French Players Stage Poker Revolution

01/11/2012 : FRENCH PLAYERS IN POKER REVOLUTION
 
Talks may take place soon as Pokerstars.fr traffic drops
 
The players vs. operator dispute at Pokerstars appears to have worsened, with reports indicating that many big-action players are withholding their business from Pokerstars in a boycott that is allegedly having a significant impact on the site.
 
On January 1st a mass sit-out by players was staged to draw attention to complaints regarding changes by the operator to VIP systems and rake calculation. The operator retaliated by locking some accounts and reducing table limits for those participating, moves that did little to ameliorate the crisis.
 
Neither did it discourage the protesters, who have continued to boycott the site, apparently with some success.
 
Independent monitoring statistics indicate that Pokerstars.fr traffic has taken a hit, whilst rival Winamax.fr has overtaken it in traffic rankings.
 
Reports flowing from popular player message boards indicate that the boycotters are becoming more organised, with the French community site Club Poker.net proving something of a catalyst.
 
In more positive moves, it appears that a representative of the players is scheduled to travel to the Isle of Man headquarters of Pokerstars later this week in an attempt to persuade the management to appreciate the players' point of view and perhaps resolve the issue.
 
Similar arrangements are shaping up on a wider front, with poker players elsewhere in the world who have similar complaints currently electing representatives to negotiate with Pokerstars.
 
French spokesmen for Pokerstars.fr have claimed that they are between a rock and a hard place, with heavy French taxation making "the current balance of the loyalty program unsustainable.” The French site has already imposed a tougher rake system in an attempt to counter the depredations of the French taxman.

For the time being we suggest to our poker playing readers to play at Bodog Poker.