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NLL Executive of the Year Fought Hard in WSOP
How Casino Events Like the WSOP Can Help Lacrosse Boost Publicity
The World Series of Poker is one of the most anticipated casino gaming sporting events held in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino for the month of July. One person that has headlined during the WSOP Main Event was the recently declared National Lacrosse League Executive of the Year, Toronto Rock Lacrosse Team owner Jamie Dawick. It’s still quite rare to see a prominent Lacrosse official in a casino-resort, duelling with top players in one of the most prestigious card game tournaments of the world. So what is he doing there, exactly?
Being A WSOP veteran
Dawick, who became Toronto Rock’s owner and president after the 2009 season, is also known as an avid poker player and a veteran of the WSOP. This July’s Main Event competition was his 10th in attendance and his second best performance recorded. “In 2007, Dawick posted his best finish in the Main Event by finishing in 363rd place and winning $34,664 in casino-poker earnings. American Jerry Yang won the Main Event in ’07 and took home $8.25 million,” the National Lacrosse League website highlights. “Dawick saw himself saying farewell to the Rio Casino on Friday afternoon after starting the day with 170,500 chips. Finishing in 428th spot, he earned $28,063,” Although it’s still not a common sight to see famed lacrosse personas in popular televised casino-sponsored events like the WSOP, Dawick’s presence is stirring up increased media attention, not just for himself but to the sport he represents.
The Lacrosse-Casino Gaming Connection
„This is the only event like it – you can just pay your money, and you're playing with the best,“ LaxMagazine.com quotes the current NLL Executive of the Year. „You show up, get your entrance, and then you're sitting next to Doyle Brunson.“ In the WSOP, aspiring players can enter the events by earning their way in via satellite tournaments, qualifying in online poker tournaments sponsored by Bwin.Party, or paying a $10,000 cash fee for a seat. Bwin.Party is one of Europe’s leading online gaming companies. The company operates forerunner casino internet gaming site partycasino, as well as other gaming services like poker and bingo. “Since he purchased the Rock in 2009, he's made it a point to wear team gear on the tables, which has led to quite a few chats with fans of the game. And it never hurts that he made it on a featured table during that 2009 Main Event, seated between Alexander – who you may also recognize as George Costanza of Seinfeld – and Raymer, who won the 2004 event,” Lax Magazine furthers. Donning Rock Team regalia, Dawick got his team plenty of media exposure.
The Complementing Factor
With poker transitioning from just a casino game to an increasingly popular mind sport, other sports like lacrosse can be aided in terms of increased exposure and awareness. Poker and lacrosse’s common denominator, which is its advocacy to be recognized in the future as an Olympic sport, can even help in developing mutual relations with each other. Since lacrosse is still developing in Slovakia, getting air time in events like the WSOP is just one of many ways to gain media coverage and public awareness. Jamie Dawick is a fine example of mixing business with pleasure, with the added bonus of forwarding his advocacy of making lacrosse more popular.
