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18 November 2011

DoJ agrees to $80m Full Tilt Poker deal

Groupe Bernard Tapie has struck a deal with the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (Department of Justice), which will allow the French company to buy Full Tilt Poker for $80m.

09 November 2011

Austrian player Manfred Spahn wins the DeepStack Open Vienna 2011!

After three days of intense poker, Austrian player Manfred Spahn won the Deepstack Open Vienna 2011 after successfully beating runner-up Thomas Panek. Spahn proudly walked out of Montesino with a whopping €51,840!

For its second edition at the Montesino in Vienna, the DSO broke last year’s attendance record with a total of 507 players from all over Europe taking part in the Main Event. Over the four days of tournament between the 3rd and the 6th of November, the Austrian capital became home to a large number of German, Austrian, Hungarian, French, Swiss, Italian, Romanian and Polish poker players all striving to win the 5th leg of the DSO 2011. The field of players also included pros such as Croatian Dragan Galic and international Tournament Director Thomas Kremser.

With a starting stack of 50,000 chips and a €550 buy-in, players waited eagerly until 8pm Saturday night to finally witness 76 of them finishing in the money.

The tournament finally came to an end just after 1am on Monday morning after a final one hour head’s up.

Thanks to the special promotions that reward their players, three DSO VIP players who finished just before the money (77th, 85th and 95th) still took €680 home. Six more DSO VIP players also won laptops, iPad and Bose headsets. All the details about the DSO VIP promotions are available online.

On Sunday, German player Karsten Philipp and Serbian player Zoran Mariukovil won the €300 and €200 side events. All players were also able to enjoy a large number of cash game tables starting from €1/€1.

The next and last stage of the DeepStack Open 2011 will be held in Marrakech from the 16th -18th December at the Casino de Marrakech.



Final results of the DSO Vienna 2011, Main event, €550 buy-in:
  1. Manfred Spahn, Austria – €51,840
  2. Thomas Panek, Austria –€32,520
  3. Michael Leng, Germany – €21,300
  4. Siegfried Rath, Austria – €14,800
  5. Istvan Csabai, Austria - €10,760
  6. Peter Szinek, Slovakia - €8,180
  7. Jakub Gluszkiewicz, Poland – €6,820
  8. Marc Cahenzli, Swiss– €5,660
  9. Lars Brandenburg, Germany – €4,820

03 November 2011

Optimal's NETBANX chosen as exclusive payments partner for Dealfind

Dealfind chooses Optimal Payments’ NETBANX as exclusive provider of online payment services for North American business Montréal, Thursday 3rd November, 2011 – Optimal Payments Plc (LSE: OPAY), a leading online payments provider, announces that Dealfind, the largest Canadian-owned group buying site in North America, is now using NETBANX exclusively to process online payments for all its North American business. Dealfind is Canada’s most visited daily deal site, offering deals in 28 Canadian markets and 21 markets throughout the U.S., with new U.S. markets added monthly. Dealfind started processing transactions in certain markets via Optimal’s NETBANX solution in January 2011 and last month, switched to NETBANX for all its North American transactions. “The Optimal Payments NETBANX gateway provided Dealfind with an excellent technology solution and sophisticated fraud tools,” said Michael Tulman, CEO and Co-Founder of Dealfind. “We were impressed with NETBANX’s user-friendly back-office and reporting functionality, together with their competitive pricing. The NETBANX team really understood our market – the daily deal space – and approached our payment needs with innovative thinking on how to minimize our risk and increase our conversions.” Dealfind chose Optimal Payments and its NETBANX payment gateway services to be its exclusive partner and provider of online payment processing based on the reliability and flexibility of its proprietary NETBANX payment gateway. PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant, and geo-redundant running on state-of-the-art technology, the NETBANX payment gateway delivers secure processing of global credit/debit card, online direct debit, Interac Online, and local payment options in 180 different countries. The NETBANX gateway also delivers comprehensive risk management for merchants through its proprietary risk rules engine and extensive fraud screening tools. Easy for merchants to integrate, the NETBANX gateway includes a comprehensive bilingual back-office that provides merchants all the tools they need to manage their customer billing profiles, and obtain real-time reporting. “The daily deal space presents its own challenges for the processing of payments and management of risk,” said Danny Chazonoff, Chief Operating Officer of Optimal Payments. “We worked closely with Dealfind to find a secure solution that worked for them – and their members – in what we believe is a rapidly growing market.”

