UK-listed online gambling operator GVC Holdings is withdrawing its brands from the Czech Republic based on its belief that the country’s new licensing regime is unworkable.

Late last week, local poker affiliate PokerArena reported that the Czech-facing sites of GVC brands Bwin and PartyPoker had informed their customers that, while the company had applied for new Czech gaming licenses, GVC had since concluded that the new Czech gaming law is “incompatible with the principles of the European Union.”

GVC had temporarily withdrawn its brands, including Sportingbet, from the Czech market earlier this year in keeping with the requirements of its new license applications. But it seems the suspension of Czech customers will now prove permanent, or at least until cooler heads prevail in the Czech legislature.

GVC insisted that it supported the government’s desire to bring order to its online market and hoped the authorities realized that their goals could only be achieved if operators see value in acquiring local licenses. Until that day comes, customers were told that their future activity on GVC sites would be limited to withdrawing their funds.