Exec leaves football behind to help poker go global

Five years ago, Ty Stewart gave up a successful marketing career with the National Football League for a high-level position with the World Series of Poker.

Some might have questioned the logic.

Stewart earned several promotions with the NFL during seven years in the league's New York City headquarters, handling marketing opportunities for such events as the NFL Draft and the NFL Opening Kickoff.

In 2005, when he joined the Harrah's Entertainment-owned World Series of Poker, some were wondering if interest in the game was declining.

"Most people were speculating on the demise of poker, that it was a fad and about to die away," said Stewart, who became a fan of poker through television. "I saw an opportunity to see if I could contribute to the growth of an industry."

Last year, Harrah's moved the World Series of Poker to the company's new Harrah's Interactive Entertainment division. With the departure last year of World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, Stewart became the top Harrah's executive on site for the 41st tournament, now taking place at the Rio.

The brand, he said, has grown in five years. However, he is shy about taking credit.

"Nearly 2,000 people work on the World Series of Poker every summer," Stewart said. "It's a huge team effort."

Last year, the World Series of Poker attracted a record 60,875 players and handed out a record $174 million in prize money.

So much for the game's demise.

He believes poker fans are "captivated by these larger-than-life characters straight out of central casting."

Stewart has been responsible for expanding the tournament's business side, adding corporate partners previously foreign to poker. Harrah's and the World Series of Poker have multi-year agreements with mainstream companies including Jack Links, Miller Brewing Co., Red Bull, Planters Peanuts and Hershey Co.

The tournament also has a television deal with ESPN that runs through 2017.

Stewart has also increased the tournament's licensing efforts through various products including chip sets, mobile games, apparel and poker tutorial camps.

Initially, mainstream advertisers and sponsors weren't quick about opening their wallets to gambling.

"It takes a special kind of sponsor, one that wants to be relevant and topical," Stewart said. "We've mostly had focused advertisers targeting guys and what guys are into. It was a hard sell initially, but we found some clients that believe and share in the passion."

Question: How hard was it to leave the NFL?

Answer: It was tough to leave the dream job, but I thought this was a tremendous opportunity. Taking nothing away from the NFL, I do believe poker can end up being more global than American football. It lends itself to more participation. Poker is a much bigger industry than people gave it credit for.

Question: Did you find that some corporate sponsors didn't want to be tied to gambling?

Answer: Some companies wouldn't even entertain a dialogue or take a meeting. Then again, they had so many other options, such as blockbuster summer movies, upstart sports leagues and other poker properties. We had to convince them we were the brand leader in poker that transcended the category. It wasn't as much about poker as much as it was about a cultural happening. Having a high level of television exposure on a network like ESPN helped legitimize us.

Question: Is there an area of sponsorship you would like to acquire?

Answer: We're happy with our deep roster of partners. Snack foods, beer and energy drinks are prime targets for us, but I won't be satisfied until we have a men's grooming partner. The problem is most of those companies are in an industry controlled by Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive. Those are organizations that won't have a conversation about (poker).

Question: Are there sponsorships you have turned down?

Answer: We had gentlemen's clubs at our poker expo, but we decided not to take business in that category. We did have a relationship with an erectile dysfunction drug, but that lent itself to too many jokes. We didn't want someone to make a straight next the Levitra logo. That wasn't in our best interest.

Question: What would the legalization of online poker mean to the World Series of Poker?

Answer: It would break down walls and the wave of growth could be bigger than anything we saw after 2003. Harrah's clearly wants to be in position for opportunities should that happen. Clearly it would be a paradigm shift.

Question: What changes have been made to the tournament this year?

Answer: Right now it's about creating new initiatives, like our Tournament of Champions event, and doing things to increase participation. We have a lower buy-in event every weekend to reach the casual audience. We've expanded the size of the poker room to increase the wow factor. We're not afraid to make changes if it helps the game.

Question: How has having the final table of the main event in November changed the tournament?

Answer: We live in a big event world. Poker never felt big. It was always confined to tables in a poker room. To see the stadium atmosphere and stadium scene at that final table is a great feeling.

Question: Do you play poker?

Answer: I do and it always seems like I'm chasing a flush. I cashed in an event and I have a bad beat story. In the casino employees tournament I finished 61st. I went all-in with queens and the other guy had jacks. Only one card could beat me and he got the jack on the river.

There is a large gap between very good professional players and amateur players, but on any given day, anyone can compete.

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871.