Amaya told to sack four senior execs to secure New Jersey licence
State regulator says licence was granted after Amaya agreed to part company with individuals linked to PokerStarsâ UIGEA violation
Amaya Gaming must sack four senior executives linked to PokerStarsâ breach of Americaâs Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), as part of a deal which recently saw the operator gain its long-awaited New Jersey licence. [private]
New Jerseyâs Division of Gaming Enforcement revealed Amaya had agreed to part ways with the unidentified individuals in a published 89-page report into the operatorâs assets following its acquisition of PokerStars and Full Tilt parent company Rational Group.
According to the report, the individuals must leave the company on or before January 30, 2016, with the regulator having deemed them to have âfailed to establish the requisite good character, honesty and integrityâ required by the stateâs online gambling legislation.
âThe Division determined that four senior executives who remain with an Amaya subsidiary after the acquisition are not able to establish their good character, honesty and integrity as required by the Act because they were involved in the management or control of companies that violated UIGEA,â the report said.
Earlier this month Amaya obtained regulatory approval for its PokerStars and Full Tilt brands to operate in New Jerseyâs online gambling market after an âextensive reviewâ into the operatorâs subsidiaries.
The report also saw the regulator reiterate its position that licensure was conditional on a complete separation of Mark and Isai Scheinbergsâ ownership of PokerStars and all its related entities.
The regulator also said it was confident Amayaâs licence approval would not lead to any unfair advantage for the operator due to its five-year US absence and the 22-month head start enjoyed by its competitors in the Garden State.
PokerStars and Full Tilt will launch under Resorts Casinoâs interactive wagering permit which follows a five-year absence after the poker and casino sites were shut down in the US on April 11, 2011 in the midst of a federal crackdown into online gambling.