Deputy Editor
Player-to-player transfers are now officially a thing of the past on PokerStars. The online poker giant quietly removed the feature in a July update, leaving players only a short note in the list of changes for its latest software update.
“We have removed the Transfer to Player menu option from within tools, in markets where this was available,” the release reads.
As the release hints, many regions had already restricted player-to-player transfers. Players in those regions won’t notice a change. Likewise, some localized versions of PokerStars—such as its US sites—never allowed transfers to begin with.
However, the removal of transfers now applies to all users of the global client. Professionals and semi-professionals are those most likely to be impacted. Such players have used transfers for years to settle debts and provide liquidity for staking arrangements.
Why PokerStars turned off player transfers
Anti-money laundering laws have become stricter and more widespread over the years. In response, PokerStars has gradually instituted restrictions that have made it more difficult to use transfers for anything other than their intended purpose. Just before this change eliminated transfers, players could only transfer money from their winnings, not freshly deposited funds or money they received in turn from other users. Likewise, transfer recipients could only use the received funds to play. It was possible to withdraw winnings from those funds, but not to withdraw a transfer before playing through it.
Each transfer was also subject to approval from the operator.
Now, the real money transfer information page on PokerStars has been taken down entirely. The operator had previously encouraged all parties to use third-party money transfer services to facilitate backing and staking arrangements, rather than on-site transfers.
The removal of the feature may also make the site safer for players, as fund transfers present a risk of fraud.
Other changes in the latest software update
PokerStars’ July update included a few other minor changes aimed at improving the player experience:
- A notification will now appear when the Mystery Bounty stage begins in applicable tournaments.
- Expanded and improved rabbit hunting allows players to use the feature during any post-flop hand, while giving more time to do so.
- Players now have more time to use the “show cards” feature when applicable.
These changes are minor for the most part and may not be noticed by many players. However, those who have relied on peer-to-peer transfers have some adjustments to make, as that era officially comes to an end.
