BetMGM announced Tuesday that Darren Elias has been selected to serve as the latest brand ambassador for the partypoker US Network.
Elias, a four-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion, will represent the network — which is active in the Garden State and includes operators BetMGM Poker NJ, Borgata Poker NJ and partypoker NJ – by promoting, and also participating in, various online events scheduled across the network’s live markets.
The first event in which Elias will participate as the new brand ambassador will be the first-ever WPT Online Borgata Poker Open, to be held in New Jersey from September 19 to September 21. The event features a $3,500 buy-in with a $1 million guaranteed prize pool and a live-streamed final table.
“As partypoker US Network continues to expand, I’m excited to grow with them and bring accessible, championship-level online poker to players across the US,” Elias said, adding that he believes the upcoming Borgata Open “can fill a void left by the postponement of many live events this season. I hope to ‘see’ many of friends on the felt, as we all try to put our name on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.”
Elias is currently ranked 123rd on the All Time Money List, with live earnings totaling just under $8.7 million. He also ranks 62nd on the US All Time Money List and is in 4th place on New Jersey’s All Time Money List.
The 34-year-old New Jersey resident and poker icon has won four WPT titles, clinching his first at the Borgata Poker Open in September 2014, where he also won nearly $844k. He is the all-time WPT leader in wins, final tables and cashes.
Matthew Sunderland, vice president of gaming for BetMGM, described Elias as having been a “strong advocate for the game of poker” during his 15-year professional career. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to the partypoker US Network team and look forward to working together to elevate our brand and drive awareness for the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open and beyond.”
Elias joins professional poker players Isaac Haxton, Nikita “Mikita” Bodyakovskiy, João Simão and Patrick Leonard as poker ambassadors for the partypoker US Network. Actor Kevin Hart, director John Duthie and boxer Carl Froch also serve as poker ambassadors for the network.
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WPT and BetMGM NJ announced last month that the inaugural WPT Online Borgata Poker Open would be held on the last three days of the partypoker US Network Festival — from September 19 through September 21. The festival itself runs in New Jersey from September 12 to September 21.
The network held a freeroll tournament, where it awarded 10 players entry to the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open, on August 29.
Only eligible players in the Garden State may participate in the WPT Online Borgata Poker Open. Players may join the event through BorgataPoker.com, BetMGMPoker.com or NJ.PartyPoker.com, but they must be physically located within New Jersey to register and play in the tournament.
All of the events are powered by the partypoker US Network, a network unique to New Jersey that includes a shared player pool through BetMGM Poker NJ, Borgata Poker NJ and partypoker NJ. BetMGM is a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain.
