Real Money PokerStars App Removed from Australian App Store
02/04/14 09:07 Filed in: Poker
The recent release of PokerStar's real money mobile application has given most iPhone and iPad owners a great way to play online poker while on the go. Not so for Australians who are unable to access the app now that it has been pulled from Apple's App Store.
News of the app's removal was reported by the Herald Sun, a paper that attributed Apple's decision to the Australian government's ongoing efforts to further regulate online gambling. The Australian government section responsible for regulating online gambling — the Federal Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy Department — called for the removal of the PokerStars mobile app after determining that its use was illegal in light of the nation's Interactive Gambling Act of 2001. While Apple had contacted the app's developer, asking PokerStars' software creators to rewrite the program in accordance with Australian law, the company eventually decided to simply remove it from their App Store. Apple has responded to complaints and questions regarding the app removal by advising Australian customers to get in touch with local authorities.
The legal concern that is currently keeping the app from circulating is especially frustrating to Australian players since the PokerStars software has been continuously offered through the App Store from May 2012 until just now. This annoyance is only worsened by the fact that PokerStars can still be accessed through web browsers and Android-based smartphones.
News of the app's removal was reported by the Herald Sun, a paper that attributed Apple's decision to the Australian government's ongoing efforts to further regulate online gambling. The Australian government section responsible for regulating online gambling — the Federal Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy Department — called for the removal of the PokerStars mobile app after determining that its use was illegal in light of the nation's Interactive Gambling Act of 2001. While Apple had contacted the app's developer, asking PokerStars' software creators to rewrite the program in accordance with Australian law, the company eventually decided to simply remove it from their App Store. Apple has responded to complaints and questions regarding the app removal by advising Australian customers to get in touch with local authorities.
The legal concern that is currently keeping the app from circulating is especially frustrating to Australian players since the PokerStars software has been continuously offered through the App Store from May 2012 until just now. This annoyance is only worsened by the fact that PokerStars can still be accessed through web browsers and Android-based smartphones.