12 October 2011

DSO Malta – Nicolai Kostakis wins it for Denmark

Location: Malta
Last weekend in Malta took place yet another stage of the DeepStack Open. 343 players registered to this €550 tournament. 50,000 chips, one hour levels, for what seems to be one of the best formulas for a perfect poker weekend.

Everyone got to enjoy the comfort of a nice Casino, thanks to the Portomaso Casino staff and directors, a warm welcome from the Maltese People and the Local poker community, but also the nice scenary, the nightlife in Paceville, helped by just a few trays of vodka-Redbull shooters (be careful fellow poker players, drinking is bad, especially before a poker tournament).

After a successful Day 1A with over 160 players, Day 1B saw even more players decided to have a go at taking home an appetizing €33,000. With a prizepool of over €170,000, a total of 54 players would go back home with a minimum of €900, including three DSO VIP players who finished just before the bubble and still took home €900.

To become a DSO VIP player, all the players had to do was to play online during one and a half month before the tournament and accumulate 1000 FPPs. Thanks to this promotion, 6 players took home either an Ipad 2, a Dell laptop, or a Bose headset.

Day 2 saw 120 players coming back, adding an other 70 players after day 1B.  Chip leaders with over 400,000 chips were Yanira Delgado Garcia and Thomas Calfelis. After only a few minutes, players started to put all their chips in, and a few levels later, just before the diner break, it was bubble time. After an all in confrontation 4h 5h against 8s Ts on a board Jh

8s 4c 3h, we had our bubble man.

The day kept going, with many nationalities still represented, and among them, French, Germans, Danish, English, Italians… 17 of them would come back in day 3.


Within one level in the semi finals, 5 players went out. Soon enough, the final table was decided, and we had our 9 finalists.
Seat 1: Steven Van Zadelhoff – 1,500,000 (Holland)
Seat 2: Nicolai Kostakis – 900,000 (Denmark)
Seat 3: Mathieu Paquet – 3,200,000 (Canada)
Seat 4: Ville Sissonen – 1,750,000 (Finland)
Seat 5: Benoit Le Gal – 2,350,000 (France)
Seat 6: Cristian Manuel Stan – 2,400,000 (Romania)
Seat 7: Daniel Dankelmann – 4,500,000 (Germany)
Seat 8: Thomas Calfelis – 1,500,000 (Switzerland)
Seat 9: Nadège Thomas – 950,000 (France)

After 8 hours in this Final Table, it’s finally Danish Player Nicolai Kostakis who takes home a beautiful €33,000 and a DSO Malta Champion Title, for this first edition on the Rock. Runner up French man Benoit Le Gal will have €21,000 to spend in upcoming tournaments.

The next stop of the DeepStack Open will be in Austria, at the Montesino Casino, where last year over 500 players fought for the title. So stay in touch until the first weekend of November!

17 August 2011

Optimal Payments announces largest visible upgrade to NETELLER service in 10 years

Major service updates deliver brand new user-experience and many more local deposit options to NETELLER

Tuesday, 16 August 2011 – Optimal Payments Plc (LSE: OPAY), the leading alternative payments business, announces details of the latest releases of its NETELLER eWallet service. The NETELLER service allows consumers in over 180 countries to safely and easily transact online using either direct merchant payments or the integrated NETELLER Net+ MasterCard®. The new releases deliver more active users of the system and a greater global reach for the service.

This major NETELLER service upgrade is designed to increase active member conversions by nearly 50% and will be delivered via a number of software updates over the summer. The most significant updates have already been released including a redesigned public website, revised sign-up including Facebook passporting, and most importantly an all-new user experience for the NETELLER service itself.

Inside the NETELLER service, the most up-to-date thinking has been used to design new workflows that drive higher task completion by members, such as funding, card applications, bank registration and account limit increases. A number of new languages have been added to improve the user experience and conversion rates for foreign speaking customers.   Additionally and as required from time to time we have implemented new security features including enhanced fraud prevention tools to ensure the continued protection of our clients.

Other enhancements which have already been delivered are the integration and embedding of leading back-office applications such as Adobe Test&Target, ThreatMetrix fraud management and Income Access affiliate management to improve both insight and operational performance.

A number of further releases over the summer will increase the global reach of the service and streamline the deposit process to improve conversion rates and improve the likelihood of funding the NETELLER account successfully. The releases also include the delivery of an upgraded deposit section (with over 40 new local deposit options), support for 5 new currencies and the opening up of a number of new serviced countries.

