Black Tuesday For PokerStars Players In Grey Markets

Three years on from Black Friday, online poker players from across the globe are experiencing their own version of the event, dubbed “Black Tuesday,” after PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker pulled their products from more than 30 countries worldwide.
Amongst the many countries affected across Africa, Asia and the Middle East was Malaysia, with one of the country’s elite professional players, Victor Chong, recieving quite a surprise when he tried to register to play on the site, later tweeting:
“@pokerstars @PokerStarsAPPT tried to register for a tourney and this happened: No more real money games in Malaysia?”
Before too long PokerStars players were contacting support for information and were subsequently told Amaya Gaming, the parent company of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, had decided to exit a number of grey markets after assessing them business risks for its brands. The decision also appears linked to PokerStars trying to satisfy a new requirement by the UK Gambling Commission’s that operators applying for a remote gaming license should not generate more than 3% of their revenues from unlicensed, jurisdictions.
Surprised customers were also advised not to try by-passing the restriction, with a message stating:
“Please be aware that using any technique to try to circumvent our automated restrictions is also prohibited, and may lead to your account being closed and the funds therein seized. Play-Money games will be still available for everyone to enjoy.”
Anyone concerned about the ban and how it may affect them can can find further information here.
In the meantime, it was not just PokerStars customers around the world who woke up to a nasty surprise, but also a number of affiliates who have now had their agreements ended with the site. Apparently, the only affiliates affected for now are those deemed underperformers by the site, but the move has sparked concern amongst other affiliates that PokerStars may target them next, removing a huge revenue stream for the businesses. Furthermore, the announcement was made on short notice, with one source, stating:
“Apparently most, if not all, of the affiliates terminated received little to no notice that their account was under review. Instead, they received only a notice that their account was being terminated.