Sac State Student Becomes First-Ever UNO World Champion
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento State student was officially crowned the first-ever UNO world champion in an invitational tournament Thursday that culminated the game's year-long 50th-anniversary celebrations.
Aldwin Rodriguez, 20, took home a $50,000 grand prize for winning the tournament, which was held in Las Vegas, according to Holly Rubin with public relations firm Weber Shandwick.
The inaugural UNO Championship Series Invitational Tournament was held in Las Vegas. Approximately 2 million people initially participated in a UNO mobile tournament, which consisted of nearly 30 million matches overall, Rubin said.
Select participants from the mobile tournament, along with players from the anniversary sweepstakes and fans of the game all battled it out in the Vegas tournament.
In addition to the money, Rodriguez, who majors in mechanical engineering, took home a trophy to commemorate his victory.