Danny Chazonoff, Optimal Payments’ Chief Operating Officer, commented: “This major upgrade to NETELLER demonstrates our continuing commitment to both innovation and our consumer eWallet business. With our stunning new user-interface and local in-country options, I believe we now provide the best customer experience on the market. It is great news for our customers”.

30 June 2011

PokerStars Official Statement, June 29 2011

In light of today's news that Alderney Gambling Control Commission has suspended Full Tilt Poker's license, PokerStars wishes to assure our customers that their funds are completely safe and that our operations are completely unaffected. The Isle of Man Gaming Commission today re-affirmed that PokerStars' worldwide licensing is intact and that our operations are in full compliance with all of its requirements. PokerStars' online operations continue as normal and all funds in players' accounts are safe and available for withdrawal as usual with no delays.

PokerStars also remains in full compliance with our licenses in other jurisdictions where we are regulated, including France, Italy and Estonia.

As provided under our licensing, PokerStars has always maintained the integrity and security of our players' funds, by keeping all such funds in segregated bank accounts, always available for immediate withdrawal.

Since the actions of US Department of Justice in April, we have returned more than $120 million to US players and continue to act upon requests as they are received. Players outside the US have not been affected and all cash-outs have been processed without delays. Further, PokerStars entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice which expressly confirmed the company's ability to operate outside the US.

We will continue to operate as a responsible corporate citizen and are committed to serving the needs of our customers in complete compliance with our regulatory requirements.  

23 May 2011

Announcement of Canaccord Genuity as Nomad and Broker

Monday 23 May 2011 - Optimal Payments Plc (LSE: OPAY), the leading alternative payments business, announces that it has appointed Canaccord Genuity Ltd. as its Nominated Adviser and Broker with immediate effect.

About Optimal Payments Plc

Trusted by businesses and consumers in over 180 countries to move and manage billions of dollars each year, Optimal Payments Plc is the leading payments company offering a true alternative to banks and card schemes. Merchants use the NETBANX® processing service to simplify how they accept and settle card, direct-from-bank, and cash payments; and the NETELLER® payment account to increase margins, capture new customers and increase their lifetime value. Being independent has allowed the company to support tens-of-thousands of retailers and merchants in many geographies and across multiple industries.

Optimal Payments Plc is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM, with a ticker symbol of OPAY. Subsidiary company NETELLER (UK) Ltd is authorised and regulated as an e-money issuer by the UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA).

For more information about Optimal Payments visit www.optimalpaymentsplc.com

19 April 2011

Optimal Payments Plc Audited Results for the year ended 31 December 2010

Optimal Payments Plc Audited Results for the year ended 31 December 2010
Thursday, 31 March 2011 – Optimal Payments Plc (LSE: OPAY) ("Optimal", the "Group" or the "Company"), the leading alternative payments business, presents its audited results for the year ended 31 December 2010.

Operational Highlights

  • Transformational acquisition of Optimal Payments straight through processing ("STP") business concluded on 1 February 2011
  • New Stored Value platform "Newteller" fully live
  • Business Transformation programme - headcount down significantly to 309 at year end
  • Substantial progress on delivering Group three year strategic objectives, including growing our STP business, extending our verticals outside of gaming and delivering a North American presence
  • Name change from NEOVIA Financial Plc to Optimal Payments Plc completed

Financial Highlights

  • EBITDA (2) of $11.2m (2009: $8.0m)
  • Trading revenue of $60.7m, up $0.2m (2009: $60.5m) - weaker stored value revenues offset by 15% improvement in Straight Through Processing (STP) revenues
  • Profit before tax and other items of $2.3m (2009: loss $1.7m)
  • Balance sheet strength maintained with total Group cash of $64.2m at year end and no debt – before acquisition of Optimal Payments business

Financial summary (audited)

Year ended 31 December   2010
US$ million
2009
US$ million
Revenue(1)      
Stored Value (NETELLER eWallet & Net+ cards) 44.0 46.0
Straight Through Processing (NETBANX gateway & bureau) 16.7 14.5
Trading revenue   60.7 60.5
Investment income   0.8 1.6
Total revenue   61.5 62.1
EBITDA (2 )   11.2 8.0
Profit / (loss) before other items(3)   2.3 (1.7)
(1) Revenue for 2009 was reclassified to reflect the impact of rebates which had previously been shown gross. 2009 reported revenue of $64.5 million included $2.4 million of rebates.
(2) EBITDA shown before other items including share option expense, foreign exchange gain/loss, loss on investment, impairment loss, restructuring costs, loss on disposal of assets, acquisition costs and acquisition costs impairment.
(3) Profit/(loss) before other items is EBITDA after deducting share option expense, foreign exchange/loss and depreciation and amortisation.

