---

China Bans Online Poker

While the mind-sport of poker is growing leaps and bounds all across the world, China has decided to launch a crackdown on the game, and no longer recognize poker as a competitive sport. The authorities have gone ahead and banned the use of all online poker applications and websites.

The crackdown will put an end to the promotion of Texas Hold’em poker through social media applications, while other social media channels will also not be allowed to promote any form of Texas Hold’em. Poker in China largely exists through such websites and social media apps, so this will prove to be a major blow, both to players and to companies that provide the product.

One such example was the Hong-Kong listed Boyaa Interactive, whose Boyaa Poker Tour sees players qualifying to the series via the company’s app. When this announcement was made, Boyaa’s share price took a hit of over 12%, just hours after their 2017 annual report posted gains and an increase in player revenue.

The report stated, “The third Boyaa Poker Tour, our specially organized competition, was successfully held in the fourth quarter of 2017, which increased our brand’s awareness and players’ loyalty, enabling us to continue our steady steps towards becoming an internationally recognized poker game competition brand.”

---

---