Aussie Millions Has Amicable Split From PokerStars

PokerStars is one of the biggest sponsors of live tournament series around the world, but this month the site announced that it would be splitting its extensive number of tours into one of two series called the PokerStars Championship, or the PokerStars Festival.
One stop not mentioned on the list, however, was the ever popular Aussie Millions, and the reason for its omission became apparent after Crown Poker Tournament Director Joel Williams subsequently released a statement that the 2017 Aussie Millions Poker Championship will revert back to being a stand-alone event. He also said that all previous satellites would remain active for the upcoming series scheduled to take place from January 11th to 30th.
The Crown Casino’s Aussie Millions launched back in 1998, and in 2014 became part of the PokerStars-sponsored Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT). Over the years, it has become one of the most prestigious stops of the global poker circuit, and a favorite amongst many of the game’s big name players. Past winners of Aussie Millions events include Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Tony Bloom, Alexander Kostritsyn, and Ari Engel. In 2014, the PokerStars/Aussie Millions partnership then saw its Main Event field grow from 629 players to 668, and although in 2015 that number fell to 648 players, by 2016 the satellites running helped the field to soar to 732 participants, marking the biggest turnout since 2010.
Despite no longer being associated with PokerStars, the Aussie Millions is expected to enjoy continued success in the future, and shedding further light on its departure from the PokerStars sponsorship umbrella, Flushdraw.net writer
Haley Hintze wrote:
“Reasons for the Aussie Millions’ departure from the Stars-branded family events are likely closely tied to the fact that the new Stars tours are designed to promote the PokerStars name, first and foremost. The Aussie Millions, on the other hand, was always unusual among recent Stars-sponsored events in that it long preceded PokerStars’ own creation and rise to online prominence.”