Empire Poker - Inexplicable Account Closures
Published: Friday, May 13, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
EMPIRE POKER PURGE?
Players report large number of inexplicable account
closures
The online poker message boards have been hot with exchanges
on Empire Poker over the past week or more following what seems to be a large
number of arbitrary and inadequately explained account closures.
InfoPowa
- Online-Casinos.com's gambling news supplier - attempts to obtain an official comment
from Empire Poker management appear to have fallen on deaf or unwilling ears,
for there has been no response.
The consensus in player-land seems to
be that the closures are either related to taking advantage of too many bonuses,
or to having multiple accounts at both Empire Poker and Party Poker, but it is
difficult to be sure, since some of those locked do not appear on the face of
their claims to fall in either category.
Speculation that this issue may
have something to do with moves at the Party network to curtail rakeback deals
is similarly difficult to understand in the absence of corporate reaction.
If this is a case of lowering the boom on greedy players, it is being handled
in a singularly clumsy manner and with little apparent transparency. Complaining
players allege that they have not been specifically told why their accounts are
being closed. Some report emails with vague references to "fraudulent and
wrongful practices" followed by a determined silence from the network.
It seems that a poster claiming to be an Empire representative made a brief
appearance at the 2+2 forums to explain without detail that the unspecified *fraud*
that people were accused of commiting was in fact "bonus abusing."
However, it appears that no monies are going to be seized, leaving the debate
as one of poor notification but the legitimate exercise of right of admission.
Many players believe that locking accounts is an unintelligent solution to
a problem that could be better resolved by increasing the bonus requirements such
that the bonus is covered by the rake. Better yet, by offering targeted bonuses
for which Empire apparently already has a system.
Several experienced
players have pointed out that by taking this less confrontational route, the regular
players would not be alarmed over what is perceived as being a heavy handed and
arbitrary approach by poker room management.
If this is a purge, Empire
needs to be careful it does not throw the baby out with the bathwater, or damage
its reputation and future custom. And it could certainly learn the value of honest
corporate communicating.
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