Amaya Applauds Success of Spin & Gos
9 years ago
20 Oct
In releasing its “Business Acquisition Report" (BAR), Amaya Gaming gave high praise to the new "Spin & Go" games launched at PokerStars last month, as well as applauding its acquisition of Rational Group assets that include Full Tilt.
A number of PokerStars' regular players are not too pleased with the lottery-style, hyper-turbo Sit n' Gos that have become the latest craze in online poker at the world's top site. The new Spin & Go games have taken some fish away from the cash tables and "regular" Sit n' Gos, causing the sharks to voice their discontent.
But new owner Amaya appears unswayed by the controversy, indicating that the grinders may have to adjust to the new concept.
PokerStars launched an exciting new poker variant called 'Spin and Gos' to players on its global .com network on September 29," the BAR stated. "The format has proved to be an instant hit, with more than 7.5 million games played over the first two weeks. The successful launch demonstrates that product innovation can attract new poker players and increase the amount of play from existing customers."
Those sentiments were echoed by a PokerStars rep on 2 + 2, who specifically addressed the notion raised by regs that Spin & Gos were "killing the games."PokerStars Ring Game Manager Baard Dahl was sympathetic toward player concerns, but raised the issue that online poker needs more players.
Poker is increasingly struggling to attract new players, and Spin and Gos serve exactly this purpose," Dahl posted. "I think it is much more likely that in a few years we are going to say that Spin and Gos saved online poker than Spin and Gos were responsible for killing the game."
As is well-known, Amaya took over 'Stars and Full Tilt just a few months ago. The $4.9 billion acquisition surprised many at the time, but that shock has worn off. What hasn't worn off is Amaya's delight at consummating the deal, as buyer's remorse has not set in and likely never will.
“We’re very pleased with the performance of PokerStars and Full Tilt in 2014," stated Amaya CEO David Baazov."The core poker business continued to grow during the first half of the year and recorded strong cash flow."
It's cash flow that the grinders at PokerStars are worried about also. But Dahl pointed out that the site will continue "to keep adapting to provide the games that our customers as a whole prefer."
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