MONTREAL, May 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq:
AYA; TSX: AYA) today announced the appointment of Robin Chhabra to the newly created position of
Chief Corporate Development Officer of Amaya. Mr. Chhabra will lead
and oversee Amaya's corporate development function, reporting to
Rafi Ashkenazi, Amaya's Chief Executive Officer. Amaya anticipates
Mr. Chhabra will join the company in September 2017 following a brief garden leave
from William Hill plc (LSE:
WMH).
"Robin Chhabra's deep industry
experience and vast professional network will help us pursue our
ongoing strategic priorities, as well as drive growth through
potential strategic and other opportunities," said Mr.
Ashkenazi. "Robin is one of the most respected executives in
the industry and we are excited to add him to our team where he
will complement our existing executive management talent."
"Amaya is already a leader in online gaming and I am eager to
contribute to the company's future growth," said Mr. Chhabra. "I
have tremendous respect and a strong relationship with the
management team and look forward to working with them."
Mr. Chhabra is an experienced online gaming executive, most
recently serving as Group Director of Strategy and Corporate
Development for William Hill since
May 2010, and as Director of
Corporate Development for Inspired Gaming Group plc (later merged
with Inspired Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: INSE)) from 2006 to
2009. Prior to that, Mr. Chhabra spent 12 years in various
executive roles at major financial, consultancy and auditing firms,
including Evolution Securities (later acquired by Investec plc
(LSE: INVP)), Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein Securities LLC (now
part of Commerzbank), Andersen Business Consulting and
PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Chhabra earned a BSc (Econ.) degree
from London School of Economics and Political
Science in 1993.
Mr. Chhabra's arrival is the latest management addition to
Amaya, following the recent hiring of Bo Wänghammar as Managing
Director of PokerStars Casino and Zeno
Ossko as Managing Director of BetStars, and the promotion of
Guy Templer as Chief Operating
Officer of Amaya's brands.
About Amaya
Amaya is a leading provider of technology-based products and
services in the global gaming and interactive entertainment
industries. Amaya ultimately owns gaming and related consumer
businesses and brands including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino,
BetStars, Full Tilt, StarsDraft, and the PokerStars Championship
and PokerStars Festival live poker tour brands (incorporating
aspects of the European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure,
Latin American Poker Tour and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour). These
brands have more than 108 million cumulative registered
customers globally and collectively form the largest poker business
in the world, comprising online poker games and tournaments,
sponsored live poker competitions, marketing arrangements for
branded poker rooms in popular casinos in major cities around the
world, and poker programming and content created for television and
online audiences. Amaya, through certain of these brands, also
offers non-poker gaming products, including casino, sportsbook and
daily fantasy sports. Amaya, through certain of its subsidiaries,
is licensed or approved to offer, or offers under third party
licenses or approvals, its products and services in various
jurisdictions throughout the world, including in Europe, both within and outside of the
European Union, the Americas and elsewhere. In particular,
PokerStars is the world's most licensed online gaming brand,
holding licenses or related operating approvals in 17
jurisdictions.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements and
Other Information
This news release contains forward-looking statements and
information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 and applicable securities laws, including,
without limitation, certain expectations related to the appointment
of Mr. Chhabra and expectations related to the future performance
of Mr. Chhabra and Amaya as a result of such appointment.
Forward-looking statements can, but may not always, be identified
by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "continue",
"estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might",
"would", "should", "believe", and similar references to future
periods or the negatives of these words and expressions. These
statements are based on management's current expectations and are
subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions,
including market and economic conditions, business prospects or
opportunities, future plans and strategies, projections,
technological developments, anticipated events and trends and
regulatory changes that affect Amaya, its customers and its
industries. Although Amaya and management believe the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable and are
based on reasonable assumptions and estimates, there can be no
assurance that these assumptions or estimates are accurate or that
actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or
implied in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
are inherently subject to significant business, regulatory,
economic and competitive risks, uncertainties and contingencies
that could cause actual events to differ materially from those
expressed or implied in such statements. Specific risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Amaya's appointment
of Mr. Chhabra and expectations related to the future performance
of Mr. Chhabra and Amaya as a result of such appointment, and those
identified under the heading "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in
Amaya's Annual Information Form for the year ended
December 31, 2016 and "Risk Factors and Uncertainties",
"Limitations of Key Metrics and Other Data" and "Key Metrics" in
its Management's Discussion & Analysis for the three month
period and year ended December 31,
2016, each available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, EDGAR at
www.sec.gov and Amaya's website at www.amaya.com, and in other
filings that Amaya has made and may make with applicable securities
authorities in the future. Investors are cautioned not to put undue
reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking
statement speaks only as of the date hereof, and Amaya undertakes
no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise,
except as required by applicable law.
The appointment to the position named above may be subject to
gaming or other legal and regulatory approval, in which case the
appointment is not effective until such approval is obtained, if at
all. Amaya may be making this announcement on behalf of an
affiliate or subsidiary and, in such a case, is not the employer of
the individual featured in the announcement.
SOURCE Amaya Inc.