PokerStars has long been considered one of the most reputable operators in the online poker industry. When Amaya Gaming took over Rational Group in mid-2014, the Full Tilt brand’s acclaim rose up from the ashes as well. As such, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) was quick to grant Amaya a continuation license last year in lieu of the region’s new iGaming regulations. On Friday, Amaya was proud to announce reception of a formal license from the UKGC.
Hence forth, PokerStars, Full Tilt and all other interactive gambling products owned by the Amaya Gaming Group are fully licensed and authorized to present their services to customers in the United Kingdom.
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 .
Under the new regulatory act, the licensing process by the UKGC is an extensive one designed to restrict authorization to only the most austere operators in the business. PokerStars and Full Tilt underwent a broad review that put all of their front and backend services under a powerful microscope. All areas of operation, from responsible gaming practices and integrity in gaming, to secure payment processing policies and anti-fraud/money laundering procedures, to financial stability and more, were thoroughly examined. Six months later, Amaya Gaming’s online poker and other interactive gaming operations have passed with flying colors.
The UKGC made clear their intentions to enforce a more stringent breed of regulatory guidelines over a year ago, scheduled to go into effect in October of 2014. According to the updated guidelines, all interactive gaming operators who intend to accept UK customers must apply for a license directly from the UKGC, meaning PokerStars’ existing licensure from the Isle of Man would no longer be enough to grant them access to UK players. Also upon approval, operators would have to pay a 15% POS tax on all revenue generated from players in the UK.
Amaya was one of the first global operators to announce its objective to apply for authorization under the new UKGC licensing act, and was issued a temporary continuance license for PokerStars and Full Tilt on October 31, while their systems underwent the rigorous, 6 month review.
Amaya Gaming’s Eric Hollreiser is the Head of Corporate Communications for PokerStars. He offered his sentiments towards the formal UK license in a press release on Friday. “We are very pleased to receive operating licenses in the UK, which is a large and growing market for us,” said Hollreiser.
“We continue to build upon PokerStars’ leadership in poker in the UK and intend to leverage our scale and expertise to become market leaders in casino and sports betting.”
For nearly a decade, the heads of PokerStars consistently maintained a singular focus to offer a poker-only product, but that outlook began to change shortly before the sale of Rational Group to Amaya Gaming. The new owners have not only preserved the plan to integrate online casino games on Full Tilt and PokerStars, but as Hollreiser alluded to, are also working to incorporate an online sports betting venue into the system.
“We believe the UK licenses illustrate the strength of our platforms, our regulatory approach, and our commitment to integrity, security, and consumer protection,” Hollreiser continued. “PokerStars and Full Tilt now hold licenses from a dozen European jurisdictions.”