Canada-based operator PokerStars has pulled out of Australia following the recent approval of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016.

pokerstars

The company has assured players that their funds remain safe and available for withdrawal.

In a statement, it said: “The Australian parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 on August 9, effectively banning all online gambling sites that are not locally licensed under Australian state or territory law. We’ve been aware of this day coming and have done our best to keep you informed, but we can confirm that we’ll be closing our real money poker tables to players in Australia, most likely around mid-September.

“We’re proud to have seen the Australian poker community grow so strong over the last decade. We do respect the Australian government's decision in taking steps to protect consumers and hope that in time we’ll be able to serve real money poker to you again. In the meantime, we will continue to offer play money poker and we hope to continue to welcome many Australian players to our tables.”