ONCHAN, Isle of Man, January 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Rational Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Scheinberg today announced that Rafi Ashkenazi has joined the Group as Chief Operating Officer and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Group and its brands, including PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, the two largest online poker sites in the world.

Ashkenazi is an experienced gaming industry executive and joins Rational Group from Playtech, a global gaming software company, where he served as COO and board member. Ashkenazi spent seven years with Playtech, directing the day-to-day operational and business activities as the company grew rapidly from 200 to more than 2,400 employees.  

Since launching PokerStars in 2001, the Rational Group of companies has become the industry leader with a focus on operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

"As the Group grows and continues to develop our business globally and across multiple platforms and brands, we need to strengthen the leadership of its increasingly complex operations," said Scheinberg. "Rafi is a fine executive with outstanding management and people skills and has been very successful directing the operational complexities of a global gaming company. I am very happy that he will bring that expertise to our senior management team."

"With PokerStars, the Rational Group has built a stellar reputation by continually raising the bar with high-quality, trusted products while delivering best-in-class customer support and service," said Ashkenazi.  "I am excited to join the team and add my skills to that tradition of industry leadership."

Ashkenazi assumes his role Feb. 1 and will be responsible for all customer-facing product and back-office functions for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker including marketing, customer support, poker room management, IT management, payment processing & security, and game integrity.  He will be based in Rational Group's Isle of Man headquarters and report to Scheinberg.

About The Rational Group

The Rational Group operates gaming and related businesses and brands including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and the European Poker Tour.  These brands collectively form the largest poker business in the world comprising online poker games and tournaments, live poker competitions, and poker programming created for television and online audiences.

Rational Group's businesses are among the most respected in the industry for delivering high-quality player experiences, unrivaled customer service, and innovative software.  The Group employs industry-leading practices in payment security, game integrity, and player fund protection. The Rational Group holds more online poker licenses than any e-gaming company and works closely with regulators around the world to help establish sensible global regulation.

PokerStars operates the world's most popular online poker sites, serving a global poker community of more than 50 million registered members. PokerStars.com and PokerStars.eu operate under licenses from the Isle of Man and Malta governments, respectively. PokerStars also operates under separate government licenses in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy and Spain.

FullTiltPoker.com is a leading poker brand known for delivering the most authentic online poker experience in the world.  Full Tilt Poker's innovative software, game design and game play make it the online home for serious poker players. Full Tilt Poker operates under license from the Isle of Man, which provides rigorous regulatory oversight and deploys the best practices in ensuring player fund protection, security and game integrity.