PokerStars Launches New Italian Poker Challenge Festival in Campione

PokerStars has announced a new addition to its live events calendar: the Italian Poker Challenge, a fresh, independent series set to run at Casinò di Campione from June 30 to July 7, 2025. Despite consolidating most regional tours under the PokerStars Open brand earlier this year, the operator is returning to Campione for a standalone festival—just three months after the record-setting PokerStars Open held at the same venue.

According to PokerIndustry PRO, the new event reinforces PokerStars' commitment to Italy’s resurging live poker scene and its strategic relationship with both Casinò di Campione and Sisal Poker, the Italian brand PokerStars acquired in 2022.

The eight-day festival will include 28 tournaments, headlined by a €770 Main Event with a €700,000 guarantee. While the full schedule is yet to be released, several key events have already been confirmed, including a €330 Mystery Bounty, a €440 Pot-Limit Omaha, and a €1,500 High Roller.

As with other PokerStars live stops, the Silver Pass promotion will be in play, offering players a full Main Event and Mystery Bounty entry, with the remainder of the $2,500 package usable for travel and accommodation. These packages will be awarded via PokerStars’ promotional channels.

This new festival builds on the massive success of March’s PokerStars Open Campione, which more than doubled its Main Event guarantee and awarded over €4.5 million in total prize money. Campione’s poker room director, Luca Pagano, praised both the turnout and the venue’s integrity measures, calling the current period a “golden age” for poker in the region.

The launch of the Italian Poker Challenge marks a slight divergence from PokerStars’ recent strategy to consolidate its regional brands—such as Eureka, UKIPT, and FPS—under the unified PokerStars Open umbrella. While most events were streamlined, some festivals and partnerships remained outside that branding, including Lex Live, the Swiss Poker Series, and Spain’s CEP, where PokerStars remains a title sponsor.

This flexible approach to branding isn’t new. PokerStars previously attempted a similar consolidation in 2016 with the creation of PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival, replacing long-standing names like the EPT and PCA, only to revert a year later due to player demand.

Alongside its European strategy, PokerStars is also rebuilding its presence in the U.S. with the return of the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) and PokerStars Open stops like Philadelphia earlier this year. Although no further U.S. regional festivals have been confirmed, the launch of the Italian Poker Challenge suggests that PokerStars remains open to adapting its branding where it sees opportunity.

By launching the Italian Poker Challenge in Campione, PokerStars is responding to a proven appetite for live poker in Italy. Backed by a strong venue partnership and significant guarantees, this standalone festival reaffirms the brand’s flexibility and willingness to invest in local markets—regardless of whether they fall under the PokerStars Open umbrella.