Colombia continues to take important steps in the entertainment and gambling industry. An example of this is the great success that it has had throughout 2022 in organizing the best Poker events, comparable to others in the region and which have been characterized by raising millions of dollars in prizes.
Throughout the year the country has been approached by international players (from Ecuador, Venezuela, the United States, Mexico, Canada, among others), who have joined the national representatives in the competition. In May alone, more than a thousand players were received for the edition that took place that month in Bogotá. Event that exceeded all the expectations of the organizers and that has helped Colombia continue to position itself among the Poker elite in the region.
An example of this is that among the top 20 in the world of poker there is only one Latin American and that is Colombian Farid Jattin in 12th place. Only followed by the Brazilian Yuri Martins in position 24. While the Argentine José Ignacio Barbero closes the Latin American representation in the ranking of the top 100 best poker players in the world according to the Global Poker Index (GPI).
On this occasion, Bogotá has been the city in charge of organizing a new poker event, which has an accumulated bag of more than 600 billion pesos in prizes. This makes the Bogotá Winner Poker Series the largest that has been held throughout the year in the country, and will feature more than 15 events throughout the game week, including the Main Event and several side events that like the Satellite High Roller, 8 Max High Roller or the Monster Track Turbo.
In each of these events the ticket price varies (from 200 thousand pesos to four million), in addition to the value of the initial stack.
In addition to the importance that the Winner Poker Series in Colombia For the development of the game in the country, the event has also had a very positive impact over the years in economic sectors such as tourism, thanks to the fact that the organizers have managed to make different stops in various cities throughout the national territory.
Throughout the year there were stops such as Armenia, with six events and more than 60 award-winning players. While Medellín, for example, had almost two thousand players throughout a week in October, where prizes were distributed to more than 70 players.
A game full of success throughout 2022
The numbers support the practice of poker in Colombia. Not only thanks to live events, but also digital platforms and new technologies have had a very important and positive impact on the development of the game in the country. Especially taking into account that at the beginning of 2022 the great challenge was to reactivate and make profitable a sector of the economy as important as fun and entertainment, hand in hand with gambling.
In this sense, Poker (and especially the Winner Poker Series events) has been a driver for hotel, restaurant and transportation companies. Especially if one takes into account that the number of participants at each WPS stop has always been increasing and that the presence of international players is becoming more and more common.
At the online level, improvements at the legislative level have given players increasing security. An important step in a country where more than half of the population has acknowledged participating in a game of chance at least once a year. That’s why platforms like Bonusfinder Colombia They have become very important tools.
For now, the only downside remains that poker is still considered a game of chance and not a sport. A situation that has been discussed a lot in recent years and that has had an impact on the development of some players, such as Carlos Camargo or Julián Uribe.
In this sense, Colombia and Latin America in general are still behind other countries in the world that already consider poker as a sport. In Russia, for example, it has been considered a sport since 2007 by decision of the Ministry of Sports. Brazil is a pioneer in the region, as it managed in 2012, after three years of struggle, to obtain recognition as a sport.
For now, the most important thing in each house is the call for responsible gaming, whatever the field. Meanwhile, in Colombia, the organization of events to enjoy the best of the poker world in the country will close this 2022 with the Winner Poker Series in Bogotá, but it will surely return in 2023 with more force.
