Nguyen Le secured a headline victory at the BetMGM Poker Championship hosted at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, overcoming steep odds to claim the $777,777 top prize. Le, who at one stage was down to a single chip with 11 players remaining, completed a dramatic comeback to defeat Ashish Ghosh in heads-up play.
The $3,500 buy-in event attracted 1,853 entries, generating a prize pool of $5.9 million—nearly double the original $3 million guarantee. The final table saw substantial payouts, with a deal struck among the top three finishers. Ghosh collected $752,282 and Yaniv Peretz took home $590,348.
For Le, this result marks his largest career cash, surpassing total live earnings recorded prior to the tournament. Earlier this year, he won $425,000 at the Borgata Winter Poker Open Powered by BetMGM in a heads-up deal.
Since its debut in 2022, the BetMGM Poker Championship has recorded significant growth. The inaugural edition drew 343 entries with a $1.1 million prize pool, compared to this year’s figures reflecting a 440% rise in participation and a 436% increase in prize money.
More than 110 players from BetMGM Poker markets—including New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ontario—qualified for the Las Vegas event through online satellites, securing packages that covered tournament entry, accommodations at ARIA, travel credits, and merchandise.
BetMGM continues to integrate its loyalty program across verticals, with players able to earn BetMGM Rewards Points and Tier Credits that convert to digital bonuses, MGM Rewards Points, or Marriott Bonvoy Points. As part of its growth, BetMGM maintains a strong focus on responsible gaming, leveraging tools like GameSense—developed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and used across MGM Resorts properties—to support player well-being both online and on-site.
“It’s wonderful. Obviously, you’ve got to be lucky to get this far from a field like this. It feels amazing,” said Le.
David Mileaf, BetMGM’s Senior Manager of Poker Operations, said, “Congratulations to Nguyen Le on possibly the most epic poker comeback of the summer that captured the wild swings and emotions of poker. Thank you to the players and to our partner, MGM Resorts International, for making this year’s event a record-breaking success.”
Ryan Kirk, ARIA’s Director of Poker Operations, said, “When our collaboration with BetMGM began in 2022, we were excited to offer a $1 million guaranteed prize pool for the championship event. Due to the partnership’s tremendous growth over the last three years, we were able to award nearly $1 million to the event champion while offering close to a $6 million prize pool. We couldn’t be more proud and look forward to what the future holds.”
