BetStars to operate in the Czech Republic

The recently regulated Czech market has received BetStars as its first international online sports betting operator.

Czech Republic.- The Stars Group (formerly known as Amaya Inc.) is one of the few operators interested in the recently regulated Czech market and has become the first international online sports betting brand to enter it through BetStars. The Finance Ministry published a list with licensed providers of iGaming services in which the brand showed up, and joins PokerStars in the country as it became the first international operator licensed earlier this year.

The new Czech Gambling Law came into effect as of January 1 2017 but didn’t draw as much interest as the government expected due to the 35 per cent tax on annual revenue from local operations. The Stars Group, however, applied for licenses for online poker and sports betting and is set to dominate the market.

There’s still no news on whether the companies that operated in the country one there was no regulation. Several major operators exited the Czech Republic just before the law came into effect and some promised to return, yet they still haven’t. Some have even already dismissed the local market, crushing the expectations for the country, which was expected to become very fruitful but turned out to be a flop.