PokerStars plan four $1 million freerolls in 2016
In recognition of a tough year, PokerStars reward fans with a host of new events in the new year.
Accepting that this has been something of a rough year, PokerStars are giving something back to the fans by staging four $1m freeroll tournaments next year.
Eric Hollreiser of PokerStars announced that these freerolls provide proof of their commitment to deliver excitement while still attracting new players, and will form part of a host of new events in the coming year.
This news comes after many in the poker community were upset over recent changes to the VIP system and other corporate decisions that have been brought in under Amaya since their takeover in 2014.
While the VIP plans were discussed under the previous stewardship, the announcement received a cool reception from many users some of whom responded recently with a three day boycott. PokerStars have admitted that the protest did get their attention, but claimed that it had little-to-no impact on their trade and that, in fact, traffic actually spiked during the period.
In a statement, the firm disclosed;
"During the three-day boycott we recorded the healthiest consecutive three-day ecosystem results of the year with steady net gaming revenue, even though our net-depositing players lost at a much lower rate than they have all year. "
Changes to go ahead
PokerStars have no plans to scrap the incoming changes as they deem the current VIP unfit for purpose. They did however, admit that they were responsible for the miscommunication surrounding the changes which they first discussed implementing in January 2014.
They also blamed their annual performance on the strength of the US Dollar, acknowledging that some players could not stay on the site for as long as previously because their funds no longer stretched as far.
The alterations to the VIP are not the only changes that have seen PokerStars fall from grace. Many players are also unhappy with the firm reaching out into other e-gaming variants, in particular sports betting.
