PokerStars Adds an $800K Ticket Machine to the Sunday Million Anniversary

PokerStars Adds an $800K Ticket Machine to the Sunday Million Anniversary
Image
Iva Dozet News Editor
Fact Checked: PokerListings
  • Updated: July 17, 2026
  • Read time: 1 min

Turning 20 is a milestone in itself, and PokerStars certainly isn’t one known for doing things by halves. After transforming the Sunday Million into a 10-week festival to mark its twentieth anniversary, the poker room has now revealed another way for players to secure a seat in the $5 million guaranteed event.

This time, instead of battling through satellites and phrase tournaments, players can also earn entries through the newly launched Sunday Million Anniversary Ticket Machine, a promotion set to give away $800,000 worth of Phase 1 tickets over the next eight weeks.

Here’s how it works.

What Is the Sunday Million Anniversary Ticket Machine?

The Ticket Machine is a weekly prize draw designed to reward players simply for playing poker.

Rather than requiring a dedicated promotion or tournament, PokerStars lets players earn entries by completing everyday poker challenges. Every week, $100,000 worth of Sunday Million Anniversary Phase 1 tickets will be distributed through the draw, with a total of $800,000 to be awarded before the promotion concludes.

The promotion runs from July 13 through September 5, lining up with the closing weeks of the Sunday Million Anniversary qualification period.

How to Earn Ticket Machine Entries

To get involved, players first need to opt into the promotion through the Challenges window in the PokerStars client.

From there, completing any of the eligible poker challenges awards entries into that week’s raffle. The available challenges include:

  • Playing two multi-table tournaments.
  • Playing one Sunday Million Anniversary Phase 1 heat.
  • Knocking out five opponents in Spin & Go tournaments.
  • Playing 75 Zoom Poker hands.
  • Playing 25 All-In Poker hands.
  • Playing 100 cash game hands.

Each challenge can be completed up to four times every week, meaning players can collect as many as 24 raffle entries during a single prize period.

Once that’s done, there’s nothing else to worry about. PokerStars automatically enters eligible players into the weekly draw, which takes place every Saturday at 00:05 ET, with winners receiving Phase 1 tickets for the anniversary event.