With the recent wrapping up of the Aussie Millions poker tournament — Australia’s largest — comes renewed attention to Australia’s thriving online poker market.
Much like the WSOP, the Aussie Millions gives regular players a chance to go up against professional players and grab big bucks.
This weekend, 68-year-old David Gorr, an amateur, won the Aussie Millions and took home about two million Aussie bucks. Gorr was up against big-name players like Patrik Antonius and Chris Moorman.
“Along with the cash prize, Gorr walked away with a diamond-encrusted gold bracelet and the sort of bragging rights that poker players travel the world in the hope of winning,” noted the Sydney Morning Herald.
This year’s Aussie Millions drew 721 players and created a $7,210,000 prize pool, according to PokerListings.com.
Despite the recent disappointment over a top-name domain name underselling a few weeks ago, Australia is still seen as one of the developed world’s hotbeds of online gambling. The Australian online gambling market is estimated to be worth about a billion dollars. Considering the modest size of Australia — it has a population of about 20 million, about half of California’s population — that number is healthy, representing an opportunity for Australian-facing casino and poker affiliates.
“Poker has come a long way in Australia,” 2005 WSOP Main Event winner Joe Hachem said. “The game has grown a lot and while it may have plateaued a bit, I think it’s still growing.”