Harrah’s Launches New Online Subsidiary for the WSOPMitch Garber to Run Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, Inc. |
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Harrah’s is one step closer to offering online poker.
The company announced on Friday that Mitch Garber, the former CEO of PartyGaming, will head Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, Inc. — a new subsidiary that will oversee online and international operations for the World Series of Poker.
“As the world’s largest gaming company, Harrah’s is taking a proactive approach toward international and interactive expansion,” said Gary Loveman, the company’s chairman, president, and CEO. “It is important we position ourselves to explore new markets as well as new technologies with our best in class brands.”
Garber served as PartyGaming’s CEO from 2006 to 2008. PartyGaming runs PartyPoker, which was the most popular poker site in the world before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act forced the site to close its doors to American players.
Garber will be the CEO of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, with WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack coming on as president. Pollack will retain his commissioner duties as well.
Garber is currently in Israel and is unavailable for comment, according to a Harrah’s representative.
Loveman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Garber is expected to launch a WSOP-branded poker site that will focus on European countries where online poker is already legal and regulated.
The Review-Journal also reports that Harrah’s is planning on launching a free poker site in the U.S. that could have effects on the company’s Total Rewards program.
“There are lots of ways to make it meaningful even though it wouldn’t be a rake (real money) poker game,” Loveman said. “Then, in the event that others are successful in liberalizing online poker here, we’d have an infrastructure ready to go.”
Harrah’s has come out in support of Rep. Barney Frank’s new bill that seeks to legalize and regulate online poker in the U.S., registering as a lobbyist for the bill and spending more than $400,000 in the first quarter.
“I do think the time has come, particularly for online poker,” Loveman said. “It is a very exciting and very lucrative business and we are going to work hard to convince elected officials that this is something American adults should be able to do.”
Pollack told Card Player last week that the company hasn’t figured out how it would incorporate online gaming into the WSOP, but Garber’s arrival will likely accelerate those discussions.
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