Players on WSOP.com may want to put that new Macbook purchase or software upgrade on hold. The latest operating system is causing geolocation issues where some players may not be able to play.
Some New Jersey and Nevada residents received an email on Oct. 8 from the WSOP Support Operations Management Team. The message read:
“You have been identified as having accessed WSOP.com from a MAC device within the last 6 months. Please be advised that the release of the latest version of Mac OS, Catalina (10.15) was recently deployed and may affect your accessibility to our platform. If you upgrade or upgraded to Catalina (10.15) you may be unable to be geo-located even if you are located within the jurisdiction that allows online gaming due to a Mac OS bug.”
Mac OS Catalina (10.15), the operating system for Apple desktop and Macbooks, was released Oct. 7. This is the 16th major release for the platform.
What’s the problem affecting poker players?
The geolocation technology issue isn’t just a WSOP.com problem. Other online casinos have reported similar issues.
On Oct. 9, a similar email was sent to NJ customers from Golden Nugget Casino identifying the same bug. Even though the site doesn’t have a poker site, this may affect online casino players. The Golden Nugget noted to customers:
“The market wide geolocation technology partner is currently working as quickly as possible on a fix to work around Apple’s handling of geolocation information through a browser, which abruptly caused this bug to manifest.”
Golden Nugget offered these recommendations for users:
- Refrain from updating to Mac OS 10.15 Catalina until the issue can be resolved.
- For those who have already updated, the company advised using mobile or Windows OS devices to play.
Those don’t leave a lot of options for NJ players with the software upgrade.
A poorly timed, unexpected frustration
Geolocation allows online betting platforms to make sure a player is within the state. New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada sites use a company called GeoComply for this service.
Geolocation is similar to GPS that can pinpoint a player’s coordinates using an IP address and nearby wifi signals.
NJ recreational poker player Ross Gottlieb plays on a Mac and is planning accordingly so he can keep playing.
“I’m just not going to do the update for as long as possible,” he said.
The timing is not great for many players. WSOP.com is currently running its Fall Online Poker Championships through Oct. 20. The event features a total of $1 million in guarantees.
Macs make up about 10% of the PC market share. It remains to be seen what effect this bug will have on the series’ player pool.