32Red exits the Australian market following regulatory changes

f today, 32Red will not accept any new registrations from any Australian punters.

In line with Australia's new legislation, 32Red has decided to withdraw its services from the country.

This is the latest company to exit the Australian market, following William Hill, Vera&John and 888 Holdings.

If the bill passes, PokerStars will be the next operator to leave the online market, its customers already informed that their accounts will be suspended and registrations no longer approved.

The 2016 Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill prohibits all internet gambling activities from unauthorised or unlicensed operators under Australia's new national codes, online poker included. Nonetheless, sports betting will still be authorised under the new legislation.

The bill was finally passed for the third time on 21 March, which includes imposing civil penalties on offenders, blocking IP addresses, and creating a blacklist of unlicensed operators. The bill has been moved for a vote in Australia's House of Representatives, and if it passes, it could potentially become law within a few months.

The Gibraltar-based company offers a range of interactive betting sites including a poker room, an online casino and a sportsbook. They also went on to reveal that their affiliates will continue to generate revenue shares from Australian referred players with existing accounts until further notice.

Affiliates have been advised to take down promotional banners, hyper-links and other materials from their websites. They are also to stop the promotion of 32Red products with immediate effect.

Nonetheless, the bill is unlikely to be voted on before Australia's next governmental session in May 2017. This in turn means that Australian poker fans and players can enter the upcoming Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) hosted by PokerStars, expected to be the largest in its history and offering prize money of $55m.