PokerStars continues recreational push with VIP overhaul
New VIP Club system will introduce rewards for casino and sportsbook activity for first time
PokerStars has announced another overhaul of its rewards scheme designed to continue its move towards recreational players and encourage cross-sell to casino and sportsbook.
The new programme, which will be implemented in 2017, will reward players for activity on the PokerStars casino and BetStars sportsbook for the first time.
Eric Hollreiser, Amaya’s VP of communications, said: “Although players won’t have to play any specific platform in order to progress, players will receive rewards for many different things, rather than solely being rewarded for playing a lot of poker hands as is the case currently.”
The firm has repeatedly stated it is seeking to become a more diversified operator with less reliance on poker, and the strategy appeared to be paying dividends in the company’s H1 results.
The Amaya-owned brand made some initial changes to the rewards scheme last November, lowering rewards for high volume players, and the firm said it had seen “improvements in the key areas” it had targeted, prompting the latest changes.
Hollreiser added: “Players are getting more bang for their buck, which we can see in a number of ways: more players are seeing a flop, recreational players are depositing more, and new players are playing more (i.e. players are better enjoying their experience at the tables and want to play again).”
“That’s why we’re making more changes in 2017 to continue to bring a more enjoyable and more compelling experience for our players.
Rewards will also stop resetting monthly, with points instead awarded on a system that is personalised to an individual’s recent gaming activity and player profile.
“The vast majority of our players only play intermittently and casually; resetting VIP progress each month can make it a tough rewards system for those players to engage with,” explained Hollreiser.
While the exact nature of the changes and date of implementation are still undetermined, Hollreiser said they were announced now because the firm had received feedback from players who felt they hadn’t received enough notice about previous changes.