- Online poker giant PokerStars has announced drastic changes to their poker offering to players based in Germany ahead of the new online gambling law slated to go live on July 1, 2021.
- The changes include new restrictions to payment methods, an increased rake to combat the new turnover tax, modification to the Stars Rewards program and perhaps the most significant of all: The removal of higher stakes action for German players.
- PokerStars becomes the second online poker room to outlay its plans for the German online poker market, which is due to be shaken up by the implementation of the Glücksspielneuregulierungsstaatsvertrag (GlüNeuRStV).
Online poker giant PokerStars has announced drastic changes to their poker offering to players based in Germany ahead of the new online gambling law slated to go live this Thursday, July 1.
The changes include new restrictions to payment methods, an increased rake to combat the new turnover tax, modification to the Stars Rewards program and perhaps the most significant of all: The removal of higher stakes action for German players.
The new restrictions were made public on June 24 in a blog post on the operator’s website. On the same day, an email notification was sent to all concerned players, labeled as “Important changes to how you play”.
“Laws around online poker in Germany are changing, and as the world’s most trusted poker brand we want to ensure we are fully compliant,” the operator, wrote in a blog post.
“We have had to make a number of adjustments to our games in order to meet the new regulatory and tax obligation in Germany and wanted to update you ahead of time on what you can expect,” the site further wrote.
The changes will come into effect on July 1—the day the country’s new gambling law goes live. The site has assured that the changes affect only players based in Germany.
