King's Resort Interview | CEO Federico Brunato: Poker should create trends, not blindly follow them.

On July 25, 2026, Federico Brunato, CEO of King's Resort, gave an exclusive interview to PokerNews, discussing the future direction of the live poker industry. He believes that operators who only observe competitors and copy existing models are prone to making hasty decisions lacking long-term planning; the key to truly building competitiveness is to establish their own positioning and continuously create new industry trends.

Brunato believes that poker venues should not only pursue short-term enrollment numbers or higher guaranteed prize pools, but should simultaneously improve aspects such as tournament format, player experience, brand community, and long-term strategy, so that every event becomes part of the brand's development.

From off-the-beaten-path destinations to Europe's bustling poker venues

Over the past decade, King's Resort has gradually evolved from a relatively unknown poker destination into one of the busiest live poker venues in Europe.

Brunato stated that this transformation did not rely on a single large-scale event or short-term marketing campaign, but rather on years of accumulated planning and adjustments. Venues need to set goals in advance, prepare different contingency plans, and continuously improve details after each series.

He summarized King's Resort's strategy into three core directions:

• Set clear and achievable long-term goals in stages.

• Prepare alternative plans for changes in market and number of participants.

• Understand your own strengths and weaknesses, and maintain sufficient ambition.

Brunato has been pushing this development approach since he took office as Poker Director in September 2018. He argues that the poker industry should proactively create new trends, rather than waiting for other brands to succeed and then imitating them.

Guaranteeing a prize pool is not the only answer to a tournament's success.

The live poker market often focuses on guaranteed prize pools in its marketing, but Brunato believes that some operators oversimplify what players actually value.

In his view, simply setting a large guaranteed prize pool and hoping that the number of participants will naturally reach the target is not enough to create a long-term successful tournament brand. Early poker series focused more on building a community and a complete experience around the tournament, rather than just comparing the size of the prize pools of each event.

While a guaranteed prize pool can attract short-term attention, whether players are willing to participate again depends on the schedule, pace of the competition, venue services, and overall atmosphere.

This also means that operators must gain a deeper understanding of the needs of different player groups, and cannot use the number of registrations as the sole criterion for measuring success.

From the starting scoreboard to the complete innovation of the tournament format.

Brunato believes that poker has entered a stage where it can no longer remain stagnant. Players' entertainment habits and expectations for competitions are constantly changing, and fixed patterns that worked in the past may no longer be suitable for today's market.

He proposed several directions for continuous adjustment, including:

• Starting Scoreboard Configuration

• Competition level length

• Poker Variations

• Daily schedule rhythm

• New competition format and event style

These changes do not simply mean shortening the game time, but rather striking a balance between competitive depth, entertainment value, and the time commitment of players.

Brunato points out that the pace of the world is accelerating, and poker tournaments also need to evolve. Operators that simply use tournament structures from years ago risk losing a new generation of players.

Amid the live poker craze, a clear positioning is even more necessary.

The live poker market has remained active in recent years, with the number of series and poker festivals continuing to increase across Europe.

However, Brunato cautioned that strong market demand does not mean all venues should blindly increase the number of events or immediately follow suit simply because competitors launch a certain format.

As event schedules become more congested, brands lacking a clear identity are more easily replaced. Each venue should establish its own positioning and consider what unique offerings it can provide that cannot be easily replicated by other events.

For King's Resort, the long-term goal is not to chase every short-term market trend, but to launch new concepts that other operators can study and reference.

Why does European poker offer more room for innovation?

Brunato believes that live poker in Europe is still actively seeking new formats and development directions, and this market environment actually provides more room for innovation.

In contrast, the US poker industry has a longer history of development, and its existing tournament processes, competition formats, and player habits are quite mature. Therefore, leaving the traditional model often requires facing greater resistance.

Brunato believes that the European market is better positioned to respond quickly to global entertainment trends and attract younger players through new tournament formats. This flexibility could be a significant advantage for the future development of poker in Europe.

This doesn't mean all traditional formats need to be eliminated, but rather that operators must understand how different generations of players allocate their time, choose entertainment content, and expect to gain from live events.

Shift from imitating competition to building a brand

Federico Brunato's core argument is not simply about demanding that events constantly introduce new elements, but rather that innovation must be built upon a clear long-term strategy.

A large guaranteed prize pool alone may not build a loyal player base; a dense tournament schedule alone does not guarantee the formation of a distinctive brand.

From the competition format and pace to the on-site experience, every aspect needs to be designed around the venue's own positioning. Operators should focus on player needs and brand development, rather than repeatedly comparing what competitors are doing.

As live poker continues to grow, the market is not lacking in similar events. What is truly scarce are poker brands that can propose new directions, build communities, and attract players to return long-term.

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