In a player and website communication, PokerStars has withdrawn real-money-play from the newly regulated Colombian market following the publishing of a 325-page unlicensed operator blacklist.
Local players were informed of PokerStars’ withdrawal, effective Monday 17 July, late last week in an email that cited “restrictive regulations in a closed market generate a situation that is neither viable for the operators nor attractive to customers.”
The communication goes on to say: “Our experience as world leaders in the online poker industry indicates that access to shared global liquidity promotes a healthy relationship between users, operators and regulators.
“That formula needs the backing of reasonable technical and compliance requirements.”
PokerStars indicated it will continue to engage with the Colombian Government in positive and proactive terms in the hope of influencing “reasonable regulations” for online poker “that will lead to the nomination of responsible operators applying for licenses in the country in the future.”
The company will maintain free-to-play services in Colombia and assured that other services throughout the Latin American region remain unaffected by the development.