PokerStars Rewards Changes For 2017

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Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 | Written by Shane Larson

When PokerStars majorly revamped its VIP Program for 2016, the popular online poker site caused a major controversy amongst its legion of online grinders. Earlier this year, PokerStars then hinted at more changes to come in 2017, and naturally this sent the same segment of players into near panic mode once more. Since September, there had been much speculation as to what the site’s next changes might be, and last month many of those questions were answered.

Here are some of the changes that will determine what the rewards system will look like in 2017, starting with more controversial changes to PokerStars’ Supernova rewards program.

Supernova Sets Monthly Targets

The Supernova status at the top of the VIP Program is once again being changed. For 2016, the rakeback for this tier was 28 to 30 percent, but in 2017, the most that a player will be able to get in rakeback will be capped at 28 percent. Plus, players will now need to accumulate enough points to qualify for Supernova status on a monthly basis, with 10,000 VPPs needed to reach the tier each month rather than 100,000 VPPs per year.

Some people are speculating that the move from an annual Supernova status to a monthly status is PokerStars’ way of eliminating the top tier from the program without actually taking it away. Many players will not manage to qualify for the status every single month, and those that do will be rewarded for it, but with a lower rakeback. Therefore, some players are complaining that there will be less incentive for them to even try.

Star Coins Expiration

Beginning on July 1, 2017, Star Coins will only be good for 6 months for those players whose accounts go into an inactive status. If a player becomes inactive by not playing on any of PokerStars sites, their coins will subsequently expire over a 6-month rolling period. The goal here is obviously to keep players actively returning to the site at least once every 6 months in order to avoid losing any rewards they may have already built up.

Other VIP Status Rewards Unaffected

Other monthly VIP status rewards and requirements are not being modified at this time, and it is only the Supernova status that is currently being changed. Furthermore, anyone who becomes a Supernova in 2016 will be able to keep their status until the new program is rolled out sometime in 2017.

Full Details in 2017

The complete new 2017 VIP program rules will be announced 2 months before the start date, although currently there is no indication as to when exactly PokerStars intends to take the new program live.

Geared Towards Recreational Players

While this is just our first look at the changes that lie ahead, it’s obvious that PokerStars is continuing to work toward the goal that it has been striving for since the last changes to the program, namely to encourage recreational players to play more at its virtual tables.

Over the past few years, PokerStars has demonstrated that it is no longer interested in catering to high volume players who play more than one game at once in order to make a living earning rakeback. Instead, the site is trying to build a community that will make recreational players feel more comfortable. While PokerStars is not completely eliminating rewards with its highest volume players, the brand clearly wants to make it so that those who are benefiting the most must continue to play and contribute to the community in a positive way.

Amaya Revenues Up in Q3 2016

In other PokerStars related news, the brand’s parent company, Amaya, released its Q3 financial results in November revealing a 9.5% improvement in revenues compared to the same quarter in 2015. In total, revenues generated came in at US$270.8 million for the three months ending September, while its EBITDA also jumped by 14% to $123.2 million. As a result, Amaya has earned $845.5 million for the first nine months of 2016, higher by 8.5% versus the same period last year, with EBITDA up by 12.7% to €376.5 million. Commenting on the impressive figures, and the company’s goals going forward, Amaya CEO Rafi Ashkenazi explained:

“I am particularly pleased with our core poker business as we believe the proactive changes we made to our poker ecosystem have both substantially offset and began to reverse certain negative trends facing that business. We plan to continue leveraging this positive momentum into our casino and sportsbook offerings as we focus on becoming the world’s favorite online gaming destination and maximizing winning moments for all of our customers.”