SharePokerStars has launched a new rewards program following a three-month trial. Players can now earn as much as 65% cashback on the .com, .uk, .cz, .ee, .es, .eu, .fr, .pt, .ro, .sh, and .bg servers, but local regulations forbid the monthly challenges in Greece and Czech Republic.
Positive Step
The significance of this change cannot be understated. Only a few years ago, PokerStars dismantled the best rewards program in online poker, taking full advantage of their position as market leaders.High-profile players went as far as organising a strike in protest at the ending of the lucrative Supernova Elite package after players had grinded for nine months with only that in mind. In the end it all came to nought, but people didn’t forget.
Fast-forward a few years and GGPoker has now established themselves as a serious rival. PokerStars was forced to react, and react they certainly have done.
The main program pays out a flat 25% cashback to everybody who plays. Monthly challenges are then set, which upon completion payout up to an additional 40%. Talk about a massive turnaround.
When the previous rewards scheme was shut down, cashback was averaging a little more than a few percent. Now, given how convoluted GGPoker’s Fish Buffet program is, PokerStars may have the most lucrative scheme once again—although don’t forget that they probably still have the toughest games to beat.
Much of the Same
The six chest levels remain the same—Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Black—but now they pay out a fixed value, ranging from $0.50 to $250.Severin Rasset, Managing Director of Poker at PokerStars, said: “Listening to community feedback, we know our players want more rewards, more ways to earn rewards, more transparency and simplicity. Our recent trial program was not only very positively received – overall we saw a 78% jump in satisfaction scores for the players participating, but it also gave us more ideas about how to make it even better.”
Another positive change is that all games will once again be eligible for rewards, including high-stakes. The high-stakes tables died down over the years since Supernova Elite was canned, so maybe that trend can be reversed and we can see the big tables full around the clock like in the old days.
Many players still feel that PokerStars has a lot to answer for after the way they treated their most loyal customers. This latest switch to a more generous rewards program is hopefully the first step of many to regain that confidence.
