Asia Gaming Industry Championship Opens APT Championship 2026 With Charity Pledges
The Asia Gaming Industry Championship will kick off APT Championship 2026 in Taipei on November 12, one day before the festival officially begins. The industry-only freezeout starts at 2:00 PM at Red Space, with a TWD 13,000 buy-in and a 30,000-chip starting stack. Registration closes at 5:50 PM.
Four industry figures have pledged at least TWD 600,000 to charity and will donate any prize money they win in the tournament. All contributions will go to the Taiwan Alzheimer's Disease Association.
Event details for industry participants
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Asia Gaming Industry Championship Freezeout |
| Date | Thursday, November 12, 2026 |
| Venue | Red Space, Taipei |
| Start | 2:00 PM, Taipei time |
| Registration closes | 5:50 PM |
| Buy-in | TWD 13,000 |
| Starting stack | 30,000 |
| Format | Freezeout |
Unlike other tournaments on the APT Championship schedule, this event is reserved for people working in the gaming and poker industries. Eligible participants include casino employees, tournament organizers, operators and media personnel, as well as poker celebrities, influencers and vloggers.
Players must present proof of their industry credentials on the day of the event and pay their buy-in at the venue. The winner will take home the festival's first APT Championship Lion Trophy.
Charity pledges total at least TWD 600,000
APT owner Daren Yoon and special advisor Victor Chong have jointly pledged at least TWD 500,000. David Tai, CEO of Chinese Texas Hold'em Poker (CTP) Club, and Raymond Wong, the club's Director of International Marketing, have committed a further TWD 100,000.
All four have also agreed to donate 100% of any prize money they win in the tournament. Their combined pledges therefore stand at a minimum of TWD 600,000, with any winnings to be donated on top of that amount.
The donations will benefit the Taiwan Alzheimer's Disease Association, which supports people with dementia and their families through dementia prevention, care services, education and policy advocacy.
Hsiang Wang Bo won the inaugural event in 2025
The inaugural Asia Gaming Industry Championship attracted 76 entries in 2025. Hsiang Wang Bo defeated his boss David Tai heads-up to claim the title and TWD 225,109 in prize money, approximately USD 7,285.
This year's tournament is listed as Event 0 and takes place ahead of the official APT Championship program, which begins on November 13.
