PokerStars Fined €400,000 by Netherlands Gambling Authority

PokerStars are in the hot seat again this week as reports of a huge fine from the Dutch authorities coupled with job losses in the Isle of Man hit the newsstands…

PokerStars hit with €400,000 fine

First up, the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) slapped The Stars Group with a €400,000 penalty for ‘offering online gambling to Dutch players without a licence’ according to egr.global and other sources.

The regulators issued the official sanction after an investigation showed that Dutch players could access the Pokerstars.eu website from July 2018 to January 2019.

The Kindred Group, parent company of UniBet, and others were also fined by the Dutch regulators and a two-year ‘cooling off period’ is likely to follow, whereby the sites will not be allowed to operate in the country.

80 job losses expected on Isle of Man

The next piece of bad news to hit came from the Isle of Man, with reports that up to 80 jobs are at risk on the island, with further cuts in other jurisdictions expected from PokerStars.

PokerStars staff were reportedly informed at a meeting last Thursday that the workforce of 450 would be reduced by 10 this year, with another 70 expected ‘to follow over the next 18 to 24 months’ according to the IoMToday website.

The Canadian-owned Stars Group, parent company of PokerStars, refused to comment on the number of jobs losses at the island’s two sites, though they did confirm there would be lay-offs.

In a statement issued by Stars, they explain:

"Our international segment (PokerStars) has faced many headwinds over the last year, including disruptions in our key markets. This will lead to reductions across a number of jurisdictions including on the island", with Department of Enterprise officials "looking to assist any staff who are ultimately affected to support them in finding alternative roles."

Last year PokerStars revealed that some senior staff would be relocated from the Isle of Man HQ to the company’s offices in Malta and Dublin.

Despite the redundancies, PokerStars claim that their Isle of Man operations have ‘always been a critical operational hub for the company and will remain so.’

They added:

"Apart from the personal impact on affected individuals, today’s news will have little foreseeable impact on our overall operations in the Isle of Man".