PokerStars looks to grow New Jersey poker market with $1.2m online tournament

New series includes 32 events over 16 days on PokerStarsNJ.com

 

PokerStars has announced the launch of the first New Jersey Championship of Online Poker (NJCOOP), a $1.2m tournament to be played on PokerStarsNJ.com throughout October.

The event, the richest online series ever held in New Jersey, according to PokerStars, will take place from October 15-31 and feature 43 events with entry fees ranging from $15 to $1,000.

PokerStars said the series “demonstrated its commitment to growing poker in the Garden State”, after the vertical has been reporting relatively muted figures in recent months, especially compared to casino.

New Jersey poker revenue was up 10% year-on-year in August, while online casino grew 36%.

The highlight of the NJCOOP is the $200,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event, which will have a $500 buy-in and take place over the final two days of the championship.

The tournament will also go some way to appeasing PokerStars players who are unhappy with recent changes to the PokerStars rewards scheme that took an estimated $20m out of high-volume players’ pockets.

PokerStars said a percentage of that money would be reinvested in growing the game and attracting recreational players.

“I’m so excited that PokerStars is bringing the Championship of Online Poker to New Jersey,” said Jason Somerville, member of Team PokerStars Pro.

“It’s great that players in the region can experience playing in this prestigious festival and the buzz that comes with chasing big prize money and major tournament titles.

“I’m looking forward to playing and streaming NJCOOP on Twitch in my hunt to win a title in its debut year.”