PokerStars has notified its players in the Czech Republic that it will discontinue services to the central European country in the near future, in advance of regulatory changes that will go into effect at the end of June.
“In light of impending regulatory changes in the Czech Republic, PokerStars announces its decision to cease operations in the country and surrender its license by June 20, 2024,” PokerStars stated when contacting players earlier this week. “The company will fully exit the market before new regulations take effect on July 1, 2024.”
New regulations approved late last year by Czech legislators include a significant tax hike on online poker revenue in a country that PokerStars and its parent company, Flutter Entertainment, have previously termed disappointing for player participation. As a result, Stars will voluntarily exit the country's online sphere and has no plan to return to the Czech Republic at the present time.
PokerStars has already disabled new signups and deposits from its Czechian customers and has recommended to players that they withdraw their remaining balances at their earliest convenience.
Concern for EPT Prague stop
PokerStars' departure from the Czech Republic's online-poker market casts an indeterminate shadow over the future of one of the oldest and most successful stops on the Stars-owned European Poker Tour, EPT Prague. The Prague festival debuted in 2007 during the EPT's fourth season and has been offered virtually every season since, except for COVID-related interruptions.
The most recent edition of the EPT Prague series ran in December 2023, and, as always, produced solid player turnout. The 2024 EPT Prague series has already been scheduled for December 4-15, 2024. Assuming the series runs as originally planned, the impact of Stars exiting the Czech Republic will be known with more certainty. At the least, the loss of some online qualifying channels would be expected to result in a modest reduction in turnout.
