Last Friday, Amaya Gaming announced that it has received approval from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission to offer online poker and other gaming in the UK, with their brands Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. The company was previously white-listed under licenses obtained from the Isle of Man. Also included in the licensing approval are Amaya’s B2B online casino operations.  (click the link for a full list of UK Licensed casinos)

The Head of Corporate Communications for PokerStars and Amaya Gaming, Eric Hollreiser, stated that the company is very pleased to have received operating licenses in the United Kingdom, a market that is quite large and continues to grow. Amaya would like to build upon the leadership of PokerStars within the UK and plans to leverage their scale and expertise to become a leader in the UK market in the online casino and sports betting niches as well.

The UK Gambling Commission reviews various aspects of the licensee including the technology used, stability and historical finances of a company, integrity of the games being offered, and more. Amaya was able to pass the test and also decided to apply for the highest standards of player fund protection, which has a new rating system developed by the UKGC. Both PokerStars and Full Tilt will be using a trustee to hold UK player funds for player protection.