Amaya Gaming Group acquires Rational Group for $4.9 bn

Amaya Gaming Group has agreed to acquire PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker’s parent company Rational Group, the world’s largest poker business for an agrregate purchase price of $4.9 billion, including certain deferred payments and subject to certain other customary adjustments.

Following this acquisition, Amaya will become the world’s largest publicly-traded online gaming company, as 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. Online poker services provided by both operators will be unaffected, with players continuing to enjoy uninterrupted access to their accounts.

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.

 “This is a transformative acquisition for Amaya, strengthening our core B2B operations with a consumer online powerhouse that creates a scalable global platform for growth,” said David Baazov, CEO of Amaya. “Mark Scheinberg pioneered the online poker industry, building a remarkable business and earning the trust of millions of poker players by delivering the industry’s best game experiences, customer service and online security. Working with the experienced executive team at Rational Group, Amaya will continue that tradition of excellence and accelerate growth into new markets and verticals”. Rational Group Founder and CEO Mark Scheinberg said: “I am incredibly proud of the business Isai and I have built over the last 14 years, creating the world’s biggest poker company and a leader in the iGaming space. Our achievements and this transaction are an affirmation of the hard work, expertise and dedication of our staff, which I am confident will continue to drive the company’s success. The values and integrity, which have shaped this company are deeply ingrained in its DNA. David Baazov has a strong vision for the future of the Rational Group which will lead the company to new heights”.

Amaya believes the transaction will expedite the entry of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker into regulated markets in which Amaya already holds a footprint, particularly the US. Additionally, Amaya will provide an extensive selection of its online casino games to expand the nascent Full Tilt Poker casino platform. Amaya intends to strongly support Rational Group’s growth initiatives in new gaming verticals, including casino, sportsbook and social gaming, and new geographies. In recent years, Amaya has experienced rapid growth, partly through strategic acquisitions that have strengthened its core offering of B2B technology-based gaming solutions. Amaya has an expansive footprint in regulated markets in the US, Canada and Europe through the provision of its online, land-based and lottery solutions to licensed commercial, tribal and charitable gaming operations as well as government lotteries and gaming control agencies.