World Series of Poker CEO Ty Stewart Reminds Us Why the Series Is ‘Where Dreams Are Dealt’

^{Ty Stewart stands at the table where the WSOP just awarded the $10 million grand prize to 2026 Main Event champion Lucas Jumalon. (Photo: Sandra Esparza / Casinos.com)}

LAS VEGAS – The world watched this week as nine became one at the World Series of Poker Main Event. Twenty-two-year-old Lucas Jumalon walked away from Horseshoe Las Vegas with the $10 million grand prize, besting a field of 9,208 players to become the second youngest ever to clinch the Championship title.

Jumalon defeated Finland's Lauri Saaskilahti heads-up after leading the final table from start to finish. It was the kind of life-changing moment WSOP CEO Ty Stewart had described to me just hours before the final table began.

“We will absolutely shift the paradigm of what a poker tournament is tonight,” Stewart told Casinos.com just a few hours before the final table began on Monday. “Tonight's event will be live in about 400 million households, around 130 million countries.” 

The numbers are staggering, including the final table making millionaires out of each of the remaining players. For a company whose unofficial motto is "where dreams are dealt," they’re delivering in spades. Nine players walked into the final table as instant millionaires, and Jumalon walked out $10 million richer.

“You are certainly going to see many lives change, but someone's life changed for good,” Stewart said. The prize money, he added, is the “biggest individual prize in all of sports, and the chance to basically become immortal.” 

It was like a fever dream to sit at the final table with Stewart, just a short time from when the players would sit there themselves and play for the biggest stakes in poker. If only I could tell the younger version of myself about this day when I was watching the Series on ESPN from a hotel room on vacation with my family…

The WSOP Main Event Final Table offers family, friends, and spectators a place to cheer for their favorite players. (Photo: courtesy of WSOP)

The final table has been moved from Paris to the Horseshoe, now featuring a single table rather than the three used at Paris earlier this summer. The set includes a seating area near the entrance where family and friends of players will sit, as well as a lucky few spectators. Behind the final table at the far end of the room, there’s a standing-room section where spectators usually wave flags or wear matching clothing to support their favorite player.

This year's set colors — teal green, purple, black, and white — are the main colors highlighting crypto platform provider Solana, the WSOP’s new presenting sponsor. Starting with this year's summer series, players can buy directly into WSOP tournaments using Solana with USDC, USDT, or SOL digital currencies. This is the first time in the Series’ history that a crypto buy-in has been possible, and players will even be able to receive their prize settlements through Solana at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas this December. 

Meet Ty Stewart, the WSOP’s Silent Weapon

Ty Stewart is a tall, imposing figure in an immaculate grey blazer, black shirt, and pants with a discreet WSOP pin fastened on his lapel. He's more approachable than expected this close to the end of the series, with a way of focusing directly on whoever he's talking to that makes the noise around him fade away.

Stewart joined the WSOP in 2005, 21 years ago, after seven years as the NFL's Director of Integrated Marketing and Promotions. He received an MBA in Sports Marketing from the University of Oregon.

“I did internships in college and then went to sports marketing business school,” Stewart said. “I knew Commissioner [Roger] Goodell pretty well in my early days at the NFL. He was great…a little bit of a mentor to many of us.”

He brought a sensibility from the NFL and seems to have applied it to the poker world. He started as the WSOP’s Director of Partnership Marketing, focusing on licensing, sponsorship, and promotional opportunities. He rose in the company to become CEO when NSUS Group acquired the Series for $500 million in 2024. As a result of that deal, Caesars entered into a new agreement granting them the right to continue hosting the WSOP through 2044. 

Stewart’s never been interested in the spotlight. He says that being able to spend 21 years building up the Series is a dream career.

“I want everyone to know [and respect] the World Series of Poker and [let] the work speak for itself,” Stewart said. “This was the best career I ever could have dreamt of. We have all the principles of other main sports, in terms of event management, sponsorship, media content distribution, but getting able to have your fingerprints so deeply into it is really rewarding.” 

Global Domination

With ESPN's return after five years away and the inclusion of media company Omaha Productions this year, the WSOP has a broader global reach than ever. 

Omaha Productions was co-founded in 2020 by NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning.  Stewart says it’s been “fantastic” partnering with Omaha Productions, and what they’re “most proud of this year is the global distribution.” 

“Omaha absolutely helped us with our goal, which was mainstream distribution,” Stewart added. “We've always been about storytelling, trying to be part documentary and part live sport…And so they were a really natural fit with their experience in both.”

Similar to what WSOP’s COO Gregory Chochon discussed with Casinos.com recently, content is king for the WSOP. Stewart echoes this stance completely.

NSUS Group acquired the WSOP from Caesars for $500 million in 2024. NSUS developed and now operates online poker site GGPoker, also known as "The World's Biggest Poker Room." As a result, the Series prioritized content development and distribution.

“Just build the biggest stage that you can,” Stewart said of the Series’ goals. “That's what we have tried to do with this: have world-class production, world-class distribution, try to show a simple hand of cards as being larger than life, and let the stories unfold.”

“The whole world needs to become the poker world,” he said. “We need to retire the idea of being a sort of niche, insular sport, and continue to push ourselves to the mainstream.” 

That mainstream push now includes the power of ESPN's international networks reaching 70 countries in 2026, including Eurosport, Eurosport Asia, and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland. It’s a stark contrast to the early-2000s poker boom, which Stewart says was mostly a North American phenomenon. 

Stewart is widely credited with creating the November 9 format in 2008, which delayed the final table’s conclusion by months to build up anticipation and make it more of an “event.” This year, there was a 20-day break in play for the final table, from July 13 to August 3, which Stewart feels is better suited to the modern-era attention span. 

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^{From Lucas Jumalon's celebration with his rail to Han Feng's showstopping outfit, the 2026 WSOP Main Event delivered plenty of memorable moments both at and away from the table. (Photos: courtesy of WSOP)} 

“I think when we see guys run to the rails to celebrate, [it] feels like part rock concert, part big sporting event,” Stewart says. “It's unlike any other atmosphere in poker. What's also amazing is that you're traditionally supposed to be quiet in a poker room. This is a place where you throw all those rules out the window.”

He’s had the opportunity to talk to many people at the final table throughout his 21 years, and players often say, “It's the most fun they'll ever have.” 

Peering Into the WSOP’s Future

The WSOP has a multi-year agreement with both ESPN and Omaha, and Stewart anticipates refining the format next year. He says that they’re not afraid to make changes as they go, driven by high expectations to be unlike anything else in [its] category. 

“Our number one goal would be, [having the audience say] I've got to play that, put that on my bucket list,” he said. “Does it appear fun? Does it appear something that you would want to be a part of?” 

Lucas Jumalon wins the 2026 WSOP Main Event, celebrating a dream moment with his rail. (Photo: courtesy of WSOP)

When asked about what Stewart’s favorite part of poker is, he said it’s watching people’s emotions when they win.

“Just seeing the emotions…to see poker faces break, see people win, to see people have joy,” he added. “Great sports have the power to bring people together. I think that's what we do.”