PokerStars awarded New Jersey licence

PokerStars and Full Tilt are set to return to the US market after a five-year absence following parent company Amaya’s licensure by New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement.

The poker and casino sites, which were shut down in the States on 11 April 2011 when the federal government cracked down on what it perceived was illegal activities related to online gambling, have long been trying to find a way back into the huge US market.

Both brands will launch under Resorts Casino’s interactive wagering permit, after Amaya struck a deal with the land-based operator back in July 2013. However the firm did not set a date for when the poker and casino sites will go live.

Amaya chief exec David Baazov said he was “very pleased” to add New Jersey to the “long list” of regulated markets that have approved PokerStars and Full Tilt.

“I want to thank the DGE for their thorough and fair review of our business,” Baazov said in a statement.

“We look forward to bringing our popular brands, innovative technology, marketing prowess and world-class security and game integrity to the growing New Jersey online gaming market,” he added.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey DGE said following an “extensive review” it had awarded a transactional waiver to six Amaya subsidiaries to operate the PokerStars and Full Tilt brands.

PokerStars and Full Tilt had their licence applications suspended for two years back in December 2013 after the DGE raised concerns over founder Isai Scheinberg and his alleged violation of gambling laws.

But following Amaya’s $4.9bn acquisition of PokerStars parent company Rational Group, the regulator reopened the licensing process.