Gamblers On Pokerstars Twinkle Out Momentarily

Well known online poker site “Pokerstars” suffered some technical issues that saw players denied access after the site moved to the UK.

There are, as Richard Branson will no doubt be only too eager to tell you, always a few bumps and potholes along the road towards progress, especially when one is pushing the boundaries of what is possible using the technology you have and in face of some immutable laws. In the Virgin boss' case it was gravity that still ranges itself against his efforts, in the case of Pokerstars UK it was the new “point-of-consumption” laws that had such an adverse effect.

Move To UK Base Obscures PokerStars

• Some players denied access
• Refunds to be made to some users
• UK poker rooms popular online

One of the inherent difficulties with the expansion of online gambling sites in the UK or elsewhere is the constant pressures on the IT infrastructure upon which that increased volume is based and runs, and a need to comply with the new legislation in the UK that requires all remote operators to pay a 15% tax was always likely to cause a few issues. Perhaps what wasn't expected was the wholesale disaster that befell this excellent site with a superb reputation as a center of the online poker world.

The move seemed on the face of it a sensible one. Offer UK residents internet betting in the UK from a UK based website, thus removing that 15% remote operator tax from the account books. However the migration of large numbers of users to the new servers didn't go smoothly, and in light of other recent difficulties, it was unfortunate that the results were so public. The technical difficulties stemmed from a location based issue, that saw many users in the wrong location without having moved.

Players suddenly found themselves told “We are sorry, Pokerstars does not offer Real Money games in your area” despite the site specifically being there to do just that. This proved frustrating for a great number of users who took to the bottom half of the internet and various forums to make loud and lengthy protestations at this ghastly circumstance. Especially those who felt they'd been on a winning streak brought to an untimely demise by this lamentable situation.

Equity Based Refunds In The Offing

Typically the policy of Pokerstars is to refund in these circumstances. The software glitch was, after all, their fault, the responsibility for the provision of a secure and reliable gaming framework very much theirs, however the sites reaction was less than placatory, with a statement reading “Unfortunately we do not provide refunds based on tournament equity for circumstances such as you experienced.” Which just caused even more uproar.

This lack of equity based refunds, or indeed any refunds at all, seemed set to cause a major spat of online drama, with players already having had to complain about several other features that had suffered similar teething problems during the change over to the UK site. There had been issues with the loyalty program which never looks good, and perhaps inevitably there had been complications and errors surrounding the all important numbers.

With calculations of multipliers and awards awry the site was already on the back foot and the difficulties that then beset players attempting to enter tournaments sealed a wholesale techno catastrophe. Despite assuring players that this situation was “extremely unique & rare” it seemed by many of the comments made by disgruntled players that this wasn't perhaps the point, and that unique seemed an unfair description under the ongoing circumstances.

This then is perhaps why the attitude of the site had softened by the end of the week with reports of equity based refunds being made to players who pursued the matter with the site, something they and others then encouraged all those negatively impacted to do immediately. Lest it be said this will have done nothing to enhance the sites reputation but nor is it likely to make too much of a dent once they iron out the bugs in their system.

The Road To Innovation Is Paved In Errors

The big gambling news these days is the expansion of online gambling in all its forms and whether its the provision of blackjack across the great firewall of China, or the slow liberalization in the US, but whilst the technology advances ever forward typically just one step ahead of regulation, the inevitable wish of authorities to both monitor and tax these activities has placed an unusually large burden on the providers when it comes to processing power.

During a major tournament or sporting event sites are now expected to have live dealers, streaming media content from around the world, with voice-coms thrown in, which is a lot to have pounding through your system at the best of times, and when user numbers start hitting new highs, that can create instability. The instant gratification that has been offered up by the internet and its various services means our tolerance for this sort of instability is ridiculously small, and users can register their impatience almost instantly.

With reputations won and lost in the reaction forums it has become as important to minimize these instances of failure as to have facility in the first place. Pokerstars took a step for business reasons that for technological reasons was always going to be fraught and problematic, and it will perhaps make them wary of innovation in the future. This is regrettable because whilst for some players this was an irritation, a stagnancy of presentation and performance is far worse in the long run.

Sites will continue to attempt to offer the cutting edge of technology to their users, each one attempting to place the latest developments online ahead of the crowd, however that will inevitably lead to more than a few circumstances where sites over-stretch and try to do too much too quickly. However annoying these moments might be for those negatively impacted, we may have to accept they're the price we pay for an ever better gambling experience in the future.