Betfair, 888 latest to exit Portugal

More online gambling operators have withdrawn their services from Portugal following last month’s introduction of the country’s new online regime.

On Wednesday, UK-listed online betting exchange Betfair informed its Portuguese players that it was withdrawing from the market effective Thursday (16).

Players will have until July 31 to withdraw their account balances and existing wagers scheduled to be resolved before that date will be honored, but all other bets will be voided. Betfair also confirmed that it would seek a new Portuguese license and hoped to return to the market as soon as regulators gave their okay.

Betfair’s exit follows similar moves this month by William Hill and Amaya Gaming’s PokerStars and Full Tilt brands. The Amaya brands have confirmed that they are seeking new Portuguese licenses while Hills said it was “confident” that it would have the opportunity to “work together in the future” with its Portuguese affiliates.