Winamax to cease GB operations this month

French operator Winamax will not be applying for a Great Britain gambling licence and will cease marketing to British-based customers by the end of the month, eGaming Review has learned.

The Paris-based operator has yet to officially confirm its reasons behind the decision but it is believed it was keen to avoid a double taxation scenario whereby player revenues could be hit with a levy in both Britain and France.

The new regulatory framework in Great Britain is set to go live on 1 October and has led to a flood of operators announcing withdrawals from the market, in part or whole, including the likes of Pinnacle Sports, SBObet, 12Bet, Go Wild, and Cherry.

Winamax is currently the biggest online poker operator in France with a seven day average 1,300 online players, ahead of PokerStars.fr with 950, according to pokerscout.com.

However, the French online poker market has long been in decline with Q2 2014 figures released by the regulator l’Autorité de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL) showing a 9% year-on-year fall in gross gaming revenue and a 17% decrease in cash stakes.

In an effort to diversify the company, Winamax recently launched a sports betting product on its France-facing poker site before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil after receiving a five-year licence from ARJEL.

News of Winamax’s Great Britain withdrawal comes after rival French online gambling firm Betclic Everest Group submitted applications for a general betting standard, pool betting and casino licences which are currently awaiting approval from the country’s Gambling Commission.