I do understand all the skepticism, but change isn't always a bad thing.
Sometimes changes can bring about bigger and better.
Let's have a little positivity around here ladies and gents!

A % could try, and a percentage of it maybe switch from poker to casino games, ok that's could be an option.
What about a casino addicted that switch to poker, isn't it possible?

What about sport betting? Sport betting is bad for poker? I guess it is different, and the customers are different...
So slots, are different from cards...
Players could switch from poker to slots, but it could go either way...

wrong, sites with sportbooks and casino games also have the "best" poker games

I don't see anything good coming out of it. Pokerstars is fine as it is, hard to imagine what a new guys can do better.

Possible reentry of Stars to the US market isn't good? That's probably why Amaya is saying they're going to basically leave Stars alone.

they've shaved 50k off the $530, 300k gtd

Yes, I've heard that was a non-negotiable explicit demand from Amaya. They were very worried about the Sunday 500.

Surprised with the amounts that Instagram, Whatspp etc... Get compared to this Stars number that was sold.
Tech, social media companies are really where the money's at.

Hahah you think this was because of that. I think this more has to do that alot of their players are playing the WSOP so they wanna protect themselves. Otherwise usually they crush guarantees in most if not all their tournaments.

lol.
ty

I think Stars will never have casino games. If im them ill probably keep both platforms. Might rebrand FTP in the US though. But then use the FTP platform for states that allow online gambling besides poker. Then use Stars for only Poker states.

Agree they also do for xmas and other big holidays.

it's all a joke, every government is wanting their piece of the pie and stars is cashing in on this at the right time imo. This doesn't seems great for the players to me. Segregated player pools all over the world/different states in USA etc. prove me wrong Amaya

Well they sell slot machines right ?

Im guessing now some slot machines will have incorporated the play poker option
in a very easy way insert x coins or money then this allows more people to randomly play a poker game conecting to pokerstars server in anonnymous way

they might have good ideas i think they dont have a well known international comp. aMaya by being stupid

gold

I wonder how Caesars feel about this. If im them im backing Sheldon Adelson to keep online gambling away because there is no way are they gonna compete with Stars unless they do some drastic things.

I was thinkin that but theres been 2 sundays since wsop and gtd have been met. Ya ur right prob just me

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29...d-lol-1449656/

I believe you're wrong. The Russian gambling legislation is similar to the US one and also enforced less thoroughly.

Playing poker, even for real money, out of Russia is (like in the US) not a criminal offence (for the player, regarded as a victim here); disseminating information about gambling and offering it (incl. real money poker) is an offence, but courts are slow at forcing ISPs to block websites because each site requires a special ruling, and Stars can move Russians to a new web domain every day. Those who already have the Stars client installed aren't hurt by this. There have been cases of the biggest ISPs blocking the gaming servers altogether (I believe, on their own behalf), but it will take long until every local ISP is forced to do so (and courts have no legal basis for this).

Stars of course can ban Russia themselves under the new ownership, the reason being that the ISP blocks make it harder for recreational players to sign up, but I'm not sure if they'll decide to do so, let's hope for the best, especially because I've heard of no Ongame skin banning Russia yet.

this is terrible terrible news for the near future with regards to getting any federal pro poker bill passed

amaya just pretty much rendered the ppa's legislative wants completely obsolete. a purchase of this magnitude + the backers/partners amaya has and amaya's business plan means amaya won't allow for a second any kind of poker carveout bill. amaya wants it all legal, adelson wants it all banned. nothing in between seems to have any shot in hell at getting passed

The debt is all fine and stuff as long as everything goes to plan. I am not per se worried about the amount of debt, I am worried about the amount of debt combined with from what I can tell no other (private equity) company backing Amaya for this transaction. This acquisition obviously is very agressive, they wont have much headroom for disappointments under their new structure. And if we can learn anything about the last few years of online poker it's that disappointments happen quite often.

Combine that with the fact that this is an industry that wont be the easiest to secure (quick) additional investments in and I see enough reasons to be worried about this affecting the long-term health of the brands we know as Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker.

I hope Amaya proves able to run a company of this size with this amount of pressure on it, but as I said before I would have been a lot more happy if they had attracted a partner that is experienced in that regard. I am certain that some privately owned private equities would have jumped at the opportunity.

That doesn't work because they had to withdraw from the US because they floated

Amaya's (TSX:AYA) stock has shot up 40%+ today, now trading at C$19.79 on the Toronto Stock exchange.

From the Press Release:
" -- The Transaction will result in Amaya becoming the world's largest
publicly-traded online gaming company. The online poker platforms
PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker are collectively the world's most popular
and profitable online poker brands with more than 85 million registered
players on desktop and mobile devices.

-- For calendar year 2013, pro forma combined revenue, EBITDA and adjusted
EBITDA1 of Amaya and Oldford Group were $1.3 billion, $474.8 million and
$473.8 million, respectively. For 2014, the Corporation is projecting pro
forma adjusted EBITDA, assuming the Transaction had been completed as of
January 1, 2014, of between $600 and $640 million. (Note: do not
understand this date)

-- The Transaction combines complementary businesses with minimal overlap:
Isle of Man-headquartered Rational Group's B2C poker business including
PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, live poker tours and events, and online and
TV poker programming; and Montreal-headquartered Amaya's B2B interactive
and physical casino and lottery gaming solutions.

-- Under the terms of the Transaction, Oldford Group shareholders led by
Mark Scheinberg, founder and Chief Executive Officer, will dispose of
their shares to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amaya. Mr. Scheinberg and
other principals of OIdford Group will resign from all positions with
Oldford Group and its subsidiaries on completion of the Transaction.

-- Rational Group's executive management team will be retained and online
poker services provided by PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker will be
unaffected by the Transaction, with players continuing to enjoy
uninterrupted access to their gaming experience.

-- The boards of directors of both Amaya and Oldford Group unanimously
approved the Agreement.

-- The Transaction will be financed through a combination of cash on hand,
new debt, a private placement of subscription receipts, a private
placement of common shares and a private placement of non-voting
convertible preferred shares.

-- Affiliates of GSO Capital Partners LP ("GSO"), the credit division of The
Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX), have agreed to participate in the debt
financing, to subscribe for $600 million in convertible preferred shares,
and to purchase $55 million of common shares of the Corporation with each
common share priced at C$20 upon closing of the Transaction.

-- An investment manager (the "Investment Manager"), on behalf of its
clients, has agreed to participate in the debt financing, to subscribe
for approximately $270 million in convertible preferred shares, and to
purchase approximately $55 million of subscription receipts.

-- No change related to this Transaction is contemplated for Amaya's Board
of Directors.

Key Point - Timing

"Completion of the Transaction will be subject to the approval by Amaya's shareholders and to customary closing conditions, including receipt of all regulatory approvals and that of the TSX regarding the Transaction and the listing of the common shares issuable in connection with the Transaction, including those underlying the Warrants, the subscription receipts and the convertible preferred shares. Amaya and Oldford Group anticipate that the Transaction will be completed on or about September 30, 2014."

I've never said that russians can't gamble online if they want to.I'm saying there are no legal online gambling allowed in Russia and new PS owners can deicide to pull Pokerstars from Russia just in case.

Terrence Chan runs UP's CS, and he set up the PS support department too (he hired me to work there in fact). Scott Y from the old SNE threads is head of operations there too, so they have the pedigree and they have the PS contacts, but it's still pretty hard to imagine happening.