Before competing in a televised WPT event, all participants are obliged to sign a filming release form. Offering your signature thereby gives WPT rights to the promotion of your face and name within their brand.
Established players such as Andy Bloch have therefore decided to bypass the WPT this year claiming that the release form is too broad and fails to acknowledge the effect of the name players being present.
Although more players may well follow Bloch's advice, it is difficult to see the WPT's success and popularity slowing down. The dominate organisation in televised poker has made a handful of recent moves towards worldwide recognition, so, with numbers and prize pools increasing every year, losing the odd famous player will be a mere drop in the ocean.
Unless, of course, tikay refuses to play…