Steve Day Says PokerStars Deal Does Not Impact Player Experience

The news of Amaya purchasing PokerStars parent company Rational Group almost instantly gave rise to concerns among players regarding the future of the market leader room. Steve ‘PokerStars Steve’ Day responded to counter these voices.

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Mark and Isai Scheinberg

On 12 June, it was officially announced that Amaya Gaming had purchased the Rational Group for $4.9 billion, meaning the Ongame parent company is now the owner of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The deal has been in the centre of discussion ever since in the poker community with a wide range of questions arisen and concerns voiced. Rumour has even had it that PokerStars would stop accepting players from Canada.

‘PokerStars Steve’ Day, the Director of Poker Room Operations at PS, has posted on the TwoPlusTwo forum to dissolve the worries of the community.

“The short version is that there will be no significant impact on the player experience. We still plan to serve all current markets, including Canada, and to work to grow the game of poker globally,” he wrote. Concerning entering the legalized US markets, Day said it was an exciting opportunity for PokerStars.

The deal also brings about the resignation of CEO Mark Scheinberg, completely withdrawing from the operations of the company. Scheinberg announced the deal and thanked the employees in an email.
An excerpt from the email can be read below:

“Dear Colleagues,

“Today we announced a transaction for the sale of Rational Group to Amaya Gaming Group, a Canadian publicly traded company. This will be the largest deal of its kind in the history of our industry, and follows more than six months of negotiations between the parties.

“Due to regulatory requirements, I could not inform you until a joint press release was issued, which has just happened and which you can read here.

“We can all take pride in having built the world leader in online poker, reflecting all the hard work and commitment from the organization over the last 14 years. Our success and leadership in the industry have been built on incredible talent, integrity, customer focus, a strong work ethic and pride in what we do. This success and these values have been driven by each of you and the contributions you have made.

“This acquisition represents a major vote of confidence in the quality of Rational Group and marks the next phase in the growth story of the Company. It recognizes our achievements to date, and provides great opportunities for future expansion as the company continues to evolve. We have a phenomenal platform from which we can build and grow the business even further, and I’m confident that it will continue to go from strength to strength.

“Amaya Gaming and its Chief Executive David Baazov have a strong vision for the group’s future. Working together with Rational’s executive leadership team I am confident they will execute that vision, which is very much aligned with the course we have been on. Our culture is very strong and Amaya understands that it is our people, our values and our expertise that have made us so successful.

“Amaya is a business-to-business company, with its primary business in North America, where it holds numerous State and Provincial licenses in the U.S. and Canada. Amaya’s core business is complementary to ours, which means that there is very little overlap in our products and services. I therefore expect minimal impact on our operations or your day-to-day work.

“The sale is subject to regulatory approvals, which we expect to receive in the coming weeks. This means the transaction is expected to be completed no later than September 30, 2014. I will remain Chief Executive throughout this period and will continue to be active in the business, working with David Baazov to ensure a smooth transition. Upon the closing of the sale, I will step down from my role as Chairman and CEO. At the same time Isai will also relinquish all of his remaining responsibilities and together we will both depart the company. Our Company Director and fellow founder, Pinhas Shapira, will also step down from his role from that date.”

Meanwhile, PokerStars has also announced that it would implement changes to its VIP Club as of 2015. Day was quick to assure players that it was nothing extraordinary, as the program is reviewed each year in cooperation with player representatives. While this time the review will be much more thorough, it does not have anything to do with the Amaya deal.