Partypoker and Borgata Plan to Make New Jersey’s Next Poker Millionaire

The promotional battle for early New Jersey market share has moved up a gear as partypoker and the Borgata launch “New Jersey’s Next Poker Millionaire.” One player will receive a million dollars in cash and tournament entries on February 1—the day before Super Bowl XLVIII takes place in East Rutherford New Jersey.

The joint promotion works through a series of satellites to a live eight seat single table tournament to be held at the Borgata in Atlantic City. The eight contestants will be the winners of weekly $10k semi-final qualifying freeroll tournaments.

Between now and January 19, players have four routes to enter the promotion. Daily freerolls award the top 25 finishers seats in the $10k semi-final freeroll, or players can enter satellite tournaments to the semi-final using their player points. Any player depositing $50 will be given a semi-final seat, and all players signing up for new accounts within the seven days prior to a semi-final will also get a free semi-final ticket.

The big $1m number is made up of a WPT Alpha 8 super high roller package ($100K), a WPT World Championship seat ($15K), two entries to $3,500 WPT events held at the Borgata Casino ($7K), 52 tournament entries to the online Sunday $50K ($10,400), $8k in live tournament entries at Borgata in Atlantic City, and the remainder in cash.

None of the other New Jersey licensed sites have yet put up a flagship promotion of this size. Ultimate Poker has a 100% matching $500 first deposit bonus; 888poker has a free $10, and the same deposit bonus which also gives two entries to a daily $10k freeroll. They may be impressive in their own right, but lack the cachet of the headline $1m offered by the Borgata/partypoker partnership.

According to PokerScout, the partnership has already established a market share of over 50%, and the market is now larger than that in Nevada.