PokerStars offloads Russian players to mark final exit from market

PokerStars has announced that it will be transferring its Russian online poker players to an independent, third-party site in early April, effectively declaring its withdrawal from the Russian poker market.

On April 5, 2025, all Russian PokerStars player accounts will be moved to PokerPlanets.com, along with the players' existing balances.

PokerStars states that PokerPlanets is unaffiliated with PokerStars. PokerPlanets will be serving players globally under a Curacao-based license.

Stars surrendering Sochi license

In an announcement about the transfer of its Russian players, PokerStars also acknowledged that it has no plans to seek a renewal for the PokerStars Sochi site, through which Stars served its Russian players.

PokerStars' exit from Russia will also bring an end to the annual European Poker Tour (EPT) Sochi series. The EPT Sochi stop got off to a strong start in 2019, but it was heavily impacted by both the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

^{Featured image courtesy of Danny Maxwell/Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd.}