- After 3 years of operation in the French poker market, BarrierePoker.fr anounces the end of its commercial operations.
- It is not the only recent causality in the French market this year; Partouche announced its closure earlier this year, and many other rooms have closed up shop in the three years since French online poker was regulated.
French regulated online poker room Barriere Poker announced Friday that the network will close on September 30.
“After 3 years of operation in the French poker market, BarrierePoker.fr anounces the end of its commercial operations,” a message reads on the Barriere homepage.
According to the full statement, Barriere blames the economic conditions, and a “degradation [of the French online poker market] which is increasing quarter on quarter.”
The latest numbers published by ARJEL, which shows a sharp decline in the second quarter and the 6th straight quarterly decline in industry revenues, confirmed Barriere’s concerns.
“We thank our players for being with us in this adventure which has allowed us to assert ourselves as a technology player in France and abroad,” the statement reads.
It goes on to reference its strategic partnership with Caesars Interactive which will allow it to bring its product to the US market.
Full details on how existing customers can cash out their funds, and convert their points, is provided.
The closure of Barriere is not unexpected; pokerfuse PRO revealed that a closure was under serious consideration back in May.
It is not the only recent causality in the French market: Partouche announced its closure earlier this year, and many online other rooms have closed up shop in the three years since French online poker was regulated.
The remaining poker operators continue to struggle. On aggregate, regulated providers lost €36m in 2012 due to the unworkable tax rate which cripples operators. The regulator has repeatedly advocated for online gaming tax reform.
