crown media releases

Crown Melbourne has today announced the 2016 Aussie Millions Poker Championship schedule, Wednesday 13 January to Monday 1 February.

Hosted by Crown Melbourne, one of the world’s leading integrated entertainment resorts, the Aussie Millions transforms Crown into a mecca of the poker world during the peak of the Australian Summer.

With a reputation that ranks it alongside the highly acclaimed World Series of Poker, the Aussie Millions is the marquee event on the Asia Pacific poker calendar that has grown into a major stop on the international poker circuit by majority of the world’s greatest players, since its inception in 1998.

Crown Melbourne’s Tournament Director Joel Williams said “Now in its’ eighteenth year, Crown Melbourne’s Aussie Millions Poker Championship continues to be seen as a ‘must-attend’ on the global poker tour among both recreational players and seasoned pros alike. With a schedule featuring 24 official Championship events, 2016 looms as one of the biggest events yet”.

Every year, an estimated 2,000 players from all across the world descend on Melbourne for the three week poker festival, all with hopes of taking home part of the estimated AUD$30 million prize pool that’s generated each year.

There are few tournaments in the world that offer the kinds of prize pools that the Aussie Millions delivers each year, and in 2016 the schedule will comprise of 24 separate poker events with buy-ins ranging from AUD$1,150 to AUD$250,000. The comprehensive slate of the game’s most popular variations will be on offer and a total of 23 coveted Aussie Millions LK Boutique ‘Championship Rings’ will be awarded to each event winner.

The winner of the Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ will not only walk away with an estimated AUD$1.6 million dollar first prize, but also the one of a kind ‘Main Event’ Champion bracelet designed by LK Boutique valued at over AUD$25,000.

The Aussie Millions has always been known for its prestigious events, and huge prize pools. It was the first championship in the world to introduce a six figure buy-in, and the first again to raise the stakes to AUD$250,000. All the High Stakes events will be back in 2016, with the $25,000, $100,000 & $250,000 Challenges all on the schedule again, assuring the world’s best (and richest) players will make the journey down under.

The poker festival reaches its pinnacle with the Asia-Pacific’s longest-running poker tournament, the grandest spectacle of all poker events and will garner the majority of the media coverage, the coveted $10,600 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ championship, part of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), which is slated to run over eight consecutive days from Sunday 24 January - Sunday 31 January 2016.

The Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ will feature three starting flights; Flight 1 - Sunday 24 January, Flight 2 - Monday 25 January and Flight 3 - Tuesday 26 January.

The prize pools provide a substantial incentive to travel and in addition, each winner will receive a ‘Championship Ring’ for their victory. While the entry fees may sit outside the budget of some players, everyone can qualify via the countless satellite tournaments held during the year and during the event itself, offering players the chance to win a place in the coveted Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ for a fraction of the AUD$10,600 entry fee.

Nearly 100 poker tables will be set up across more the award winning complex to accommodate the thousands of players from around the world who attend Asia-Pacific’s largest poker event.

In terms of prize money, the prestigious Aussie Millions ‘Main Event’ shares the limelight with some of Australia’s other major events including the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open and the AFL Grand Final.

Event: Crown’s 2016 Aussie Millions Poker Championship
Dates: Wednesday 13 January to Monday 1 February 2016
Locations: The Crown Poker Room (Level B2, Crown Entertainment Complex)
Exhibition Hall (Crown Conference Centre)
Media Accreditation: Register your interest via http://www.aussiemillions.com/media-accreditation
Website: www.aussiemillions.com | www.crownpoker.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crownpokerroom
Twitter: www.twitter.com/crownpoker
Hashtag: #crownpoker #aussiemillions #crownmelbourne

For further media information please contact:

Natasha Stipanov
Corporate Affairs
Crown Resorts Limited
Telephone: +61 3 9292 8671
Email: natasha.stipanov@crownresorts.com.au

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Melbourne, Australia. Tuesday, 12 May 2015. Crown Resorts Foundation has today announced that it will host the ‘Crown Resorts Foundation Charity Challenge’. One of the must-see games of the year, the challenge will serve as a fundraiser for Ovarian Cancer Australia and will be contested by the Crown sponsored Melbourne Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL clubs on Saturday, 16 May 2015 at AAMI Park.

