PocketFives.com can independently confirm that on September 29th, the Entraction Network will block players from five countries. The move affects both new and existing members, meaning players from these countries with accounts will be barred from firing up the virtual felts. The Entraction Network includes 24hPoker, a PocketFives Partner site.

PocketFives.com received a statement from a representative of an Entraction Network site that read, “Entraction has made the decision to block players from Canada, Israel, Norway, Russia, and Turkey from Entraction’s gaming platform. The blocking will commence at 12:00 CET on September 29. This decision is preceded by careful considerations and is necessary to fully comply with local laws.”

As to why the family of sites would withdraw from nearly a half-dozen countries around the world with one month’s notice, Poker Players Alliance State Director Patrick Skallagrim Fleming wrote on TwoPlusTwo, “It is interesting (and questionable IMHO) that they include Canada in this list. The other listed countries, however, all have pretty clear laws against online poker.”

In May, eGamingReview reported that the casino supplier IGThad bid $115 million for the Entraction Network. EGR noted that the sale was “conditional upon IGT becoming owner of more than 90% of the share capital in Entraction and all necessary regulatory approvals being granted.” The transaction ultimately included over 97% of Entraction’s shares and over 98% of the voting block.

Given Entraction’s association with a major U.S. casino outfit, some on TwoPlusTwo speculated that the move might be to set the network up for a possible entrance into the U.S. market: “The bottom line is that a company as big as IGT, working within the U.S. market, did not buy Entraction to serve just Europe. They have their eyes on the U.S. market and are getting their ducks in a row by excluding markets with unclear legislation so they will not encounter any hurdles when U.S. regulation comes into force.”

Each room on Entraction could be affected differently, however. According to an e-mail sent from NoiQ Poker, an Entraction Network site, the ban only affects poker on that site, as NoiQ partners with another company for its other offerings: “Unfortunately, we do not have information available as to why this is being put into place; however, please note that this will only effect the Poker side of NoiQ. Players from these countries will still be able to access our Casino and Sports, as we operate these with other partners, not Entraction.”

According to PokerScout, the Entraction Network is the 11th largest worldwide in terms of real money ring game traffic, sporting a seven-day running average of 1,200 players; its 24-hour peak is nearly 2,200. In August, the Entraction Network recorded a 24-hour peak of over 2,000 players a total of 13 times after it had done so about 20 times in July.

When the U.S. market will reopen is anyone’s guess. In 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA, outlawed financial institutions from processing payments to “unlawful internet gambling” sites, but didn’t specify what the three-word phrase meant. Since then, sites like PartyPoker, PokerStars, and Full Tilt Poker have vacated the American market.

Entraction was de-listed from the NASDAQStock Exchange at the end of July.

Players who have Entraction Network accounts can take advantage of its monthly €100,000 Guarantee every Sunday at 21:00 CET. The tournament has a buy-in of €200. If you’d like an Entraction account, sign up for 24hPokerthrough PocketFives and get 30% rakeback plus a €500 bonus. In addition, if you make a deposit on 24hPoker, we’ll give you one free month of PocketFives Training and waive the sign-up fee, a $65 value.

Visit our PocketFives Partners page to learn more.