The inaugural PartyGammon.com Million, the world's first ever million dollar backgammon tournament, at the famous Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in The Bahamas, is underway with a record prize pool. The winner will collect over $600,000 from a total prize pool of over $1.2 million which is above the expectations of tournament organisers. The guaranteed first prize easily exceeds this year's world championship top prize more than five times over.

A PartyGammon.com spokesman said: "The prize pool is the biggest in backgammon history and takes the game to another level. The Atlantis Grand Ballroom vibrates to the sound of hundreds of dice being thrown, while outside the sound of steel bands and glorious sunshine welcomes the players."

Betting on www.PartyBets.com is competitive. Current favourites are Danish hotshots Sander Lyloff and Henrik Veje. The USA's world number one elect, Nack Ballard has also been well supported and stands out from the crowd in his trademark matching suits and berets. There are eight former world champions and 25 of the top 32 players in the world in the field but much like the poker scene there are young internet hotshots queuing up to steal their crowns.

Players qualified online at www.PartyGammon.com for as little as $2.50 and have a superb package worth $12,500. This includes a $10,000 buy-in for the main event, a 5-night stay in the luxurious Atlantis resort, as well as $800 to cover travel expenses. The PartyGammon.com Million is being filmed for television and then distributed to television networks around the world.

Players arrived on January 21 2007 to a Welcome Cocktail Party and Calcutta Auction. The Grand Finale on January 25 2007 will be followed by a lavish Gala Dinner and the Awards Ceremony.

PartyGammon.com is a popular member of PartyGaming Plc's growing suite of online games that includes PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com, PartyBingo.com, PartyBets.com, Gamebookers.com and EmpirePoker.com. PartyGammon.com burst on the scene in June 2006 and has quickly moved to become the favourite of online backgammon players. The PartyGammon.com Million will set the new world standard for backgammon tournaments. Betting on the event is available at www.PartyBets.com under the Entertainment section.