888 has withdrawn their services from Slovenia, and Marathonbet has done likewise in the Czech Republic as both countries prepare for a new dawn of regulated online gambling.
888 has taken the sensible approach and withdrawn from the online gaming market in Slovenia.
The world’s second-largest online poker room has now joined the largest on the sidelines of the online poker arena after the Red Spade also left the Slovenian market on Monday, 4 July 2016.
Slovenia achieved independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and became a member of the European Union in 2004. Like most ‘new’ countries one of the last things on the government’s minds when establishing the laws of the land was the governance of online gambling.
As the riches of this fertile virtual land glisten brighter, countries like Slovenia are busy drawing up legislation in a bid to prevent their money flowing into the coffers of corporations based elsewhere.
Those businesses are leaving before their presence can become a deterrent when the Slovenian gaming lawmakers start handing out licenses to operate within their virtual borders. PokerStars went, 888Poker followed, and they will both return – without blood on their mouse and keyboards – when the country finally gets its act together and starts distributing licenses.
888 also recently took the decision to leave the Australian online market for similar reasons. PokerStars has not yet followed despite forewarning their players that an exit is extremely likely.
Marathonbet Leave Czech Republic
Marathonbet has left the market in the Czech Republic.
The online gambling operator follows William Hill, who left the market just before 2016 ran out of breath. The reasons are the same. The Czech Republic’s new gambling act came into effect on January 1, 2017. Anyone not operating without a bone-fide license will face punishments involving thumb-screws, nipple-clamps, and stocks.
William Hill declared their intent to ‘work together’ with the Czech gambling community sometime ‘in the future.’ Marathonbet is so far keeping their powder dry on that score.
The news first broke on www.championat.com.
