Amaya Gaming, owner of the PokerStars platform, said Friday that former CEO David Baazov has resigned “from all positions” with the company. Baazov took a voluntary leave of absence from his positions as CEO and board chairman following insider trading charges that were made public in March. Baazov pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from the alleged use of privileged information when trading company shares between December 2013 and the June 2014 deal to acquire PokerStars, the world’s largest poker site, for $4.9 billion. Rafi Ashkenazi, who was appointed interim CEO in March, is now at the helm of…

David Baazov, the embattled CEO of Canadian online gambling company Amaya Gaming, has pled not guilty to the insider trading charges filed against him in March. On Monday, Quebec securities regulator Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) confirmed that Baazov (pictured), two other individuals and three companies had formally filed written pleas of ‘not guilty’ to their combined 23 insider trading charges, each of which carries a maximum fine of up to $5m and up to five years in prison. AMF spokesman Sylvain Theberge told the Canadian Press that the guilty pleas had been received over the past couple weeks and…

The CEO of Montreal online gaming company Amaya has been charged after an investigation into insider trading by Quebec’s stock market watchdog. David Baazov faces five charges, including influencing or attempting to influence the market price of the securities of Amaya and communicating privileged information. “These allegations are false and I intend to vigorously contest these accusations,” Baazov said in a statement Wednesday. “While I am deeply disappointed with the (Autorite des marches financiers) decision, I am highly confident I will be found innocent of all charges.” He was charged as part of an investigation by the AMF that resulted…

The UK Gambling Commission has chosen Susan Harrison to replace Jenny Williams as CEO. Williams will step down from her role in September. According to news sources, the search for a new CEO took longer than expected. Harrison serves as a senior partner with Ofgem, the electricity and gas regulatory body. She will start work as at the UK Gambling Commission as a commissioner on September 7, 2015 before assuming the full role of CEO on October 1, 2015. Chairman Philip Graf stated “Harrison has a wealth of experience in regulation along with social and consumer policy and communications. She…

Amaya Inc based out of Canada, was a relatively unknown company until it surprised everyone in the poker industry in June 2014, when it confirmed that it had successfully acquired PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. PokerStars is the biggest online poker website in the world and has upheld that status after being acquired by Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion. Since then the company has continued to stay in the news as it rolled out a number of strategic and operational changes. The billion dollar acquisition drew a lot of attention from the authorities who wanted to know if the proper…

Bloomberg – Scientific Games Corp. (SGMS), the slot machine supplier controlled by billionaire Ronald Perelman, appointed former SHFL Entertainment Inc. Chief Executive Officer Gavin Isaacs as its CEO today. Isaacs replaces David Kennedy, who had held the position since November, the New York-based company said in a statement today. Kennedy will remain at Scientific Games as executive vice chairman. Isaacs, 49, takes over as the gambling device industry faces weak consumer spending, casino gluts in some markets and consolidation. SHFL, a Las Vegas-based maker of shuffling machines and gaming equipment, was bought last year by rival Bally Technologies Inc. (BYI)…