PokerStars Partners with NBA Philadelphia 76ers
As the company comes down from the high that was the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas, PokerStars is making more big moves in the United States market.
The success of the NAPT’s return after a decade cannot be overstated. PokerStars went from a company shuttered by the US Department of Justice in 2011 to a licensed and prominent online poker site in three American state markets. The company has not only been the first to market two of those states but became the first company to combine its Michigan site to New Jersey. And connecting it all to the return of the NAPT after so many years was a feat, a popular and fruitful one.
PokerStars followed up the NAPT with Formula One experiences for players and employees, as they took in the F1 race in Las Vegas. The company had even more to offer given its multi-year deal with partner Oracle Red Bull Racing.
With that, PokerStars not only announced an online poker tournament series for players in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the company inked a deal with the world-renowned Philadelphia 76ers.
NBA and Poker
Poker and sports have had a longstanding friendship. Professional sports stars from games like tennis, golf, football, and numerous others have taken to the felt to fill their need for competition. PokerStars-affiliated players have included the likes of Neymar Jr and Rafael Nadal.
And when PokerStars USA entered the state of Michigan, it signed a partnership deal with the Detroit Red Wings, a professional hockey team of the NHL (National Hockey League).
This year, PokerStars’ US contingent announced a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, one of the most well-known professional basketball teams in the NBA (National Basketball Association). The partnership is set for one year.
The deal will involve monthly freerolls on PokerStars PA during the NBA season, with merchandise and NBA tickets added to the prize pools.
Notably, the announcement mentioned that this deal comes on the heels of the relaunch of the NAPT, hinting that there may be an NAPT stop for Pennsylvania in the future.
PokerStars North America Senior Marketing Director Rob Batista noted that the entire North American market is an important and growing one for the company. “We look forward to rewarding our Pennsylvania-based community, as well as those across the rest of the US, with even more epic experiences in conjunction with the Philadelphia 76ers,” he said.
25 Days of Tournaments
Of course, PokerStars wouldn’t let the holidays go by without offering a slate of special tournaments in December. That’s why they introduced the 25 Days of Tournaments to players in New Jersey and Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ontario.
The series began on December 5 but run through December 29, so plenty of action is still on the schedule. Buy-ins start low, with each event offering a $10 buy-in level and a $50 one. And as usual, players can also play satellites and freerolls to win tickets and play bigger buy-in events at a discount.
Even more, the 25 Days of Christmas is the larger promotion. It acts as an Advent calendar, with three challenges open to players each day. The player picks one, completes it, and receives a chest containing a prize, which could be cash, prizes, or up to $50 in tournament tickets.
