Official statement on behalf of the staff, management, owners and directors of PokerMedia Australia.
In recent days, it has come to our attention that rumours have been spread relating to the future of our business. It pains us that a statement such as this is required, but we can assure our advertisers, partners and the Australian poker community that these rumours are completely false.
PMA has survived its first 12 months in an extraordinarily challenging business environment and we expect to remain a major player as new opportunities emerge in our industry over the coming months and years. Any such rumours relating to our survival are, at best, mischievious and, at worst, actionable. At this point, we reserve judgment.
We would also like to take this opportunity to address allegations that recent stories relating to the future of regional poker tours conducted by a major international online operator are “unfounded”. In recent months, we have established valued contacts with those who will soon be charged with a trial of online poker to Australian customers. At this point, much of the material to which we are privy remains out of the public domain.
However, we can state categorically that as part of the development of draft legislation relating to online gaming, policies relating to the enforcement of the Interactive Gaming Act 2001 will change and the presence of illegal offshore operators will be challenged as never before.
To declare the material in our stories to be “unfounded” directly undermines the professionalism of the journalist conducting the investigations and the credibility of our website and our business. We have complete confidence in the accuracy of the material and sources to which we have access, and any allegations of impropriety reflect not only on PMA, but also on those who’ve entrusted us with the information at their hands.
We acknowledge that the future of online gaming in Australia won’t be to the liking of many businesses currently operating in this market. Indeed, we’ve regularly invited comment from the major offshore players who’ll be most affected by changes to the legislative framework but every single request has been ignored.
In a competitive environment, allegations, rumours, gossip, etc, fly back and forth like chips in a 1-2 NLH game. Some industry stakeholders may not like what we publish, but I can assure every PMA reader that we would never publish a story we knew to be inaccurate. Indeed, we have many stories on file that remain unpublished, as we’ve been unable to ascertain their veracity.
On behalf of the entire PMA team, we recommit to the pledge we made when the site was launched in August 2011 – to remain the hub for news and informed commentary relating to the Australian poker industry.
Sean Callander
Editor-in-chief
PokerMedia Australia
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