On Tuesday, without any sort of advance warning, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, both under the Rational Group umbrella which is now owned by Amaya Gaming, withdrew from certain so-called “gray markets.” These countries, which have been reported by players to include Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Turkey, have laws that do not exactly make online poker explicitly illegal, but rather put its legality into question.
Players were given the boot quite suddenly today. Many logged in to their accounts to hop onto some tables and play, only to be told that real money play will no longer be allowed in their countries. The message that popped up on the players’ news pages was brief, as follows:
Our management team regularly reviews our operation along with independent 3rd party professionals to assess the business risk and opportunities for our brand on a market-by-market basis. Following our most recent review, it was determined that we would no longer offer real money games in your country.
When players e-mailed PokerStars to ask about what was going on, they were given the same response, along with the invitation to continue playing for play money (while real money poker is not allowed, players can still buy play money chips, interestingly enough).
PokerStars / Full Tilt / Rational / Amaya have not given a reason for the sudden withdrawal, but there has been some speculation that it could have to do with the UK Gambling Act, which has had its effective date moved to November 1st. The Act is going to make it difficult for gambling operators that continue to serve gray market countries to keep a license in the UK.
Ever since Amaya Gaming, which is based in Canada, announced its purchase of the Rational Group, poker players have been worried that PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker might eventually pull out of Canada because of the “gray” nature of its gambling laws. And while there is precedent for this, as Ladbrokes is leaving the country tomorrow, it appears that PokerStars and Full Tilt will not be exiting the country. In this writer’s opinion, it would likely take a significant legal risk for those two major sites to leave Canada, as the country is important to their player base.
On the PokerStars “Prohibited Jurisdiction” FAQ, the same message quoted earlier is posted. The page also explains what customers from those countries can do from here. The poker site assures players that their funds are safe, kept segregated from the company’s operational money. Tournament tickets and tournament money will be converted into cash, but freeroll and FPP buy-in tickets will not be, as they have no intrinsic cash value. FPPs can be spent on VIP Reward Bonuses, VIP Stellar Rewards, and Milestone Cash Credits, which are immediately deposited into accounts as cash. An FPPs still in accounts after the bonuses are purchased will remain in the accounts in case players move to other countries and pick up playing from there.
Cashout requests will be processed as normal.
