Fortune Poker Calls It Quits

One of the more venerable brands in online poker, in terms of consecutive years of operation if not size, Fortune Poker surprised poker players this week by announcing the impending closure of their site.

The announcement was made via email to players and affiliates, and also through a statement posted on the Fortune Poker website.

The statement offered no specific explanation for the closure, saying only that: “With many changes in the online gaming industry, it has been a struggle to continue to support our players and affiliates to the fullest. While we have grown very fond of our Players, Partners and Affiliates – we regret to inform you that Fortune Poker has made the unfavorable decision to close its gaming/poker operations.”

Fortune Poker holds a license from the LGA (Malta) and operated via the Boss Media / IPN Network. Fortune Poker did not accept poker players from the United States.

Player Funds Seem to Be Safe Despite Closing

The most important thing for players to know is that all funds appear safe, and Fortune has outlined a clear path for their former customers to recover balances held by the site. Players will not be transferred to another site; instead, they will have to cash out their balances directly from Fortune Poker.

As players are not being shifted to another site, the closure will also end the relationship between Fortune and its affiliates. Affiliates will be able to cash out their owed balances in the same manner as regular players and will be able to continue to contact their affiliate manager throughout the process of closure.

Fortune Poker Closing – Timeline

Fortune will continue to operate as normal until April 1st. At that point, game play will be suspended. Players can request a cashout from Fortune directly any time between now and 23:59 GMT on April 2nd, the last day that the cashier will remain available to players.

Fortune has stated that all cash outs requests will be processed by April 10th. Standard policies regarding withdrawals will still apply during this period. You will be able to contact support at Fortune with any questions or issues up until April 15th.

If players do not request their balances from Fortune Poker by April 2nd, they will still be able to retrieve their funds via Envoy Services, a third-party custodian. Any questions about deposits and payouts can also be addressed to Envoy following April 15th, the last official day of operation for the Fortune online poker brand.

The announcement from Fortune indicated that all player rewards – including rakeback and VIP rewards – will be honored and paid into player balances on April 1st. Support will be available for players at that point should they have any questions about bonuses, rake races or similar promotions.

Fortune’s closure is just the latest in a string of poker site shutdowns over the last 12 months. While much attention has been focused on the closure of U.S.-facing poker skins and networks, international operators have also seen incredible consolidation as their market continues to fragment and competition for players becomes increasingly intense.