TEAM POKERSTARS PRO DANIEL NEGREANU IS NUMBER ONE ‘KNOCKOUT’ TARGET

Negreanu tops global poll, with 35% of poker players wanting to knock him out of a poker tournament

ONCHAN, Isle of Man – April 22, 2016 – Daniel Negreanu has topped a worldwide poll of poker players as the person most people would like to knock out of a poker tournament, in a survey conducted by PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand. The ‘Poker Brat’, Phil Hellmuth, was the second most popular choice, with 10-time World Series of Poker champion Phil Ivey in third (see full polling results below).

The survey coincides with the release of PokerStars Knockout Poker – a tournament format exclusively available online at PokerStars. Every time a player knocks out another player, they win a share of the tournament prize money. This gives more players more chances to win, more often.

Football superstar Neymar Jr will be the face of PokerStars Knockout Poker as it launches with a comprehensive marketing campaign globally.  “I love winning on the football pitch, and I love the opportunity to win instantly in Knockout Poker,” said Neymar Jr.  “It takes an ordinary game of poker and makes it more fun, with more winning moments!”

FULL POLLING RESULTS

The survey was sent via email to a random selection of active real money PokerStars players in Russia, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom and Brazil, with 1,195 respondents. Poker players were given a list of celebrities, and were asked who they would most like to knock out as part of a poker tournament. The survey took place from March 9-16, and respondents received no incentive for participating in the survey.

POKERSTARS KNOCKOUT POKER

The tournament prize money will be split 50/50, with 50% going to the ‘normal’ prize pool and the other 50% being awarded for ‘knockouts’, with players winning a share every time they eliminate an opponent. The game will be quick, easy to pick up, and players will be able to win bounty prizes even if they don’t win the overall tournament.

GAME FORMATS AVAILABLE

PokerStars Knockout Poker will initially be available in a variety of game formats, including:

• 36-player hyper-turbo SNG at $1 and $5 buy-ins
• 24-player hyper-turbo SNG at $10 buy-ins
• 6-player hyper-turbo SNG at $1.50, $3.50, and $7 buy-ins
• Scheduled MTTs will build upon PokerStars' already extensive knockout tournament offering

Game types and stake levels may be changed and expanded in response to player demand.

FIRST AND SECOND TIME DEPOSIT BONUS OFFERS

PokerStars will be promoting Knockout Poker actively to new players to help grow the game of poker. As part of this, PokerStars will offer enticing bonus offers for a player who makes their first and second deposits as part of this campaign. From April 22 to May 13, new players will be able to take advantage of this special deposit offer as such:

• A player who makes their first deposit for a minimum of $10 will receive over $10 in free PokerStars Knockout Poker tickets (7 x $1.50)
• A player who makes their second deposit for a minimum of $10 will also receive a further $10.50 in free PokerStars Knockout Poker tickets (7 x $1.50)
• Players will need to use the deposit bonus code 'KO1' and 'KO2' respectively 

GLOBAL TELEVISION ADVERTISING

PokerStars has previously announced a broad-based strategy to grow poker by introducing the game to new audiences, and by introducing innovative new formats of the game. The launch of PokerStars Knockout Poker is a part of this, and PokerStars will run a global television advertising campaign to support this innovation and growth.

Television advertisements will be running in the following media markets:

United Kingdom

Spain

Sweden

Denmark

Ukraine

Belarus

Spanish Latin America

Brazil

Canada

Germany

Switzerland

Slovakia

Romania

Bulgaria

Balkans

An English-language version of the television advertisement which can be embedded is available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k9GAzUWjUY

Further information on PokerStars Knockout Poker is available online at https://www.pokerstars.com/poker/ko-poker/

For further information, please contact: press@pokerstars.com

About PokerStars

PokerStars operates the world’s most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 150 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site.

PokerStars.com and PokerStars.eu operate globally under licenses from the Isle of Man and Malta governments, respectively. PokerStars also holds local licenses or approvals to offer services to players in many jurisdictions, including Italy, France, Estonia, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, United Kingdom, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, Ireland, Romania and New Jersey in the United States of America.

PokerStars is the flagship brand of Rational Group, which operates gaming-related businesses and brands, including PokerStars, Full Tilt and the European Poker Tour. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, Rational Group companies in the UK and Isle of Man was recognised as one of the top 25 best places to work by the Great Place to Work Institute’s Best Workplaces – Large category ranking. Rational Group entities in Costa Rica and Dublin also achieved the same accolade in their respective local rankings in 2014. PokerStars is ultimately owned by Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA).