Online poker giant PokerStars has signed a deal to again sponsor the Nanjing Millions Tournament in the People’s Republic of China as it looks to aid the growth of poker worldwide.

The CN¥1m (€145,565) event is scheduled to take place in April at the Jiangsu Wutaishan Sports Centre, as part of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT).

The poker tournament has been approved by the Jiangsu Provincial Chess Sports Association, and will be held at the 62,000-seater venue between April 14th and 19th.

The new event sees the partnership between PokerStars and Beijing’s Star Poker Club expanded, with the companies working together to launch the first APPT event to be held on the Chinese mainland in July last year.

“Star Poker Club looks forward to bringing our poker tournaments to the city of Nanjing,” former Asia Player of the Year Jian Yang commented. “The continued partnership with PokerStars.net and APPT China is very exciting as the players in the region continue to show their confidence in attending events sponsored and supported by these groups.”

APPT president Danny McDonagh said that the growth of poker in China had been “tremendous,” adding that his company was committed to supporting its continued expansion.

“Nanjing is a key location that allows players from all over the country to participate,” McDonagh explained. “The previous two Beijing events last year were very successful and we are proud to be a part of this government-supported event”.

Season 9 of the APPT kicked off earlier this year in January, and will encompass eleven events in total across the Asian Pacific region, with tournaments taking place in Macau, Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul and Manila.

Original title by Game Intelligence: PokerStars signs deal to sponsor poker tournament in China