IMSA Recognizes Poker as a Mind Sport

A new era for poker?

A historic event occurred during the BSOP Millions series in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

On November 16, 2024, the World Poker Federation (WPF) became the ninth official member of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA).

Poker joined other games such as chess, bridge, and Mahjong in achieving recognition as a mental sport.

Reference: The World Poker Federation (WPF) was created in 2022 and is backed by different Latin American poker federations (currently, it brings together 49). For the last two years, WPF has been a candidate to join IMSA as an observer.

Igor 'Federal' Trafane, president of the WPF, said the following at the conference:

“Our mission now is to create the foundations that any major sport has: standard rules, professional training, and international tournaments.”

The recognition of poker as a mind sport is an excellent tool for the fight for the legalization of the game and opens important doors:

• For players: growth of career plans, legality, and access to international events
• For industry workers: more stability and market growth
• For businessmen and sponsors: a safer environment with new opportunities for sponsorships

Likewise, we must acknowledge that the massive recognition of poker as a mind sport faces significant challenges.

Perhaps the most important is the current perception that poker is a game of chance and the need for alliances between different brands. To create a new sustainable infrastructure, several companies (WSOP, WPT, EPT, Triton) and online sites (GGPoker, PokerStars, WPT Global) would need to stop competing and work hand in hand with the WPF.

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