The Stars Group is to make history, as its PokerStars brand gets set to host the “richest and biggest-ever $25,000 poker tournament”.
A total of 1,039 individuals from all over world entered the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship, which generated a record breaking $26,455,500 prize pool which is to be awarded to 181 players, including $5.1m for the winner who is to be crowned when the tournament concludes on Thursday (January 10, 2019).
Players descended upon the Bahamas’ Atlantis Resort and Casino for the event, which will see the final table alone produce six millionaires.
“Passion and interest in poker is alive and well in 2019, and this tournament highlights the global excitement for the game,” commented Eric Hollreiser, PokerStars director of poker marketing. “Tens of thousands of players participated in a year of unique promotions leading up to the event, and that enthusiasm delivered one of the most exciting events in poker history.”
These record breaking efforts come as The Stars Group’s flagship poker brand joins BetStars to launch their online and mobile poker, sports betting and casino products on the newly regulated Swedish market.
Players in the Scandinavian nation are to gain full access to poker games and tournaments at PokerStars.se and FullTilt.se, initially approximately 370 markets across 25 sports and specialist betting options at BetStars.se and 490 games at PokerStarsCasino.se and FullTilt.se.
Guy Templer, chief operating officer of Stars Interactive Group, said of the launch, after regulator Lotteriinspektionen gave the firm the green light last month: “We’re proud to offer our full range of PokerStars and BetStars products under Sweden’s new regulatory framework.
“Clear regulation is a big step forward for Sweden’s players and its licensed online betting and gaming industry, and provides us with a great opportunity to offer our products and services to Swedish customers.”