Mike Sexton returns to Party Poker
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In an interesting move that raises questions (at least for some) about the confidence of the company in their ability to return to the US Market, Party Poker announced today that they have re-signed former room host Mike Sexton.
Sexton will act as “host, consultant, ambassador and player for the leading online poker room,” according to a release from Party Gaming. Players who have been around for a few years will remember this as Sexton’s original role with the company, one that ended post-UIGEA.
Sexton is a face recognizable world-wide, but especially familiar to US players due to his role as co-host of the still-popular World Poker Tour series. It seems like a bit too much of a coincidence that Sexton’s re-signing comes only weeks after PartyGaming reached a formal agreement with the US DOJ guaranteeing them not to be prosecuted for pre-UIGEA activities, a deal that many observers believe paved the way (at least in part) for the return of Party to the US Market. One could reach the conclusion that Party is essentially priming their room for a return to the US by reconstructing the site to be just like it was when US players last visited, complete with Sexton’s face and presence up front and center.
Party sang Sexton’s praises in a statement: “Mike is the ‘Ambassador of Poker’ and we hope he gets the acknowledgment he deserves and is inducted into the WSOP Hall of Fame this year. Poker wouldn’t be as popular as it is today if it wasn’t for Mike Sexton.”
