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The world's largest online poker site, PokerStars, is due to shut down its Costa Rica office by March 2019 as it focuses more on the legal poker and sports betting landscape in the US.
Around 300 people work in the Costa Rica office. It was not immediately clear how many of these individuals would be transferred to other locations. A signficant number are likely to lose their jobs.
PokerStars was forced to exit the US market following a series of industry indictments that came to be known as "Black Friday" in April of 2011. The company's founder was among those named in an indictment.
The company now looks to enter the US Web gaming market full throttle now that the Supreme Court has allowed for the legalization of sports wagering nationwide. Individual states will need to amend their own laws with more than half expected to embrace the activity.
Meanwhile, competing online poker firms operating from Costa Rica like Americas Cardroom have had to relocate to larger office space due to explosive growth in recent years. Americas Cardroom continues to accept players from the US and is now among the largest employers in the North American online poker market.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
