- Ahead of schedule, FTP.EU goes live.
- Players from three countries migrated, with six more expected soon.
FullTiltPoker.EU, a Full Tilt sister site regulated in Malta, has gone live, with players from three countries already migrated over.
Apparently, the migration is running ahead of schedule: the move today comes just five days after it was reported that the EU site would be live “in the next few weeks.”
So far, players from Greece, Luxembourg and Solvenia have been transitioned to the new site, which is almost identical to FullTiltPoker.com—sharing the same tables, player pools, promotions and features.
Players in Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden can expect to be migrated soon.
The official FAQ gives no explanation for the migration. However, it is understood that the primary motivation is to offer tax benefits to players in certain jurisdictions. According to income tax laws in some EU countries, winnings from sites based within the European Economic Area (EEA) are tax free.
Although geographically in Europe, the Isle of Man—where both FTP and PokerStars.com are based and licensed—is not part of the EEA. By offering a sister site in Malta, players from countries like Sweden should benefit from the tax exception.
PokerStars.EU first launched in February 2012 and Swedish and Finnish players were transitioned over; since then, players from at least five other EU countries have been moved over, although no official list has been made available.
For players in the key countries, migration to the new EU platform is mandatory. Players must agree to new terms and conditions an download new software when prompted, but otherwise no further steps need to be taken and their playing experience remains unchanged. Account balances will remain in US dollars.
The launch of a Full Tilt EU site under LGA license has been expected since relaunch plans were first revealed. It may bring a slight increase in traffic, as players in some countries, who have stayed on PokerStars.EU and other sites, are now encouraged to try out the relaunched FTP for the first time.