Portuguese players want an international player pool

The newly regulated online poker market in Portugal (see previous reports) is experiencing tension as major operators exit the space due to concerns over restricted player liquidity and high taxes, and more recently players in the country began to organise a boycott of what state-regulated operators remain or are to be licensed in the future.

The regulator has yet to issue licenses under the new regulatory regime, a delay created by the government’s need to obtain European Commission approval for its technical requirements.

Following the withdrawal of major operators, Portuguese online poker fans have been left with little choice but to use “illegal” offshore sites, and earlier this month agreed at an ANA players’ association meeting to boycott future Portuguese licensed operators if the regulator continues to restrict poker action to players within the country’s borders.

The government’s decision to restrict player liquidity has reportedly decimated a once healthy online poker market, frustrating both operators and players.

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