Right To Play and PokerStars have recently announced an extension to their long-standing partnership. PokerStars is committing an additional £600,000 of funding until October 2018 to help Right To Play educate and empower over one million children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease using sport and play.

PokerStars operates the world's most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Through their 'Helping Hands' corporate giving programme, PokerStars, together with their staff and customers, have donated more than £1.2​​m to support Right To Play's work since 2014.

Extending the partnership for a further two years will help Right To Play continue to deliver high impact programmes that educate and empower children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease using sport and play. This includes building on its play-based approach in the classroom to help engage children in their core academic studies, such as maths, science and literacy, and to drive up the quality of education

Neil Child-Dyer, Partnerships Manager at Right To Play, said: "We are immensely proud of our partnership with PokerStars and extremely grateful for their continued support, not just in terms of funding but also for the exposure to their 108 million customers and the fabulous charity tournaments that they hold for Right To Play. With the backing of our corporate partners like PokerStars, Right To Play are able to reach as more children around the world."

Sue Hammett, Head of Corporate Giving for PokerStars, said: "Right To Play makes such a positive impact to so many children around the world and PokerStars is incredibly proud to be able to support their valuable work. Using play to educate and empower is a philosophy that our players and staff really believe in. We're delighted to be extending our partnership for two more years."

PokerStars staff recently joined Rugby World Cup winner and Right To Play Athlete Ambassador Mike Tindall on a trip to Ghana to witness how much of a difference Right To Play makes in children's lives. You can see a video of the visit here and read the moving account of a day spent with street children in a slum in Jamestown here.

In 2017 PokerStars sponsored the Right To Play Sports Quiz for a second time. The event was hosted by John Inverdale at The Grange St Paul's, London on Wednesday 8th March, and raised £124,000 towards our life changing work. You can read more about the Sports Quiz here.

In addition to this, Right To Play will continue to be the charity partner for the re-branded PokerStars live events, the PokerStars Championships and Festival in 2017 and PokerStars customers can continue to donate to Right To Play through their StarsCoins. To celebrate International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on 6th April 2017 PokerStars will be launching the Right To Play Global Fitness Challenge, a six week challenge where staff will be encouraged to get active and learn more about Right To Play's work.

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 165 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site.

PokerStars is the flagship brand of Rational Group, which is ultimately owned by Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) and operates gaming-related businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, BetStars, Full Tilt, StarsDraft, and the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival live poker tour brands (incorporating the European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour). Amaya, through certain subsidiaries, is licensed, approved to offer, or offers under third party licenses or approvals, its products and services in various jurisdictions throughout the world, including in Europe, both within and outside of the European Union, the Americas and elsewhere. In particular, PokerStars is the world's most licensed online gaming brand, holding licenses or related operating approvals in 17 jurisdictions. PokerStars.comand PokerStars.eu operate globally under licenses from the Isle of Man and Malta governments, respectively.

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Helping Hands is the Rational Group Corporate Giving Programme which provides support to charities whilst galvanising the support of the brands, players and staff. Helping Hands is the embodiment of the Full Tilt and PokerStars ethos that working with our communities and our people to make a difference is an essential part of being a responsible business and the right thing to do. Helping Hands works with charities locally where we have an office presence and globally through our charity partners such as Right To Play and CARE International – helping to recover from international emergencies and using the power of sport and play to transform children's lives. Since its launch in 2013, Helping Hands has contributed more than $8 million to charities around the world.

Rational Group is ultimately owned by Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) and operates gaming-related businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, BetStars, Full Tilt, StarsDraft, and the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival live poker tour brands.