New UK Legislation

[Doobs]

There really must be a non-zero chance of Stars pulling out of the UK as the UKGC is clearly being very picky about grey markets.

Stars staying

http://www.pokerstars.com/uk-migration/

Due to new regulations, all gaming services available to players in the United Kingdom must be licensed in the UK. As a result, all PokerStars players in the UK will be required to move their accounts to PokerStars UK and download an updated desktop client and/or mobile app to continue using the service.

Your log-in details, account balance and history will NOT be affected by the change, and you will still be able to enjoy our complete range of games with players from around the world.

The new PokerStars UK client will be available from 00:01 BST on October 1. To move your account, simply launch the software as usual from your PC or Mac, log-in and follow the on-screen prompts. The process is quick and straightforward, and will usually take under a minute to complete. Players using mobile devices will need to move their accounts as described above, then download the new app for free from the App Store (for iOS users) or from the PokerStars mobile site (for Android users).

Q.Will my VIP Club rewards be affected?
A.
VIP Club rewards for PokerStars UK will be the same as on PokerStars.com for the remainder of 2014. Rewards will be reduced slightly for 2015; more information will be available at a later date.

More pay cuts for next year.  So close to Supernova too.

[tikay]

There really must be a non-zero chance of Stars pulling out of the UK as the UKGC is clearly being very picky about grey markets.

Stars staying

http://www.pokerstars.com/uk-migration/

Due to new regulations, all gaming services available to players in the United Kingdom must be licensed in the UK. As a result, all PokerStars players in the UK will be required to move their accounts to PokerStars UK and download an updated desktop client and/or mobile app to continue using the service.

Your log-in details, account balance and history will NOT be affected by the change, and you will still be able to enjoy our complete range of games with players from around the world.

The new PokerStars UK client will be available from 00:01 BST on October 1. To move your account, simply launch the software as usual from your PC or Mac, log-in and follow the on-screen prompts. The process is quick and straightforward, and will usually take under a minute to complete. Players using mobile devices will need to move their accounts as described above, then download the new app for free from the App Store (for iOS users) or from the PokerStars mobile site (for Android users).

Q.Will my VIP Club rewards be affected?
A.
VIP Club rewards for PokerStars UK will be the same as on PokerStars.com for the remainder of 2014. Rewards will be reduced slightly for 2015; more information will be available at a later date.

More pay cuts for next year.  So close to Supernova too.

....which is their method of passing on or defraying part of the new tax burden all sites will face.

It has to be paid, so one way & another, the players are going to have to contribute.

This seems a reasonable way of doing it, imo, don't think a soul can complain, though of course it depends "how much" I suppose. 

[tikay]

don't think a soul can complain


I left that in deliberately, so as to provide some amusement down the line. Poker players not complaining? What was I thinking?

[T_Mar]

Thanks for the info - not good news at all.  Asian brokers FTW!

Typically what juice do the brokers charge? I presume its legal? Got a link?

[arbboy]

i was talking to a guy at 365 and he has a sbo account and he said they have an app to get round the problem with them.  Not sure on the details but he showed me it briefly seemed to look legit.

[pleno1]

Very surprised a bigger deal hasn't been made regarding the cuts to the VIP club next year. Terrible news.

With hungary potentially going the same way, god knows where we will be left with in 18 months.

Sad, sad times.
#exitstrategy?

[tikay]

don't think a soul can complain


I left that in deliberately, so as to provide some amusement down the line. Poker players not complaining? What was I thinking?

Those who took the Unders for 12 hours lost.

[Tal]

don't think a soul can complain


I left that in deliberately, so as to provide some amusement down the line. Poker players not complaining? What was I thinking?

Those who took the Unders for 12 hours lost.

Easy money

[doubleup]

There really must be a non-zero chance of Stars pulling out of the UK as the UKGC is clearly being very picky about grey markets.

Stars staying

They have applied for a license and that allows them to continue to operate, the grey/illegal market is still an issue.

[simonnatur]

I've read a little about bitcoin sites and peer to peer models for poker on 2+2. Surely this kind of legislation is likely to give huge impetus for players to develop a viable alternative along these lines and completely bypass local laws?

[doubleup]

There are plenty of "ways round" the new legislation.  But either you will be breaking the terms and conditions of a legitimate company and risking getting free-rolled or using a company that ignores the law and risking your funds with "criminals" or dodgy payment processors. 

Banks can be very capricious these days and if you are transferring money to or receiving money from an illegal site, you might find your account shut and your name on a blacklist.

I doubt that many people have an edge with unlicensed operators (that doesn't exist with licensed ones) that justifies the risk, but obv if they do gl.

[Doobs]

don't think a soul can complain


I left that in deliberately, so as to provide some amusement down the line. Poker players not complaining? What was I thinking?

Those who took the Unders for 12 hours lost.

If people's livelihood is getting damaged, why wouldn't they complain?  In life I do try and not get angry about things I can't control, but implying that it is bad to even complain about it seems a little harsh.  It isn't like this is just a minor bad beat at the end of a +10k session. 

[KarmaDope]

I just got the email from Stars.fr confirming UK players won't have access from October 1st.

I noticed one line in the last paragraph which will have a big effect, I reckon.

"The PokerStars UK site will continue to share all games and player pools with the PokerStars.com site. Due to UK regulations, the auto rebuy feature will not be available on the UK site for either cash games or tournaments. All other software features and game experiences will remain the same."

[pleno1]

I play on 4'sites

Winamax - gone in 1 week
Stars.fr gone in one week
Party - gone on one week
Pokerstars - rake reductions and basic features being removed (if Ipoker didn't have these options people would be calling it software from the dark ages)

Of course we should be unhappy/very worried these changes in theory will cost a lot of us tens of thousands of dollars.

If you got a message one morning saying you will be gocingn a pay cut and somebody tried to tell you you shouldn't be unhappy it would be weird right?

I'm seriously having to change my whole residency and plan a life in a country I wouldn't have wanted to be in otherwise and probably will never live in he uk for as long as I want to play poker. These changes are very big and scary.

[pleno1]

Dear pleno1,

Due to new regulations, all gaming services available to players in the UK must be licensed in the UK.

From 00:01 BST on October 1, playing on the PokerStars.fr site , or any other licence except PokerStars UK, will no longer be possible within the UK. UK-based players using the .FR client will need to cashout their funds in the usual way - there is no risk for you to lose your funds, but any balance on the .FR client must be withdrawn to your registered bank account.

From the 1st of October, assets including play money balances, Real Money tickets, T-Money, VIP Status and FPPs will be migrated from your .FR account to your .UK account by contacting support@pokerstars.fr with your PokerStars UK User ID. Pending bonuses will be re-credited if possible, or paid out on a pro rata basis. Your PokerStars.fr VIP status will also be applied if it is an upgrade.

Make sure you claim any earned VIP Stellar Rewards and Milestone Cash Credits from the VIP Store in the PokerStars.fr client prior to 00:01 BST on October 1. Additionally we will provide credits to many players for partial progress toward their next Stellar Reward or Milestone Cash Credit. All credits will be made by October 3 and will be accompanied by an email to the credited player.

If you have a PokerStars .COM account, you will also be required to move it to PokerStars UK. The process will be quick and straightforward, and you’ll be automatically prompted to do so when you log-in after September 30. Players using PokerStars Mobile will need to download the new UK-specific apps from the App Store or PokerStars Mobile site.

The PokerStars UK site will continue to share all games and player pools with the PokerStars.com site. Due to UK regulations, the auto rebuy feature will not be available on the UK site for either cash games or tournaments. All other software features and game experiences will remain the same.




The full email.