maintain the social distancing and to get the audience even in case the official lockdown comes to an end. People are currently suffering from financial implications of the COVID-19 and are unlikely to spend the money in order to participate or view the poker tournaments.
One of the solutions that tournament organizes can effectively implement is to go online in order to organize events. Some have already gone online, and it is time for others to think about switching to virtual mode. This is the only possible solution we see in the backdrop of grim situations that we are witnessing across the globe. Of course, going online will reduce the number of players that can participate, but at least you will be able to keep the spirit alive in this difficult time.
Conclusion
There is hardly any doubt about the negative impact of Coronavirus on the poker series and tournaments. It is a difficult time for the game, just like for the global economy and social structure across the world. There will be a delay in the organizing of poker tournaments, and one must prepare to postpone, delay, or even cancel the event for the sake of safety and security of human lives.
