Full Tilt and Unibet to sustain UK online poker presence and VIP campaigns

With the UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) new licensure and taxation regulations looming ever closer, more and more online poker operators are finally declaring their intentions to either stay or exit the region’s market. Comments on the matter came from two major internet poker operators just before the weekend as Full Tilt and Unibet announced they would continue to accept UK customers. Both also alluded to another intention that could entice the region’s online poker players, suggesting that their VIP rewards will not be altered due to the new tax law.
Betonline   OnlinePokerRealMoney.co.uk tries to dispel some legal confusions stemming from passage of George Bush's UIGEA of 2006 . Federal status seems to depend on interpretation of the wire act and other laws which were crafted many years ago and which remained high level in nature. The United Kingdom has much clearer laws including their own real money gambling commission .
It’s no secret that the United Kingdom is the virtual epicenter of legal online gambling across the globe. Now several years after the United States cracked down on what they termed illegal online poker sites, that market has been reduced immensely, catapulting the UK into its current dominant position. However, the Gambling Commission is not generating nearly the revenue it has the potential for due to the majority of UK-facing operators basing their operations – and acquiring their licensure – from tax havens like Gibraltar.

As such, the UKGC passed a new law that is slated to go into effect on November 1st, 2014, wherein all internet gaming operators that accept UK customers must obtain a license from the commission, and pay a 15% point of consumption tax on all wagers placed from within the UK. The original date of enforcement was October 1st, but due to a court battle instigated from Gibraltar – a ruling for which cannot be expected by Oct 1st, but is expected to go the UK’s way – the date has been postponed to November 1st.

Several online poker sites were quick to make their intentions known earlier this month. Mansion Poker will exit the UK market (but maintain its online casino operations), and PokerStars will launch a new website with region specific software for UK online poker players that may result in a few rule changes, including an upcoming reduction of VIP rewards to offset the new tax law. It was naturally assumed that Full Tilt would follow suit, but thanks to a recent announcement, we now know that the poker room is not exactly mirroring the decision of its Rational Group-owned sister site, PokerStars.

An update last week to the Full Tilt FAQ page revealed that all UK customers will be automatically transferred to the new UK-based poker site the first time they log into their accounts after the regulations go into effect (just like PokerStars), but that “you will continue to have access to all games and offers available at Full Tilt”. By that delineation, the online poker room should not be altering its VIP scheme for UK players; something the region’s PokerStars members are going to face in the very near future.

Unibet, which offers a more recreational geared online poker experience, made a similar announcement last week. “We’re keeping Challenges the same in the UK as in the rest of the world,” wrote a representative of the Unibet poker site on the TwoPlusTwo forums. He could not confirm just how long-term that decision would be, stating “that kind of decision happens above my head”, but for now, the ‘Challenges’ reward scheme will remain unchanged.

Other sites to proclaim their objects include Titan Poker, Winner Poker and Carbon Poker. Titan Poker and Winner Poker have already converted their UK players to a co.uk version of their respective websites. However, Carbon Poker, the flagship of the Merge Gaming Network, has chosen to withdrawal from the UK market.

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