In a conference call held with members of the media on Wednesday, including PocketFives.com, World Series of Poker (WSOP) officials outlined what appears to be a still-evolving logo policy for 2011. After all, this year’s WSOP is the first following Black Friday on April 15th in which the founders and payment processing heads of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker were indicted in the U.S. The charges included operating an illegal gambling business, bank fraud, and wire fraud.

Speaking about the logo policy, WSOP Vice President Ty Stewart told the assembled members of the media in the hour-long call, “We think this is an issue that is already resolving itself. Some operators have instructed their sponsored players to remove their logos when playing in U.S. events. Some sites have terminated their pros… We don’t expect to see any of these logos show up at the event and these televised tables.”

Whether we’ll see PokerStars, Full Tilt, UB, or Absolute Poker logos during the annual tournament series and at its streamed final tables remains to be seen. One WSOP official equated a person donning a logo of a site that hadn’t yet returned player funds the equivalent of walking into a PETA convention wearing a fur coat.

Stewart added, “We continue to get information in real-time and will handle any conflicts at televised tables if they arise. We’re still in due diligence mode. Our compliance team is in contact with other gaming licensees. Any future changes to our logo policy will be clearly outlined.” Whether the policy, which mandated dot-net logos beginning in 2006, will be formally updated prior to the 2011 WSOP remains to be seen.

On Tuesday, Absolute Poker forged an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to facilitate the return of players’ funds. Full Tilt and PokerStars inked similar agreements in late April, but the latter remains the only room to have processed cashouts. Full Tilt Poker officials originally stated that they would update affected customers this week, but no further announcement has been made.

WSOP officials also told callers this afternoon that a change in tolerated logos could occur: “At this point, we have not made a formal change in tournament rules… It’s inappropriate to say that we wouldn’t take action if something could negatively impact our privileged gaming license. We may have to take steps at televised events if we believe there is risk there. We’re not assuming that will be a problem, and we’re making that assumption through some very educated dialogue.”

Sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker largely abandoned their U.S.-facing marketing campaigns following the Black Friday indictments. Commercials for the two sites are now absent from U.S. television airwaves and shows like GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” have shed their associated site sponsorships.

To that end, Stewart explained that the change in marketing strategy might mean that sponsored pros of PokerStars and Full Tilt will not be wearing logos at the 2011 WSOP. UB.com and Absolute Poker both liquidated their pro teams earlier this week.

On whether we’ll see player suites at the Rio this year, Stewart relayed, “Many of the sites are making their own decisions about their marketing levels… There will be some clearly legal operators in Europe who will have some licensed space [at the Rio].”

Overall, Stewart and company expect a growth in the 2011 WSOP’s vital statistics despite the cutoff of U.S. players from the world’s largest online poker sites and subsequent icing of their bankrolls. Speaking on that topic in an NPR interview that aired on Tuesday, PocketFives.com member Scott DorinVandy Dorin (pictured) admitted to knowing players with “$5 million to $10 million” locked up in cyberspace.

Stewart boasted, “There’s one thing that has been true since 1970: If you’re a poker player and you have a bankroll, then you’re going to be in Vegas for the WSOP… We had players from 117 countries participate last year. We always believe that the poker calendar will somehow revolve around the WSOP. U.S. players are starved for action and they’re going to get a higher return for their investment at the WSOP.”

Whether players have an ample bankroll to make the trip remains to be seen.

The 2011 WSOP begins on the final day of May from the Rio in Sin City. Keep it dialed to PocketFives.com for the latest WSOP news.