Commenting on today's results announcement, Mark Mayhew, President & CEO, said:

"2010 proved to be a year of extremes for the company; positive progress has been made in realising our medium term business strategy and achieving materially improved earnings. However revenues were in line with 2009 and below the Board's expectations for the year.
Our NETBANX processing business delivered a strong performance with volumes processed up by 165%, revenues up by 15%. The need to materially diversify our business was shown by the softness in our second half gaming derived stored value revenues as the impact of changed regulatory environments in France and certain Asian markets was felt.
The creation of Optimal Payments Plc marks a watershed in the Company's recent history: the platform of people, processes and proven proprietary technology that has been 'injected' into the enlarged entity provides greater diversity within the business and the scale to succeed in the fast growing globally accessible e-commerce market.
The Company successfully delivered much of the planned Business Transformation programme: member management is handled now solely from the Calgary infrastructure. Headcount was reduced to 309 but many of the process and product related changes scheduled for adoption in H2 have been deferred into 2011 by the late, but successful, deployment of Newteller in Q3.
The Newteller programme has largely defined the Company's positioning in the stored value market. Its inherently complex nature contributed to a delay in launching the new platform and increases in cost. However, we are proud to have a wholly new generation stored value platform at the heart of our business and the clear loss of competitive position in the last two years will be corrected as a result of its availability. This is the focus for the newly installed leadership in the stored value division.
Current trading and outlook
Revenue in the first two months of 2011 has been in line with management's expectations and the Board continues to be optimistic about the outlook for the Group. With good progress made in 2010 and the opportunities from a successful integration programme, product and process enhancements delivered from a fully functioning Newteller and a strengthened leadership team, the Board is confident about the Group's prospects going forward."

For more information:

This page is a summary of the full annual results press release. See the details below for the full information

About Optimal Payments Plc

Trusted by businesses and consumers in over 180 countries to move and manage billions of dollars each year, Optimal Payments Plc is the leading payments company offering a true alternative to banks and card schemes. Merchants use the NETBANX® processing service to simplify how they accept and settle card, direct-from-bank, and cash payments; and the NETELLER® payment account to increase margins, capture new customers and increase their lifetime value. Being independent has allowed the company to support tens-of-thousands of retailers and merchants in many geographies and across multiple industries.
Optimal Payments Plc is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM, with a ticker symbol of OPAY. Subsidiary company NETELLER (UK) Ltd is authorised and regulated as an e-money issuer by the UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA).
For more information about Optimal Payments visit www.optimalpaymentsplc.com or subscribe at www.optimalpaymentsplc.com/feeds/.
Media and Investor Contacts
Optimal Payments' media relations team can be contacted through the Media Relations Contact page. Relations with the investor and analyst community are managed by Citigate Dewe Rogerson who can be contacted through the Investor Relations Contact page.

07 March 2011

Optimal Payments: Their New Name

In January 2011, NEOVIA Financial® Plc announced the acquisition of Optimal Payments™. As part of the corporate identity strategy, they sought and received approval from our shareholders to change the name of the Company to Optimal Payments Plc. As part of this strategy, they also changed their ticker symbol on AIM from NEO.L to OPAY.L.

Why the change?

With the acquisition of Optimal Payments, they think to have created an international player in card and alternative payments. The combination of their online consumer payment account business, NETELLER®, their existing NETBANX® payment processing business and the Optimal merchant account and card processing business, has brought together an unparalleled comprehensive offering for their customers.

A company brand is an important asset that opens doors and markets. As they looked at their combined assets, they decided that the name Optimal Payments better reflects both the nature of what we do and serves as a positive statement of ambition. Critically, it is also well recognized and respected in the significant North American market, which it has serviced since 1997. And most importantly it says right what we do on the tin – optimal payments.

What about the NETBANX® and NETELLER names?

Their NETELLER®, NETBANX® and Net+® service brands will remain as will their signature green colour.