[sobefuddled]

This is at least the third thread on this subject. Those of you who believe that Harrah's is making a fortune off the tournament obviously have not yet worked in the real world. For Harrahs and Vegas in general the WSOP is quite simply the largest trade show in the business. Now the founders of the WSOP knew it had the potential to become what it has become. Doyle Brunson himself talks in his early books about the tough business of marketing the "biggest poker game in the world."
Harrahs and Vegas want the WSOP for the same reason major cities vie for the Olympics and for major trade shows every year. It is not about the event itself. It's about what the event brings to the region/city etc. At its most basic it's about jobs and money. It shouldn't take a winning poker player long to figure out that a tremendous number of people are making money on the WSOP at all levels. If Harrahs is making more than a fair profit I would be very surprised. If they are making more total dollars than most other businesses I wouldn't be surprised. After all, he who takes the biggest risk rightfully stands to make the most money. And lose the most. That's the market in action. Come to think about it, that's also No Limit Hold'em, isn't it?