The Covid-19 pandemic has made it impossible for some events to take place –especially gaming events where people have to spend long hours in an enclosed space. One of the major disruptions has happened in the WPT calendar; the bestbet scramble has been pushed forward to a date that is yet to be determined.
bestbet Jacksonville explained that the postponement was necessary given that the daily confirmed Covid-19 cases in the US have been going up since February 2021. In Florida, the current record of daily cases and hospital admissions are on an all-time high. When the pandemic struck at the beginning of 2020, the WPT events featured among the high profile tournaments that were canceled.
Even though a large number of physical tournaments have not taken place as scheduled over the course of the last two years, live events including those organized by WPT have flourished. The venue of the 2021 WPT bestbet was to be Jacksonville Casino but that is now subject to the Covid-19 situation around the state.
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Poker enthusiasts to wait for new dates
The rise in new Covid-19 cases in the United States in general is the main reason for the postponement of the much anticipated WPT bestbet Scramble festival. A visit to the WPT website is met by a notation, “POSTPONED” but lacking in details as to how long the wait is going to be. The official event organizers, WPT, are yet to confirm that the New Jersey poker tournament will not take place but a recent announcement from Jacksonville Casino indicates that all plans have been suspended.
On the twitter post through which the postponement was announced, bestbet Jacksonville stated that the decision to postpone the tournament was arrived at after deliberations by the senior management team of the casino. All events associated with the tournament namely, series satellites and preliminaries have also been put on hold until a later date is announced. As for the bestbet establishment, the tweet went on to announce that it will maintain regular operations.
Public opinion on the postponement
Given that WPT events are highly popularized, it comes as no surprise that many professional poker players and fans would be disappointed at the cancellation. In addition to missing out on an event that they had planned to be a part of, many were of the opinion that the casino was unfair in its decision to postpone this particular event yet allow the rest of the casino activities to go on.
In answer to public criticism, the bestbet Jacksonville Casino management reported that the number of guests who walk into their establishment regularly was easily manageable. As per past WPT events, the casino would have to host a large number of people coming for the bestbet; this influx was worrying as it would necessitate flaunting of Covid-19 containment measures.
Before the casino spoke about their concerns, earlier reports insinuated that the management of Jacksonville was afraid of running into huge operating expenses at an event that would not be packed to expectation. The other rumor that was floated was that the casino had a shortage of dealers. While the latter is possible the latter definitely lacks merit.
Putting in their final word on the postponement, Jacksonville Casino confirmed that the event would still take place but they would be communicating the new dates at a later date.
Covid-19 is camping in Florida
At the start of 2021, it appeared like many countries and jurisdictions within them had finally got a grip on the Covid-19 numbers. The decline was however short-lived because the statistics of new cases are now exploding again. This is the case in Florida and the US at large where the daily average of new cases reported now stands at 81,300.
The contribution of Florida to this nationwide average is 21,683, a clear indication that the pandemic has hit hard in this location. As a matter of fact, the numbers never hit this high, not even when testing was at its peak a few months ago. With these high numbers of cases, it is expected that the rate of hospital admission would take the same trend – Florida has a record of the highest number of hospitalized Covid-19 cases at 11,515.
The good news is that there is now vaccination going on and even with the high infection rate, the mortality rate has drastically reduced.
Why are the Covid-19 numbers going up?
The reason for infection upsurge in various parts of the world differs depending on social habits and rate of virus mutation. The delta variant of the virus which is reportedly vibrant in Florida is fast spreading and kills fast. People could be converging in enclosed spaces more than they did earlier in the year as they seek refuge from the scorching summer sun.
The rate of vaccination is also nominal compared to where it should have been. In a move that is anticipated to change his long stand against mitigation, it has been reported that the Governor of Florida may take some funds off public schools to provide masks for staff and students.
The state of affairs in 2020
When the world came face to face in March of 2020, strict protocols were invoked in an effort to contain the virus. The WPT was one of the major tournaments that were indefinitely suspended. This did not however kill the NJ spirit of poker because the WPT and other betting services providers quickly took to the internet as the next best platform for their offerings. The online version was launched in May 2020 paving way for the first online poker championship to be held in June the same year. The online diversion has kept the sport alive and this has proven that no setback is too strong for poker to bear.
Conclusion
Covid-19 is gradually easing its grip on populations around the world but those that sort alternative platforms like the WPT are way ahead.
