Full Tilt and PokerStars To Merge on April 1st

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Wednesday, March 16th, 2016 | Written by Stephen Smith

Canadian online gambling operator Amaya Inc has carried out many innovations since acquiring PokerStars and Full Tilt, but one of the more dramatic developments to date was announced recently after it was confirmed that on April 1, 2016, the two online gambling websites would merge their operations..

Full Tilt Background

Many industry insiders speculated that 2016 would mark the end of the site which began as Full Tilt Poker and drew acclaim as home to stars like Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen and Tom Dwan. In its heyday, Full Tilt was one of the busiest and most profitable online poker sites in the world, but everything came to a halt when Black Friday occurred. It wasn’t until 2012 that the site was relaunched, and ever since, it has struggled to grab a large market share.

Merger Was Inevitable

With only a few hundred players visiting every day, it’s easy to understand why Amaya has opted to merge Full Tilt with its other, more profitable and busier platform, PokerStars. Amaya stated in a press release that having just one site will allow them to innovate at a faster pace and improve user experience for all players, as they will no longer have to split their focus between two sites. In addition, the company promises that players will have access to more games and that both PokerStars and Full Tilt users will benefit from the increase in liquidity or total number of players that the merger will create.

Commenting on the upcoming merger, PokerStars’ Director of Poker Communications, Lee Jones explained: “The software upgrade means that our players will get the best experience possible. You’ll still have The Deal, the Full Tilt avatars you love, and on top of that, you’ll get to enjoy the many benefits of more players, bigger promotions, and increased prize pools.”

How Will Change Affect Full Tilt Players?

Amaya has stated that they will be sending an email to all Full Tilt players over the coming weeks with more detailed information regarding the impact of the merger. Those with registered accounts should watch their in-box to get more details. In the meantime, here are some of the changes already announced:

– Both Software Programs Will Work. Current players will have the ability to access the platform with either Full Tilt or PokerStars branded software. This means that players won’t have to spend time getting accustomed to a new interface.

– Full Tilt Accounts Will Migrate. Users will receive new user names for PokerStars if their names are already registered. All of their account information and avatars will be moved to the new platform, so there will be no need to re-enter personal information or re-upload graphics.

– Players Will Receive Universal Accounts. Any player that had accounts on both PokerStars and Full Tilt will end up with a single account after the merger. By default, the avatar and user name from the PokerStars account will be the one that is used after the merger.

– Players Will Get Access to All PokerStars Features. Full Tilt players will be automatically enrolled in the VIP Club at PokerStars, and their previous statistics will be used to determine current reward levels.

– The Deal Will Remain in Effect. Players will still be able to participate in The Deal jackpot after the merger. An initial promotion following the merger will increase the size of the daily jackpot to encourage players to sign in and play.

– New Players Can Get the First Deposit Bonus. After the merger, players who have never deposited on PokerStars before will qualify for the lucrative first deposit bonus, which has a value of up to $600.

Amaya Makes C$15.8M Loss in 2015

Amaya recently released its financial revenue results, which came to C$1.37 billion for the whole of 2015, up by 8% compared to the previous year. Without the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, however, that figure would have been closer to a 15% increase, according to the company. In addition, Amaya was able to reduce its debt burden from US$3.16 billion to around US$2.59bn, whilst also reducing its interest rate from 6.38% to 5%. All told, Amaya experienced a net loss of C$25.9m last year, versus positive net earnings of C$125.2 million in 2014, and commenting on its 2015 financial performance, Amaya CEO David Baazov said:

“Throughout 2015 we successfully executed on our strategy of diversifying our operations while maintaining market dominance in poker. Despite significant foreign exchange and product rollout challenges, we achieved positive growth on a constant currency basis and, through investments and initiatives that will continue through 2016, have laid the foundation for becoming a leader across multiple gaming verticals.”