PokerStars EPT Sochi doubles prize pool

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The Stars Group Inc. today announced that the Sochi stop on the European Poker Tour (EPT), one of several major live poker tournament series sponsored by The Stars Group Inc.'s flagship PokerStars brand, came to an end on Thursday, 29 March with a total prize pool of more than $5 million, almost double its original $2.6 million guarantee. The event attracted 1,342 unique players from 61 different countries and generated a total of 5,297 entries across 17 tournaments.

Four total Platinum Passes to the PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold'em Championship (PSPC), which takes place in January 2019, were awarded to the winners of EPT Sochi's main and headline events. Each Platinum Pass is worth $30,000 and includes a $25,000 PSPC buy-in, accommodation at the Atlantis at Paradise Island Resort and Casino and approximately $2,000 for travel and expenses.

EPT Sochi was the third PokerStars-sponsored event to take place on the Black Sea coast since 2017 and marked the first ever EPT event in Sochi. This EPT stop supports The Stars Group's commitment to the Russian market and contributes to its overall strategy of promoting the game of poker and the PokerStars brand globally, including by building relationships with private operators and working with regulators and government officials.

Past PokerStars-sponsored live poker events in Russia included the inaugural PokerStars Championship Sochi held in May 2017 and the PokerStars Festival Sochi held in October 2017. The EPT, which is regarded in the industry as one of the world's most iconic live poker tours, has this year already stopped in the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and will stop in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Prague later in 2018.