PokerStars Celebrates 20 Years of Sunday Million with $5M Guaranteed Prize Pool

The Sunday Million. Online poker players know it. For two decades it has been a staple of the online poker world. Now, PokerStars is celebrating the 20th anniversary of this legendary tournament with a major jubilee event. The tournament will be called the “Sunday Million Anniversary 20” and will take place throughout summer 2026. This is a new development.

With a guaranteed prize pool of $5 million, PokerStars is sending a clear message. The buy-in is player-friendly at $109. From June 28 to September 6, 2026, there will be daily Phase 1 heats, with the grand finale on September 6 and 7, 2026. There are many qualification opportunities. Players can get in through satellites starting at just $0.55.

Numbers and facts

The Sunday Million Anniversary 20 is a multifaceted event. The name already reveals the occasion: 20 years of the Sunday Million. The guaranteed prize pool of $5 million is remarkable, as is the direct buy-in of $109. Phase 1 heats run from June 28 to September 6, 2026. Phase 2 Grand Finale is scheduled for September 6 and 7, 2026.

PokerStars makes it easy for players to qualify. Traditional satellites, or qualifying tournaments, start as low as $0.55. There are also special Spin & Go games. These fast 3-player tournaments cost $0.75 or $4. Players can win a $109 Phase 1 ticket in minutes. In addition, there are regional challenges and leaderboards to earn tickets.

A special promotion is the “Sunday Million Anniversary Ticket Machine.” Here, Phase 1 tickets worth $800,000 will be given away between July 13 and September 5, 2026. That’s $100,000 in free tickets weekly. Players must opt-in via the Challenges window in their PokerStars client. Entries for the raffle can be collected in various ways. These include playing two Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs) or eliminating five opponents in Spin & Go games. Playing 75 fast-fold Zoom hands or 100 regular Cash Game hands also count. Each of these six tasks can be completed up to four times per weekly promotional cycle.

"The Sunday Million is a major part of PokerStars' history," said Ashley Chase, Poker Director at PokerStars. "For 20 years, it has been the tournament that players build their weekends around, the one that creates stories, champions, and life-changing moments. For this anniversary edition, we want to celebrate that legacy properly, with a $5 million guaranteed prize pool and an accessible summer-long road to Phase 2 that provides more ways than ever for players to win their way in."

Background

The Sunday Million has a long history. It was originally launched as a freezeout tournament. Later, rebuys and re-entries were introduced. Variations such as Mystery Bounties have also been part of its past. Today, it is primarily a Progressive Knock-Out (PKO) tournament. For this anniversary edition, PokerStars has chosen an extended phased structure. This offers players more flexibility. They can choose from dozens of short Phase 1 flights. Those who bust out early can re-enter another heat.

The PKO format means players can win bounty prizes even during Phase 1. Each player starts with a $25 bounty on their head. Anyone who eliminates an opponent instantly receives 50 percent of that bounty. The other half is added to their own bounty. Players who complete Phase 1 are automatically in the money in Phase 2. The large field, جمعed across ten weeks of starting flights, promises enormous prize pool potential. Vanessa Kade won the largest Sunday Million top prize in 2021. She received $1,514,920.

Why it matters for German players

German players can participate in PokerStars' online poker offerings, provided the operator holds a valid license from the Joint Gaming Authority of the Federal States (GGL). This license is crucial for legality. Offerings without a GGL license are illegal in Germany. However, PokerStars also offers poker, which is not subject to the strict restrictions for online slot machines.

For online slot machines, there are strict rules in Germany. These include a stake limit of 1 euro per spin and a monthly deposit limit of 1,000 euros. These limits also apply to GGL-licensed providers. While poker is usually exempt from this, the GGL also monitors these offerings. Players are registered in the nationwide self-exclusion system LUGAS with all licensed providers. This is intended to combat problem gambling and ensure compliance with deposit limits. It is important to always check the GGL whitelist. Only providers listed there are safe and legal.

What it means for GGL-licensed casinos

The PokerStars promotions show that even in a regulated market, generous prize pools and diverse qualification paths are possible. This can serve as an inspiration for GGL-licensed providers. While there are no comparably large poker tournaments in Germany like the Sunday Million, the concept of smaller buy-ins and many qualification opportunities could be adopted. For online gaming providers with a GGL license, strict regulation means planning certainty. They must comply with all requirements of the German State Treaty on Gambling 2021. This also includes player protection. Anyone wishing to attract players in Germany must submit to this regulation.