PokerStars Reportedly Pulls Out of China, Taiwan, and Macau

Online poker giant PokerStars is reportedly not offering services in Taiwan, Macau and China. Parent organization Flutter Entertainment is making a move to stop providing gaming in black markets, so PokerStars is no longer accepting players from these territories.

Cutting Off Services

Online poker along with other types of iGaming are banned in the three regions. PokerStars has offered services in the past by finding ways to move around local regulations. However, with new ownership, the brand will no longer act in this manner. The Stars Group recently closed a deal with Flutter Entertainment, an online gambling group from Ireland. The group combined is known as Flutter.

Yesterday, it was made known that PokerStars was making the changes in the named regions. On Two Plus Two, a popular online poker forum, an emailed message was posted by a user, from PokerStars support. It said that as of September 1, the brand would leave China, Macau and Taiwan.

Also in the message, PokerStars announced changes made to withdrawal policies in the jurisdictions to ensure players receive their funds. The minimum amount for wiring money was lowered to $50 in these areas.

On top of this change, PokerStars also decided to add MuchBetter as an option for withdrawal. They are offering this option without requiring players to have made a deposit in China or Macau. In Taiwan, the operator is also offering Neteller and Skrill.

Moving Out

The news of PokerStars making this move comes just shortly after they announced an exit from Cyprus. Analysts believe the exits are being made as Flutter has big plans to expand in the United States. The brand is already offering services in several states where online poker gaming is legal but other brands connected to the company are also in the mix, such as FOX Bet and FanDuel.

With PokerStars being located in unregulated markets, it might cause trouble for Flutter as they look to grow in the US. With these changes, the hope seems to be that lawmakers will be willing to allow the brand to operate in states with new legalization of iPoker in the future.