AGA Opposed To PokerStars Atlantic City Casino Acquisition

U.S. based gaming lobby group the American Gaming Association has come out in opposition to internet poker giant Rational Group's attempt to purchase struggling Atlantic City casino the Atlantic Club.

The AGA made its opposition official by filing a petition with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement with hopes of derailing Rational's attempt to acquire the casino.

The opposition by the AGA is the first time that the group has ever tried to influence an acquisition by another company. The lobbying firm has cited the issues that Rational owned poker firms Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars have had in the U.S. gaming market.

Those in the know will remember that the U.S. Department of Justice launched an intense legal offensive against the internet poker sites in 2011 and was settled last year with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines being levied against the sites.

Commenting on the AGA's attack, Rational Group Communications Chief Eric Hollreiser said: "These are matters for expert regulators to determine, not self-interested partisans picking a public fight. We will continue to work positively with regulators in New Jersey and elsewhere whenever they review our qualifications."

The Rational Group is a gaming giant which currently holds licenses in France, Germany, and several other European countries. It has been said that the group's acquisition of the Atlantic Club could stave off more than 1,700 layoffs that the struggling casino is prepared to execute.