The attendance at the 2008 WSOP has broken previous records and shown that the game is still in a growth period, despite the attempts of the American government to stop it. This year’s WSOP had a record attendance at 57,793, breaking the 2007 record of 54,288. It also broke the prize-pool record from last year with a whopping $180,960,934 in available winnings.

It also broke the record for the largest poker tournament outside the main event with 3,929 players in the No Limit Holdem Event #2. And players from 104 different countries and territories were represented this year, compared to the previous record of 87.

This shows that poker is still growing throughout the world. Despite the economic and political situation in the United States poker is on the rise with more foreign players entering the scene. It should also experience more growth once the laws are changed in the U.S.