Four days ago, the popular platform Full Tilt surprised the UK-based players in a negative manner. It was announced that the reward points will be reduced by 20%.
The reduction was said to be necessary due to the newly implemented gambling regulations the platform has to comply with and now, players will receive eight instead of ten points per dollar raked.
As for the VIP program the effective rakeback players get, it greatly varies from country to country. It is between 10% and 35% depending on the tier level achieved by the player. However, due to the new changes, players, residing the United Kingdom, will be able to get between 8% and 28% rakeback.
According to information released by Full Tilt representatives, the so called Point of Consumption Tax, imposed on the gross profits of the gambling providers on the territory of the United Kingdom was pointed as the main factor that caused the changes. The tax came into force at the beginning of December and it is a part of the UK Gambling Bill.
Gambling providers are unhappy with the fact that the tax is predominantly a responsibility of the operators and people familiar with the matter said that Full Tilt’s actions were not that surprising since every gambling provider was trying to deal with the additional expenses caused by the tax implementation.
What made the UK-based communities so amazed was the fact that Full Tilt officials were quick to adapt to the changes, valid for the United Kingdom. The operator updated its FAQ section in September and announced that it is not planning to impose any reductions to the VIP benefits for UK-based players.
Actually, that was not the first reduction of benefits for United Kingdom-based players. All loyal players of Full Tilt are owners of a Black Card but Full Tilt executives threw a curve ball at them and reduced their benefits as well. From December 16th they can convert 250 Full Tilt Points for $1.
Soon after the announcement, poker forums and the social networks were flooded with negative comments concerning the changes and the “subtle” manner in which they were implemented so players had no choice but to comply with them.
However, PokerStars, the other platform, managed by Amaya Gaming, is also preparing to impose changes in the rake structure and the benefits they provide the best players with. From 2015 on, players, located in the United Kingdom and a few other countries, will be raked on rebuys. In addition, they have predicted changes in the benefits given to VIP players.
