Up to 80 staff at PokerStars in the island have been told their jobs are potentially at risk, iomtoday has learned.

But the e-gaming giant says it is committed to retaining the island as a ‘critical operational hub’.

We broke the news yesterday that PokerStars had told staff that it would be making redundancies in the island, citing ‘headwinds over the last year, including disruptions in our key markets’.

Staff were informed of jobs losses at a meeting yesterday afternoon.

It is understood that 80 people in the Isle of Man have been given notice that their job is potentially at risk, with 10 to go this year and others to follow over the next 18 to 24 months.

PokerStars, part of the Stars Group, employs some 450 people in the island at two sites – its headquarters at Onchan Head which it bought in 2012 and an office in Douglas.

The company declined to comment on the number of jobs at risk.

Canadian parent The Stars Group has licences or related approvals to operate in 19 jurisdictions.

In November it confirmed a number of senior staff were relocating from the Isle of Man to Malta and Dublin.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, The Stars Group said: ’Our international segment (PokerStars) has faced many headwinds over the last year, including disruptions in our key markets.

‘We believe the proposed reductions in head count on the Isle of Man are a component of our overall plans to position us to deliver our mid-term growth targets and long-term sustainable growth.

‘Apart from the personal impact on affected individuals, today’s news will have little foreseeable impact on our overall operations in the Isle of Man, which has always been a critical operational hub for the company and will remain so.’