Software Implications of Amaya Gaming Buying PokerStars

As reported here at PokerSoftware, Amaya Gaming recently purchased the Rational Group, the parent company of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, for a record-breaking $4.9 billion.  Once completed, Amaya gaming will be in control of three major poker networks and their software: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Ongame.
 
As you can imagine, this purchase has tons of potential poker software-related implications for the emerging US regulated market and players around the world.
 
PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were having difficulties gaining a footprint in the regulated poker markets in part due to "bad actor" clauses.  These clauses are expected to continue as more states move ahead with regulation.  While gaining a footprint in the existing Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware markets would provide additional revenue boost for these popular sites, the big states such as California are expected to have "bad actor" clauses that would have been prohibitive to PokerStars or Full Tilt entering these markets due to their activities after the UIEGA was in place in late 2006.
 
Amaya's CEO David Baazov believes that with new ownership, PokerStars and Full Tilt should be allowed to operate in these states.  While this might seem like great news for US poker players, there is some doubt about whether this will hold true since some "bad actor" clauses include the software itself.
 
Regardless of what happens in the US, we should see some changes for players in the rest of the world.  We have already seen Full Tilt Poker introduce a new casino this year, and that is one of Amaya's specialties.  Baazov already announced that Amaya expects a new fully featured casino client to be launched on Full Tilt this year.
 
Amaya is also expected to add many new games to the Full Tilt Poker platform as well as sports betting and social gaming.  This is a huge addition to the existing holdings, as the Rational Group was primarily focused on poker and never truly capitalized on all of the other gaming opportunities available.
 
This could prove to be both a positive and a negative for many poker players already playing at PokerStars and Full Tilt.  While many will love playing other games with their bankroll, they also will most likely lose money doing so since these types of games are negative-EV and house-friendly.  The huge negative here is for players who are tilt-prone.  The more games outside of poker that are available, the more opportunities this type of player has to dump their entire bankroll during one session.
 
Other than the expected addition of games outside of poker, it is more or less expected that the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker experience will remain the same.  All of the games you have grown to love should not change, according to Baazov.
 
"We anticipate keeping the company's experienced executive management team and staff. Poker players will be unaffected by the transaction and will not see any negative impact in the gaming experience they love," he said.
 
This monumental transaction should prove to reshape the online poker world.  Time will tell if this will be a positive or negative development for players in the United States and around the world.

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