Vera&John exit Australia ahead of online casino, poker prohibition

Online casino brand Vera&John has exited the Australian market, the first of many online casino operators that will be bidding g’bye to their Down Under punters in the coming weeks and months.

Australian customers of Malta-licensed online casino operator Vera&John, which was acquired by Canada’s Intertain Group in 2014, found messages in their in-boxes this week welcoming them to Dumpsville, population: you.

The emails said the company was “always sorry to say goodbye, but the time has come.” The company said players were no longer able to make deposits to their accounts, and all Australian accounts would be officially closed “in one week.” All remaining funds in Vera&John accounts should be transferred to players’ preferred payment provider “within the next week.”

Vera&John was cagey as to the reason behind the abrupt divorce, saying only that it was “a business decision.” But it appears obvious that Vera&John’s hand was forced by the Australian government’s recent changes to its online gambling laws, which specifically prohibit online casino and poker sites from offering services to Aussie gamblers.