- Austrian Supreme Court decides PokerStars is not licensed to operate in the country.
- The operator must pay back €28,000 to one player for his losses from 2014 to 2019.
- All contracts between PokerStars and Austrian players are “null and void.”
- The Austrian law firm asserts there are 2000 people ready to file lawsuits and reclaim their funds.
PokerStars lost a major legal battle in Austria last week when the country’s Supreme Court (OGH) confirmed earlier decisions from lower courts asserting that the operator is not licensed on the national level and thus cannot offer online poker for real money to Austrian players.
The verdict came as a result of the lawsuit filed by a player represented by the Gottgeisl & Leinsmer law firm. The player in question sued PokerStars for his losses between 2014 and 2019 and won the case before the regional court, which ordered the operator to pay back €28,000.
PokerStars appealed the verdict, but the higher regional court of Vienna upheld the decision. The company then filed an appeal with Austria’s Supreme Court, but with the same outcome: The Court confirmed PokerStars was, in fact, operating without the required license and was thus obliged to pay back €28,000 to the plaintiff.
