The Australian government is currently modifying its online gaming regulatory regime, which has caused a number of foreign operators to leave the market. The first ones to suspend their services on the territory of Australia were Vera&John as well as 888 Holdings, and now 32Red is following suit.
32Red ran an online sportsbook, casino and poker room for Australian residents but it has suspended the approval of requests for new registrations. As regards their affiliates, they have to commit to removing all materials featuring 32Red/Australia from their sites.
The move comes right after the Australian government voted in favor of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 which restricts the provision of online casino games and poker. The first penalties for operators not compliant with the new regulations have already been put into place. These include IP address blocking, civil penalties or a blacklist with the unlicensed offenders.
It is expected that the next brand to terminate services in the country will be PokerStars. However, Australian players will have the chance to take part in the Spring Championship of Online Poker to be held at the end of April.