Two online poker operators are set to pay back over €400,000 in player losses because they didn’t have the correct gaming license.
A very surprising court ruling this week in the Netherlands as PokerStars and Bwin have been ordered to refund over €400,000 in losses back to players, according to De Telegraaf.
This was due to the loophole that neither site had a proper Netherlands gaming license when the losses were incurred. This made the gambling agreement null and void.
The case was brought forward by two players who had lost money on the sites between 2006 and 2021. The operators argued that the losses went to other players on the site, not themselves, but the Dutch court disagreed.
This story sets a dangerous precedent for poker rooms that operated in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2021, as more players who lost in those periods could use this story as a jumping-off point to claim reimbursements.
PokerStars are set to repay €230,705 in losses as well as interest and legal costs. Meanwhile, Bwin are set to repay €187,622 as well as additional costs.
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