http://www.pokerstars.com/uk-migration/

1st of October - Black Wednesday

Why? It doesn't appear anything will really change.

Things will change quite radically if they don't get a license for operating in illegal markets eg Russia

Pokerstars

You

Only a guess, but imminent rake increase(s) and/or VIP stingification for UK players (to cover the new 15% tax...).

Juk

Q.Will my VIP Club rewards be affected?
A.
VIP Club rewards for PokerStars UK will be the same as on PokerStars.com for the remainder of 2014. Rewards will be reduced slightly for 2015; more information will be available at a later date.

I wander what this means exactly.

Harsh reality of life in a regulated industry

They're taking away auto-rebuy, cos you know that'lll stop degenerates. I look forward to having to manually top up my stack every hand. Jesus Christ.

Link to this extra info?

This is a real KITN

Butnahhhhhhh


Q.What changes will I experience?
A.

Very few. You will be required to review and accept the updated Terms & Conditions, as well as our updated Privacy Policy, and you will need to update your PokerStars client (see above), but otherwise you will continue to have access to all games and offers provided on the PokerStars.com platform.

Please note that, due to UK regulations, the auto-rebuy function for ring games and tournaments will no longer be available.

Don't panic guys, we can all just move to Scotland on saturday.

"Players in the UK" from Pokerstars to comply with the "customer who is physically located in Britain when gambling facilities are used" from the law.

Does it mean UK residents will be able to switch back to Pokerstars.com when playing from abroad ? (thus avoiding the consequences of the tax) And will switch back to Pokerstars UK when back home.

What regulation has caused auto-rebuy to be removed?

Also anyone know if changes are taking place on other poker sites on October 1st?

rumors is that we won't be able to play any .fr sites

Well not quite. The UK technical standards limit auto-play to 25 instances. This is a perfectly sensible rule for slot players grinding out their version of a bonus, it is a real protection for some idiots who might come home after a few beers kick off a slots session, fall asleep and find their whole balance gone.

Poker rebuy with automated time outs/sit outs and the requirement for real response in the game is caught by this rule by accident.

With good luck and a few people moaning to the UKGC about it, in an informed way, they can surely be persuaded to write in an exemption for interactive peer to peer games. Stars are not working on some bodge to retick at 25 for the sensible reason that the rule will not be there long, and that would be a total pain for everyone anyway. No elegant way to implement it.

UKGC starts on the learning curve......

Almost certain now, stars would get hit by double tax. Winamax are pulling out of the UK.

Is re-buy/autoplay issue a new ruling by the UKGC? I know of at least 1 site that's had a UKGC license for years and has auto-rebuy.

We will find out when they announce the VIP scheme for 2015. My guess is that the UK reduction will be a small part of that discussion.

Poker has an important tax exemption - instead of 15% of everything Stars rake as the tax, they pay 15% on what they do not return as VIP stuff to players, it is a levy on the net charge not the gross charge.

This means that the VIP cut will be less than 15% and as the effective rakeback increases the tax taken falls. As a general principle it is likely to mean getting higher levels is more rewarding relative to the lower levels but it is also true that relative to other countries the VIP will be worse. It may be that at the very top level they can swallow the tax hit to make it neutral for the elite.

We will however have to wait an see, then crunch the numbers.

Remember though guys, we pay no tax on our poker winnings so bitching and moaning to others who do, or who don't have international player pools, or Stars at all might seem a bit tardy.

hmm, what site? The UKGC told me they licenced one tiny poker site only and I never found it!!!

You amy mean Sky where they had some UK and some overseas, the poker was overseas.

PKR's blurb says: "Licensed and regulated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and in the UK by the UK Gambling Commission."

Does this not mean the same thing?

P K R Technologies has a current UK software supplier licence. This means that they can supply UK Remote licenced firms applying the UK technology standards OR supply overseas licenced firms without applying all those rules.

PKR Limited (same address, even starting P K R Technologies) now has applied for a remote licence, this is pending but means they can carry on post 1st October until their application is accepted/refused.

So, what they said is true, but not quite how most would think. They were UK licenced, but not. This change cleans that confusion up, if you play on a UK facing site claiming licencing then it has to be to the UK rules, not as a UK software producer.

Clear? I hope so coz it makes Kafka look sane.

Scottish players --- VOTE FOR INDEPENDENCE!

If Scotland votes for separation and pledges not to spy on citizens as the NSA does on Americans (and everyone else) and adopts a libertarian approach to so called "sins" like gambling I can see it attracting capital from the UK and EU. As it stands now, governments seem to exist to grab as much tax money as possible from everyone to keep supporting the lifestyle those in government have grown accustomed to (at your expense).

My stance on the Scottish referendum has changed drastically

If you check the white paper you will find the nats moaning that the UK legislation is too liberal/laissez fare. no plan of course just demanding more laws.

do you think nats would back international player pools? nah, hello Portugal without the sun.

I wander lonely as a cloud.