The launch of the new PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel platform has been filling the poker media headlines this past week. Bringing two online gambling powerhouses together, PokerStars x FanDuel represents one of the biggest developments in the history of regulated US online poker.
The new platform comes with a new desktop client, a new mobile app, and a big welcome bonus available to all players (including those who already have a FanDuel account). And it’s bringing the Sunday Million brand to the United States for the first time since Black Friday.
In case you’ve missed the news, FanDuel Poker will be hosting two tournaments on April 12, both dubbed the Sunday Million. With buy-ins of $109 and $1,100, respectively, each event features a guaranteed prize pool of $500k for a combined $1 million in guarantees.
Not to get too excited, the operator has already hinted at the possibility that these tournaments could be one-offs and not regular features moving forward. Even so, the decision to bring Sunday Million to the US is quite telling.
is Live!
- Special Launch Welcome Offer: $1000 deposit bonus for all!
- Play the Sunday Million and $150k freeroll series
- All new software and three-state online poker network
Rebuilding the Legacy
PokerStars has built its brand primarily as the go-to place for the largest and most generous online tournaments. For a long time, it had no real competition in the international market, and Sunday Million, a weekly tournament with at least $1,000,000 up for grabs every week, played a massive role in building this image.
In recent years though, the Sunday Million has lost some of its shine, and on the international platform, it is no longer a weekly occurrence. Instead, we see it make an appearance during some major events and festivals.
When it comes to the US specifically, setting up tournaments with massive guarantees has always been a challenge. Even with combined interstate networks, the size of the market remains relatively small, making it hard for the operator to attract enough players to justify large guarantees.
Yet, despite all of these issues, FanDuel Poker has decided to bring the Sunday Million to the United States and offer a cool million in guarantees spread across two tournaments. Even with a bunch of free satellite tickets given away leading up to the event, there is a very real risk that the tournament will fail to hit its target and result in a significant overlay.
This indicates a determination to rebuild and restore the PokerStars legacy on the new platform. It is impossible to predict the future, but this is certainly what one could define as a grand gesture. FanDuel Poker had endless options to promote its launch, but it chose to attach the name of Sunday Million, PokerStars’ most famous and longest-running tournament, to the new brand right from the get-go.
What’s the Future of Sunday Million in the US?
As we’ve explained already, the operator is taking a cautious approach regarding the future of the Sunday Million. While all players would love to see it become a regular weekly feature, like it used to be on the international platform, it’s probably not realistic right off the bat.
At the same time, if FanDuel PokerStars didn’t have some sort of vision for the future, they probably wouldn’t have introduced the Sunday Million brand to begin with.
A lot of it will come down to how things pan out for the first two events and what kind of traffic the new platform can produce. Early indicators are very good, showing that the idea of bringing players from the casino and betting side of things over to poker could be very successful.
Is Sunday Million here to stay? Only time will tell, but the fact is that tournaments with such big guarantees, even if they were to take place on a monthly basis, would significantly contribute to the online tournament landscape in the United States.
