World’s biggest online poker site grows local staffing as it expands into online casino and sports betting

ONCHAN, Isle of Man – June 1, 2017 – The world’s biggest and most popular online poker site PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand, has opened a brand new office in Quay West, Douglas to accommodate the growing numbers of staff it is hiring in the Isle of Man.

The new office is situated in the Quay West building on Bridge Road in Douglas and can accommodate up to 41 members of staff, with 20 employees currently working from the new office. Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK officially opened the office at a ceremony held yesterday.

“It is always a pleasure to celebrate success and the opening of these offices marks a double success,” said the Chief Minister. “First and foremost it is a reflection of the continuing global success of PokerStars. The second success is that of the Isle of Man itself, in providing a great base for global leaders like PokerStars. Maintaining an island of enterprise and opportunity is a top priority in our Programme of Government. We see the role of Government as ensuring the right environment for business to flourish. Flourishing is exactly what has happened to PokerStars since it set up its headquarters in the Isle of Man, and I congratulate you on your continuing success.”

Gamesman, the international gaming equipment and systems manufacturer, part of the Esterline Corporation, has created a new role within the organisation which brings together the combined skill sets provided by engineering and marketing specialists. The dual Sales Engineer function requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with clients, all set against a strong engineering background and detailed product knowledge.

Explaining the requirements, Sergio Catano who has become Gamesman’s first International Sales Engineer, said: “Essentially, I perform the sales function of technical products across international markets. We create technical and highly engineered products, many of which are bespoke to the client. I have to manage the technology evaluation stage of the sales process, provide technical and commercial proposals supporting the various customer teams – R&D, Purchasing, Production, Quality, and Field Service – through the business cycle of the product. I see myself as an engineer who has a commercial and marketing head.”

Martin Rigby, Gamesman’s Sales Director, believes the creation of a new position is in keeping with trends in modern industry. He stated: “Fundamentally, Gamesman’s success over the last 20-years has been built around its market leading engineering and technical abilities. Whilst our customers haven’t requested it, the idea of combining good sound engineering with a more outward looking perspective on gaming and marketing, appealed as a concept.

“The dual function is becoming a powerful new trend in industrial markets and is a quantum leap from the silo thinking which is inherently inefficient. The Sales Engineer is a highly qualified position which requires great technical skills and product knowledge, the ability to build relationships with clients, and to work effectively in an international teamwork environment.”

Specilaist supplier and technology provider of the online gambling industry, BTOBET is delighted to be taking part in the Russia Gaming week which takes place next week, 7-8th June, in Moscow.

BtoBet’s expert will be on hand to talk to all CIS – East European operators about which technologies they should be adopting and what the trends are in the markets of Russia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe for established online gaming and for new product sets such as eSports.

The Commonwealth Independent states, and Eastern Europe in general, need a different approach to the gaming and betting industry compared to other region of Europe, says BtoBet’s chief executive Kostandina Zafirovska.

“In the majority of the countries in Eastern Europe online casino and sports betting are not regulated or face heavy restrictions,” she said. “Partly as a compensation, these markets have seen a burgeoning interest in online gaming and eSports competitions. As a consequence, today’s bettors in this area are shifting from traditional sports to cybersports, preferring mobile and desktop to shops. It is a factor that operators should bear in mind when they are exploring the potential for these markets, particularly so in the case of Russia where the government recognized competitive video-gaming, eSports, as a sport in 2016.”

Landmark agreement expands supplier’s regulated operations

Malta: 1st June 2017 – Ganapati Malta has reached a company milestone after it was awarded a Class 4 licence by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

The licence means the pioneering online slots developer is now able to offer Malta-licenced operators its top-quality Japanese-themed slots, including blockbuster titles CrypBattle and She Ninja Suzu.

Ganapati is one of the youngest suppliers in the market having launched in September last year, but is backed by industry veterans from Asian and European iGaming.

Supplier aims to make an impression with its latest instant win release

Thursday 1st June, 2017 – IWG – a world leader in supplying online, instant win games – is set to add a new dimension of fun to instant win gaming with the launch of Emoji Money®.

IWG’s latest release draws inspiration from the emoji, which is one of the best-known and frequently used digital messaging techniques in the world.

Developed and designed with a mobile-first approach, Emoji Money® is sure to provide a fun, playful and engaging experience whether playing at home or on the go.

May 2017 – GVC Holdings is pleased to announce it has signed a multi-year content deal with Pariplay Ltd, the iGaming and iLottery technology company, to expand its casino and gaming product portfolio.

The agreement will not only see Pariplay supply its original in-house developed titles but also those of its partners through FUSION, Pariplay’s content aggregator network.

A variety of more than fifty different slot, skill, scratch card, bingo, keno and instant win games will be added to GVC’s casino line-up across multiple brands. The inclusion of classic Atari branded slots Asteroids and Star Raider, as well as modern favourites such as Sharknado and Bloodshot from Valiant Comics, means there is something for everyone. The new content will be seamlessly integrated into GVC’s proprietary gaming platform over the coming months and will be available via PC, mobile and tablet devices.

Welcoming the announcement, GVC’s Chief Product Officer, Liron Snir commented:

Macau – Macau Billionaire Poker has announced that subject to regulatory approval, 2nd edition of MBP Summer Showdown Main Event – “Hope Cup” with a record breaking 20 Million HKD guaranteed prize pool! This will no doubt be the largest guaranteed prize pool in Asia thus far taking place July 27th – August 3rd, 2017.

The “Hope Cup” main event will begin on July 28th and we are accepting buy-ins in person as well as online.  Buy-in is $28,000 HKD (~$3,600 USD) with a limit of 800 players who will play for the guaranteed prize pool of $20 million HKD (~$2.58 million USD).

MBP Summer Showdown Tournament officially begins on July 27 with Hope Cup Main Event to take place beginning July 28th with three Day 1 ABC Flights running from July 28th – July 30th.  July 31st – August 8th we move to Day 2 – 5.  Please note multiple rebuys and re-entries are allowed!

The tournament is back this year with additional events on top of our extremely popular Bounty Events including High Rollers, Deepstacks, and 6-Max vowing to bring players a wide range of choices!