Crown Resorts Foundation Advisory Chair Gretel Packer, said today “we saw this game as a wonderful opportunity to work with our NRL partners to benefit the community and support a worthwhile cause. Ovarian cancer is a terrible disease that affects too many women all too frequently. Any funds raised tonight will support Ovarian Cancer Australia and help with the campaign to treat and eradicate ovarian cancer. This event also aims to draw critical attention to the disease in the public and to ensure it has the attention it deserves.”

To kick off the fundraising, the Crown Resorts Foundation has provided a cheque for $20,000 to Ovarian Cancer Australia which will be presented on field prior to kick-off by Crown Resorts Chief Executive Officer Rowen Craigie to Chair of Ovarian Cancer Australia Paula Benson. The contribution will have further significance with the fixture launching the NRL’s Women in League Round. The Crown Resorts Foundation has also pledged to provide a further $1,000 per try scored by Melbourne Storm and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Crown Resorts Foundation is proud to support Ovarian Cancer Australia’s vision - to save lives and ensure that no woman with ovarian cancer walks alone. Ovarian Cancer Australia is a not-for-profit national organisation that provides support and advocacy for people affected by ovarian cancer, either themselves or through someone they love. Ovarian Cancer Australia provides support for women and their families, raises community awareness of ovarian cancer, advocates for improved services for women and promotes research.

Paula Benson, Chair of Ovarian Cancer Australia, said Crown Resorts Foundation’s donation will go a long way in helping the organisation achieve their 25/25 Vision.

“Ovarian cancer has the lowest survival rate of any women’s cancer with a low five year survival rate of 43 per cent, well beyond the average for all cancers. Last February we launched our bold 25/25 Vision which aims to improve the five year survival rate by 25 per cent by the year 2025. We thank Crown Resorts Foundation for their generous donation and valuable support” said Ms Benson.

To further enhance the initiative, the Melbourne Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs will also both be hosting Ovarian Cancer Australia fundraising events to support the ‘Crown Resorts Foundation Charity Challenge’. Significantly, both teams players will have Ovarian Cancer Australia’s logo on their jerseys and also the Ovarian Cancer Australia teal ribbon representing their commitment to the cause. In addition, both teams have generously offered to donate their signed match jerseys as auction items to help raise further funds for Ovarian Cancer Australia.

Storm Chief Executive Officer, Mark Evans, said “Melbourne Storm enjoys a strong relationship with Crown Resorts and we are very pleased to be able to support Ovarian Cancer Australia with the Rabbitohs, through the Crown Resorts Foundation.”

Rabbitohs CEO, John Lee, said: “We’re delighted to be able to help support Ovarian Cancer Australia through our partnership with Crown Resorts and the Crown Resorts Foundation.

“We couldn’t be happier to have the Ovarian Cancer Australia logo feature on our jerseys for the ‘Crown Resorts Foundation Charity Challenge’ match against the Melbourne Storm, and to be helping raise funds for this very worthwhile cause.”

There will also be an opportunity to contribute funds to Ovarian Cancer Australia through online donations. Go to Rabbitohs.com.au later in the week for further information.

Crown is dedicated to making the second ‘Crown Resorts Foundation Charity Challenge’ a huge success for Ovarian Cancer Australia and will be championing for every dollar raised. In 2014, the inaugural year over $44,522.90 was raised for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
 

For further information please contact:

Natasha Stipanov
Corporate Affairs
Crown Resorts
T. 03 9292 8671
E. natasha.stipanov@crownresorts.com.au

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In the Best Convention Centre Hotel category, Crown Metropol Melbourne has been listed within the prestigious top 5 finalists, acknowledged for the hotel’s leading hospitality offerings, contemporary design, spa and dining options and proximity to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Spice Magazine’s full Top 100 listing will be announced in the May issue of the magazine.The annual ranking from the MICE publication names five of Australia’s and New Zealand’s leading hotels, resorts and venues as the winners in each of the 20 categories. 

For information on Crown Events and Conferencing facilities please visit www.crowneventsandconferences.com.au

For more press information and high resolution imagery, please contact Hatching Communications:

Tina Orr
o 9836 2167 ext.7
m 0413 378 081
e tina@hchq.com.au

Genevieve Day
o 9836 2167 ext. 6
m 0488 558 331
e genevieve@hchq.com.a