TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2018 /CNW/ - 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.
SOURCE The Stars Group Inc.