The announcement was made this week that Formula One is returning to Las Vegas from the 2023 season. With that meaning no fewer than three races will be U.S. based, the elite sports racing circus is sure to bring many more visitors to the Sin City Strip. But is that a good thing for poker or not?
PokerStars and Red Bull Partnership Yields Dividends
The recent partnership that was announced between Red Bull and PokerStars looks to have already yielded a return on the investment and hype displayed by both parties when the deal was done.
The fact is that Formula One and poker go together easily and can often benefit each other. McLaren and partypoker have enjoyed a close relationship for some time now and Red Bull and PokerStars will both consider themselves market leaders in the poker industry, no matter the challenge they face from Mercedes and GGPoker respectively.
The announcement that F1 will go through the streets of Las Vegas, including the famous ‘Strip’ section of Sin City, will excite both poker fans and motor racing team supporters alike. The Red Bull and ‘Stars partnership isn’t purely a sponsorship push. Both organizations have a lot to gain from helping their partner’s growth. Poker players often love car racing and poker would naturally appeal to F1 fans. Rev your engines.
Will the F1 Vegas Race Interrupt WSOP?
It’s difficult to say if the Las Vegas F1 race in 2023 will directly impact the World Series of Poker. There are two current Formula One races that take place in 2022 and with Miami appearing on the schedule in May and Austin, Texas which takes to the track in October. With both the American circuits taking place in different seasons, it’s hard to say whether Vegas would naturally align to be close to either Miami or Texas in the calendar.
There is the geographic distance, too. Miami is in Florida, right over the other side of the country. If a Vegas F1 race took place a fortnight after Floridians got their taste of petrolhead passion, then it would still require the kind of moving operation that defines F1. Almost as tricky as shifting between European locations, it would almost be worth separating each American race in order to stir interest at three different times.
If Las Vegas were to host a Formula One race in June or July, then it would clash with the World Series of Poker. With the number of footfall already on the Strip, this would no doubt create a huge story in the world of both sport and poker. It would possibly cause a real issue in terms of the number of poker players trying to travel through the city, with road closures having a huge effect on the area. We think it would be better for Formula One and poker if both circuses were allowed to exist on their own merit rather than joining forces.
What Happens in Vegas
‘What Happens Here, Only Happens Here.’
As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas. That may be true for the sort of hijinks that poker players often enjoy, but in the world of Formula One, there is a new slogan: ‘What happens here, only happens here’.
Ready to up the ante in 2023 🤩#F1 @Vegas @WynnLasVegas @MGMResortsIntl @CaesarsEnt pic.twitter.com/rRbxJvPsgu
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 31, 2022
There has not been a Formula One race in Las Vegas since 1982 and with a 10-year deal signed, sealed, and delivered like a final lap victory, we can look forward to a ‘Vegas Race’ in F1 until 2032 at the earliest.
While former races took place in the Caesars Palace car park, this time, the fastest cars in the world will take to some of the most famous streets on the planet. The track, which will be 3.8 miles (6.1 kilometers) in length, will go past some of Las Vegas’ most well-known landmarks. There will be 50 laps in the race, including Bally’s on the Strip, which by the time the first Vegas F1 race takes place, will be called the Horseshoe after the rebranding of the casino is completed.
With the Formula One deal with Las Vegas worth $1 billion over the next decade, the potential for growth both on the track and at the tables in Sin City is obvious. Two huge sporting industries are all in together and looking favorites to more than double up.
