Royal Panda Online Casino Exits The United Kingdom Gambling Market
While the most popular online casinos are expanding their coverage, Royal Panda is rolling back in one major market. Indeed, the popular casino site will cease service to players based in the UK. Service will cease completely by the end of January. So, why is Royal Panda online casino going to exit the United Kingdom gambling market?
Why Is The Royal Panda Online Casino Getting Out Of The UK Market?
As of Jan. 8, the site was no longer accepting new players based in the UK. After Jan. 20, existing UK players were not permitted to make any more deposits to their online betting account. As of Jan. 31, UK players will not be able to access that account and all live bets will cease. In addition to offering live casino games from Evolution , Royal Panda has games from several other software providers. For instance, Microgaming, Aristocrat, Genesis Gaming, Rabcat, Thunderkick, Elk Studios, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, NextGen Gaming, 1x2Games, Barcrest Games, and Relax Gaming.
All online activities under Royal Panda’s existing UK license will cease operations on the final day of the month.
Indeed, this means that active players must make a withdrawal request for any remaining funds before that Jan. 31 deadline. The company did announce that remaining funds on Feb. 1 would be returned via the primary withdrawal method specified on the account. However, any funds tied to bonuses will be lost after Jan. 31.Discover the pros and cons of using a live dealer casino over here. Also, read our tutorial on how beginners can learn to play baccarat right here.
Business will only cease in the designated UK market. Royal Panda operations in other regulated markets will not be impacted. As mentioned in this report, UK players can turn to Leo Vegas as an alternative real money online casino site. Furthermore, this is a sister site of Royal Panda and it will still be accepting players from the UK.
The sites are similar in operations so the transition should be seamless. One main plus is the Live Casino selection at Leo Vegas. This site offers a wider range of live-dealer tables. They also offer more frequent promotional incentives for live casino players.
Royal Panda is not the first live casino site to leave the UK. The reason for the departure is more stringent regulatory measures imposed by the UK Gambling Commission. A few other sites that have left the UK market include:
- InterCasino
- Vera and John
- Rolla Casino
How much impact on the UK market Royal Panda’s decision to leave remains to be seen? You would have to think that losing such a high-profile online casino will lead to additional departures. The tougher regulations have been cited as the main factor for operators’ concerns.
Royal Panda is obviously much more sensitive to regulatory issues. Six months ago, they decided to exit the regulated gaming market in Switzerland. At this point in time, they have not announced any further rollbacks in service. Leaving the UK is such a short window of time could signal a more aggressive response to stringent regulatory conditions.
Royal Panda was able to carve out a sizable player base in the UK as a highly popular gambling site. The site is relatively new to the real money online casino industry. They went live in March of 2014 and rapidly earned a prominent place in the markets they serve. High ratings across the board highlight most site reviews. None of the reports covering this story mentioned any response from the UK Gambling Commission.