Australia’s Premier Poker Event is Back: Aussie Millions Returns After Six-Year Drought

Arguably the poker world’s most anticipated announcement of 2025 has finally arrived. Crown Melbourne officially confirmed that the legendary Aussie Millions will return in April 2026, ending a painful six-year absence that left Australia’s poker community wondering if their flagship tournament would ever come back.

The Aussie Millions will make its return next year in a new slot, from April 24 to May 10. The series features 18 events with buy-ins ranging from AU$1,500 to AU$25,000. The Main Event will maintain the AU$10,600 Main Event price point. AU$14 million is guaranteed across the schedule.

Further details, including the other events and a live satellite schedule, are expected soon.

Six Years Waiting

The series, widely regarded as the most prestigious tournament in the Southern Hemisphere, last ran in January 2020 with 820 players in the Main Event. That tournament, held just before the global COVID-19 outbreak, would prove to be the final edition until now.

What followed was a perfect storm of challenges. The pandemic shut down live poker globally, but Crown Melbourne faced additional hurdles that extended far beyond health restrictions. Money laundering investigations and regulatory scrutiny created uncertainty that persisted long after other venues resumed operations.

The breakthrough came with Crown Melbourne’s leadership overhaul. In March 2025, the casino appointed MGM executive Ed Domingo as CEO, replacing previous management tainted by scandal. Domingo’s experience with major casino operations and commitment to restoring Crown’s reputation proved instrumental in reviving the tournament.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming Aussie Millions back to Crown Melbourne after six years and reestablishing the tournament as a must-visit on the international calendar for amateurs and elite competitors alike,” Domingo stated in the official announcement.

From Humble Beginnings to Poker Powerhouse

The Aussie Millions journey began modestly in 1998 as the Crown Australian Poker Championship. That first tournament attracted just 74 players with a AU$74,000 prize pool, played in the now-extinct Limit Hold’em format.

The tournament’s evolution mirrors poker’s global expansion. By 2003, it had doubled its buy-in to AU$10,000 and attracted 122 international players. The series truly hit its stride in the mid-2000s, with the 2019 edition setting records with 822 players and AU$8.22 million in prize money.

Innovation became the tournament’s trademark. The AU$100,000 Challenge, introduced in 2006, was billed as the highest buy-in tournament in poker history at the time. Even more ambitious was the AU$250,000 Challenge launched in 2011, attracting legends like Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, and Tom Dwan.

The 2020 tournament nearly matched the all-time record with 820 entries, but it would become the series finale as the world changed dramatically just weeks later.

Satellite Uncertainty in Australia’s Online Poker Desert

The tournament’s return carries extra significance for Australian poker players, who have been effectively cut off from the global online poker ecosystem since 2017. The Interactive Gambling Amendment Act forced major operators like PokerStars and PartyPoker to exit the market, creating what industry experts describe as a “black market” situation.

This regulatory isolation means Australian players cannot access international player pools or participate in the massive online tournament series that define modern poker. Unlike players in Europe or North America, Australians face a binary choice between unregulated offshore sites or live tournaments.

The satellite qualification landscape tells an interesting story. More than half the 2019 Main Event field qualified through satellites, but these were live satellites held at Crown Melbourne itself – the online poker blackout had already been in effect for two years by then. Before the 2017 blackout, online satellites from operators like PokerStars provided additional qualification paths, but those disappeared along with legal online poker access.

For 2026, live satellites will almost certainly return to Crown Melbourne, providing Australian players with affordable paths to the bigger buy-ins. The casino has historically run extensive satellite programs leading up to the Main Event, with buy-ins starting as low as AU$250.

The bigger question mark hangs over online satellites for international players. GGPoker and WPT Global don’t accept Australian players but operate in many Asia-Pacific countries, so could make sense as an online satellite partner in the region.In particular, New Zealand online poker is currently going through local regulation which will go live some time in 2026.

For Australian players, the tournament represents something unique: a legitimate, world-class poker tournament accessible without legal complications. This may actually benefit live attendance, as six years of pent-up demand combined with the online poker drought creates conditions where local players are particularly eager for tournament opportunities.

The April-May timing also positions the tournament uniquely on the global poker calendar, potentially avoiding conflicts with European and American series while taking advantage of Melbourne’s pleasant autumn weather.

With 18 events and AU$14 million in guarantees, the 2026 Aussie Millions promises to reclaim its status as the premier poker destination in the Southern Hemisphere. For a poker community that has endured scandal, pandemic, and regulatory isolation, the tournament’s return signals that live poker in Australia is finally ready to deal again.