MONTREAL, Oct. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Amaya Inc.
(Nasdaq: AYA, TSX: AYA) ("Amaya") has announced that it is limiting
its daily fantasy sports ("DFS") brand StarsDraft from operating
real money games and tournaments in most U.S. states following a
review of recent developments in a number of jurisdictions.
The decision is not anticipated to have a negative financial impact
on Amaya. StarsDraft players in all jurisdictions will
continue to have access to the funds in their online accounts,
which are available for withdrawal at any time.
We have previously called for state regulation and licensing of
DFS to ensure consumer protection and strict government oversight
of operators. Prior to the launch of StarsDraft and based on
a thorough review of the regulatory environment at the time, Amaya
decided not to launch StarsDraft in jurisdictions where many of our
competitors continue to operate today, including Michigan. We
recently withdrew from Florida and
Nevada, where last week the
respected Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) determined that DFS
operators in that State are required to obtain a gaming license
from the NGCB. Amaya supports the decision by the NGCB, and
believes that it is prudent to limit the StarsDraft offering until
such time as more states adopt a clear stance on daily fantasy
sports.
We will actively monitor developments and work with all states
interested in implementing clear guidelines for the operation of
daily fantasy sports in their jurisdiction. In the meantime,
StarsDraft intends to focus operations in states with favorable
existing daily fantasy sports guidance, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Kansas and Maryland.
Amaya entered the daily fantasy sports industry a little over a
month ago when it acquired Victiv and re-launched it as StarsDraft,
bringing its global experience in gaming regulation and best
practices with respect to compliance, security, responsible gaming
and player fund protection. Amaya is currently the most licensed
online gaming operator in the world.
ABOUT AMAYA
Amaya is a leading provider of
technology-based solutions, products and services in the global
gaming and interactive entertainment industries. Amaya owns gaming
and related consumer businesses and brands including PokerStars,
Full Tilt, StarsDraft, the European Poker Tour, PokerStars
Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour and the Asia Pacific
Poker Tour. These brands have more than 95 million cumulative
registered customers globally and collectively form the largest
poker business in the world, comprising online poker games and
tournaments, live poker competitions, branded poker rooms in
popular casinos in major cities around the world, and poker
programming created for television and online audiences. Amaya,
through certain of these brands, also offers non-poker gaming
products, including casino, sportsbook and daily fantasy sports.
Amaya has various gaming and gaming-related licenses or approvals
throughout the world, including from the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Estonia, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Romania, the Isle of
Man, Malta, the state of
Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, the province of Quebec in Canada, and the State of New Jersey in the United States.
SOURCE Amaya Inc.