PartyGaming Plc, owner of PartyPoker.com — once the world’s largest online poker room, today announced a $105 million settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (USAO).
The long-awaited settlement includes a non-prosecution agreement which means PartyGaming has accepted the 
illegality of its activities in the U.S. prior to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and will pay the $105 million fine in installments up to Sept. 30, 2012 in return for the USAO not prosecuting the group for providing internet gambling services to customers in the US prior to 13 October 2006.
Chief executive officer Jim Ryan, said, “The resolution of our position with the US authorities marks an important day for PartyGaming. It has been a long and complex process but we have reached an amicable solution with the USAO that makes commercial sense for our business and is in the best interests of shareholders. We are now well-placed to sieze organic as well as strategic opportunities that previously were beyond our reach.”
In other news the company announced its first quarter 2009 key performance indicators which saw poker revenue (excluding skins) fall 34 percent to $53.6 million from the same period a year earlier.
Poker revenue has fallen steadily since the first quarter of 2008 when it was $80.7 million to $73.2 million (Q2 2008), $65 million (Q3 2008), and $55.1 million (Q4 2008).
Active player days fell 19 percent to 6.1 million in the first quarter of 2009 from 7.5 million in the first quarter of 2008. Yield per active player is down 5.3 percent to $16.4, yield per unique active player in the period is down 12 percent to $179.9, while new real money sign ups jumped 16 percent to 199,200.
Share in PartyGaming were trading 17 percent higher today at 11.30 a.m. BST.
