TORONTO, January 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
The Stars Group Inc. announced today that the recent PokerStars Winter Series exceeded its original $25,410,000 prize-pool guarantee, reaching a total $38,013,576. The Winter Series online poker tournaments, which offered a broad range of buy-ins, ran from December 25 to January 7, marking the first time ever that PokerStars has held a big guarantee poker tournament series during the holiday period. The series attracted close to 203,000 unique players for a total 1.3 million entries across 152 tournaments.
The Winter Series success follows The Stars Group's September 2017 announcement that its major annual online poker tournament series, the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), became the second-largest ever online poker series by exceeding its advertised guarantee of $60 million and paying out $90.6 million, a 16.5% increase over WCOOP 2016. The WCOOP 2017 was only surpassed by the 2017 PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), which paid out more than $93 million, an industry record.
The Winter Series was the first PokerStars online series to award Platinum Passes to the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold'em Championship (PSPC), the $25,000 buy-in poker tournament that is a key focus point of PokerStars promotions and player rewards throughout 2018. The winners of each of the tournament's main events each secured a Platinum Pass on top of their regular winnings and a fifth Platinum Pass was also awarded to the winner of a series-wide PokerStars lottery-style tournament. Worth approximately $30,000 each, every Platinum Pass includes the $25,000 tournament buy-in, accommodation at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas during the PSPC in January 2019, and around $2,000 for expenses and travel.
About The Stars Group
The Stars Group is a leading provider of technology-based products and services in the global gaming and interactive entertainment industries. Through its Stars Interactive Group gaming division, The Stars Group ultimately owns gaming and related consumer businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, BetStars, Full Tilt, and the PokerStars Festival, PokerStars MEGASTACK, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, European Poker Tour, Latin American Poker Tour and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour live poker tour and event brands. These brands together have more than 115 million registered customers globally and collectively form the largest poker business in the world, comprising online poker games and tournaments, sponsored live poker competitions, marketing arrangements for branded poker rooms in popular casinos in major cities around the world, and poker programming and content created for television and online audiences. The Stars Group, through certain of these brands, also offers non-poker gaming products, including casino and sportsbook. The Stars Group, through certain of its subsidiaries, is licensed or approved to offer, or offers under third party licenses or approvals, its products and services in various jurisdictions throughout the world, including in Europe, both within and outside of the European Union, the Americas and elsewhere. In particular, PokerStars is the world's most licensed online gaming brand, holding licenses or related operating approvals in 17 jurisdictions.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements and Other Information
This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements can, but may not always, be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "would", "should", "believe", and similar references to future periods or the negatives of these words and expressions. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Please refer to The Stars Group's most recent annual information form and annual and interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for more information about the factors, assumptions and risks that may apply to The Star's Group's forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof, and The Stars Group undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Eric Hollreiser: Press@starsgroup.com
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