The one month delay is due to the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association’s (GBGA) High Court challenge arguing the gaming regime as “unlawful because it is an illegitimate, disproportionate and discriminatory interference with the right to free movement of services guaranteed by Article 56 TFEU, and is irrational.”

Lord Justice Green presided over arguments by both the GBGA and the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) this week. According to EGR Magazine, a decision to this case is “unrealistic” by Oct. 1.

The DCMS appears confident in its case in its statement in response to the delay, “We remain fully confident of our case, and of the significant benefits to consumer protection that the Act will bring. However, to allow the judge to reach his judgment without under time pressure we will be taking the necessary steps to postpone the Act coming into force for one month.”

Many UK-facing operators also believe it is just a matter of time before the country’s new gaming laws are enforced. Mansion Poker was the first known operator to announce its departure from offering online poker to the UK in response to the new gaming regime.

More recently, PokerStars announced last week that is discontinuing services to dot-fr customers with the main reason believed to be the potential of double taxation by the UK Gaming Commission and the French gaming commission, ARJEL.

PokerStars and Full Tilt also have announced their migrations from its dot-com customers onto a dot-co-uk domain. The new .co.uk client is almost the same as the dot.com client, however, there are some rumblings in the poker community about how disappointing it is.

Many poker players in the UK feel outraged, arguing their best interests were not in mind with the new bill, since they believe many sites will close shop leaving less competition and choices. Players have also expressed their disappointment that .co.uk sites do not have the ability to auto-rebuy or auto-add-on in a tournament.