International betting integrity body ESSA has been boosted by the addition of BetStars, an Amaya Inc. (NASDAQ: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand, to its increasing roster of members. It takes ESSA’s current membership to 25 regulated betting operators covering many of the leading international brands.

Amaya, which is also parent company of the PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, Full Tilt and StarsDraft brands, dominates the global online poker market and launched its betting brand BetStars in December 2015. BetStars is the official betting partner of English Premier League champions Leicester City for the 2016/17 season.

Khalid Ali, Secretary General of ESSA, stated: “BetStars’ decision to join ESSA is excellent news for all concerned and another important milestone for the association. Backed by Amaya, one of the world’s largest gaming groups with 108 million registered customers, the addition of BetStars brings clear advantages for ESSA and its alert platform. Whilst BetStars will benefit from access to a growing and effective operator run network focused on protecting its members’ businesses from fraud.”

Zeno Osskó, Managing Director of BetStars, said: “BetStars is committed to keeping online betting fun and safe for our customers. The move to join ESSA underlines that approach and our determination to identify and tackle those that seek to manipulate sporting events against fellow consumers and responsible operators. We look forward to engaging closely with our partners within ESSA to maintain the integrity of sportsbook markets.”

ESSA holds positions on match-fixing policy forums at the European Commission, Council of Europe and the IOC. It is driving a number of activities aimed at addressing match-fixing, including a player education programme with EU Athletes.