by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jan 6, 2012 | Updated on Jan 6, 2012Recently we broke the news that long time pro John Duthie would be ending his time with PokerStars. While that news itself was pretty shocking, most expected him to maintain his position as CEO of the European Poker Tour, an event which he founded. The actual news is that he also is going to step down from that position as well. This news was once again released on the 2+2 forums which has proven to be the source of a lot of the recent news in the industry. According to Duthie himself he is going to take his concerns to the flailing US poker market which he thinks is going to be a point of great opportunity over the next few years.His entire statement reads like this:“It is time to move on and to leave the EPT in the capable hands of the existing management team. It has been a fascinating and challenging seven years and I have watched the EPT grow phenomenally in that time, thanks to the support of the players and the professionalism of a great team on the ground.”There are going to be some amazing opportunities coming up in 2012/13 as the US market prepares to open up business once again and I want to be available to take on new challenges and to cement new relationships moving forward.”“PokerStars have been an interesting partner from the outset and have always proved challenging and dynamic. Currently they are the largest online poker site in the world and their dominance of the European Market is in many ways thanks to the success of the European Poker Tour and the resultant massive exposure on European TV channels.”“The secondary International Tours that spawned from the EPT also gave PokerStars a strong foothold in many other markets.”“I feel very proud to have been part of this growth and look forward to utilizing the knowledge I have gained elsewhere. I wish the new President of the company, Mr. Edgar Stuchly, the best of luck in his position and trust that he will oversee the continued growth of the largest poker tour in the world.”
