Partypoker Eliminates Withdrawal Fees After Players Speak Out

August 3rd, 2015 | by Kaycee James

partypoker withdrawal fees eliminated online poker Neteller Skrill

After listening to its players, partypoker has announced it’s eliminating all withdrawal fees except when using Neteller and Skrill, saying the company is on a mission to “bring poker back to the people.” (Image: calvinayre.com)

Partypoker players withdrawing funds from their bankrolls will no longer incur fees when using nearly all available options including the popular MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal methods.

The change in terms comes after partypoker reviewed client feedback from its Poker for the People campaign, a concerted effort to meet and hear from players regarding its platform and to improve playability.

“Over the last few weeks and months, we have been requesting feedback via social media and at forums,” partypoker wrote in a blog post. “One of the most common gripes mentioned by our players was being charged for withdrawals. We are now delighted to inform you that withdrawals for most methods are free.”

Fed Up With Fees

Partypoker is the fifth most active poker platform in the world according to PokerScout, but its withdrawal fees have long been a source of ire for players.

Following partypoker’s network revamping in August 2013, the site also announced it would charge $4 plus three percent for Skrill and Neteller withdrawals, but that was soon changed after players voiced their opinions prompting Jeffrey Haas, group director of poker, to reduce the fee structure.

The three percent remained, but the $4 flat charge was discarded. Skrill and Neteller are the only two withdrawal choices that will continue with a fee, but partypoker is actively trying to find a solution with the popular British payment processors.

Partypoker launched the Poker for the People forum after it struck a deal with the Dusk Till Dawn casino, giving the online network a physical presence in the United Kingdom to hold meet and greets between players and partypoker executives.

“Listening to the players is central to our ongoing strategy,” Golan Shaked, director of games said. “We want to be the online poker site that champions what players want and we’re up for the challenge of making our players’ experience the best it can be.”

Free Is Good

The partypoker rake for no limit and pot limit games reaches as high as $0.90 per pot, and up to $19 for $15/$30 and $30/$60 fixed limit games, meaning the poker company is raking in plenty of money each and every single day.

Combine those totals with tournament entry fees that can reach 20 percent of the buy-in, and it’s easy to see how online poker operators are cashing in.

That’s why players are frustrated when networks try to pass along banking transaction fees to consumers who are already being levied through rakes.

In New Jersey, partypoker/Borgata has never charged withdrawal fees to players, nor has in-state rival WSOP/888.

While New Jersey iPoker struggled in its infancy with credit and debit card transactions being approved by weary financial institutions, the recent inclusion of the 7-Eleven PayNearMe option gives players the ability to use cash for deposits.

A mobile partypoker player simply selects deposit funds in the app, and once scanned and paid in full at a 7-Eleven the player’s bankroll is immediately funded.

As the expansion of online gaming continues, operators will likely scramble to reach deals with payment processors that allow them to absorb small fees to prevent negative player feedback, as retaining accounts is the name of the game for iPoker networks.