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PokerStars Unveils Holiday Special With 25 Days of Tournaments for US & Ontario Players

With PokerStars’ highly acclaimed 25 Days of Tournaments bonanza returning to both the US and Ontario, Canada, players can look forward to opening daily surprises. This holiday promotion, which runs from December 5th through the 29th, is evocative of the thrilling anticipation of an advent calendar in that it promises a surprise tournament every day.

Tons of Goodies for Poker Enthusiasts

Two buy-in levels, $10 and $50, are available in the campaign to accommodate players with varying bankroll amounts. It is available to PokerStars users in New Jersey (PokerStars NJ), Michigan (PokerStars MI), Pennsylvania (PokerStars PA), and Ontario (PokerStars Ontario).

Fans should be ready for an exclusive surprise event each night at 9:00 PM ET, where the tournament’s nature remains veiled in secrecy until 9:00 PM the evening before.

There are more than just surprises to look forward to throughout this event. Side events such as Half-Price Sunday on December 10 and High Roller Sunday on December 17 are also available to participants.

During Half-Price Sunday, PokerStars will host its renowned Sunday major tournaments with a remarkable 50% reduction in buy-ins while retaining the same guarantees, offering an enticing opportunity for all players.

There are 25 Days of events when participants can win additional prizes in addition to the daily mystery events. Among these highly sought-after prizes are unique pieces of merchandise signed by PokerStars North America Team Pros, tickets to live sports events, and bonus tickets worth thousands of dollars.

In all four areas, there will be freerolls every day and week where you can enter to win a share of $1,000 in prizes, so it should be exciting. In addition, the offer adds daily tasks that unlock chests, making the game experience even better.

Keeping the Fire Burning

The 25 Days of Tournaments caps off a successful year for PokerStars, following the triumph of the Fall Fest series. Notably, the previous Main Event on PokerStars’ shared liquidity network, spanning New Jersey and Michigan, surpassed expectations with 824 entries, comfortably surpassing its $200k guarantee by an additional $30.7k. Similarly, the Pennsylvania leg, with a $175,000 guarantee and a $300 buy-in, generated buzz with 607 entrants, slightly falling short and creating a $5,000 overlay.

It certainly proves that PokerStars is dedicated to providing unforgettable experiences. A wide variety of exciting tournament formats were included in earlier iterations of the campaign, including Progressive Knockouts (PKOs), 3-handed Zoom, heads-up, Total Knockouts, Pot-Limit Omaha variations, and many more.

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Online Poker Finally Arrives in Ontario

Ontario’s online gambling market is finally a reality and this represents a lot of renewed optimism about Canada’s gambling sector. Being the very first jurisdiction in the country to take bets within the context of a legal and private online gaming market, it sets the pace for what we can expect in the future.

Going forward, residents of Ontario will be able to wager on casino games as well as sporting events. Other forms of gambling products and services will also be offered online on both mobile apps and web-based platforms. These will, of course, have to be from licensed and regulated operators.

So far, iGaming Ontario has registered an impressive 25 operators. More are expected to be added in the long run but this is certainly a great start. Thankfully, there is a decent number of online poker options. Poker enthusiasts in the jurisdiction now have another amazing option when it comes to enjoying their favorite online poker titles.

Offshore Operations

Now, even though online gaming is now available in Ontario, some of the online poker options will still be offered from offshore sites. Players will not need to worry about the lack of localized content though as the poker operators are taking the new market very seriously.

PokerStars, for instance, will strive to ensure that its customers in Ontario have access to the global poker market as well as its massive player pool. 888poker and GGPoker who are always big brands in the online poker sector also have their sights set on the newly-launched market. There is talk of even more operators coming in.

Two-Tiered System

The launch of online gambling today (Monday, April 4, 2022) came with the creation of a de-factor two-tiered system. As it stands, there are no long-term plans for the system but it is expected to have some far-reaching impacts, especially on poker players.

Commissioned by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the two-tiered system is intended to help with avoiding a blackout period. This means that licensed online poker operators will be operating alongside rivals that have just started the licensing process.

On the bright side, this could help eliminate the possibility of black market operators stepping in where the players have no viable options. The main disadvantage of this is that it might lead to the market having some arguably inferior products and services. Still, this is all work in progress and we will have to wait and see how it all pans out over the coming months.