In a significant development, GGPoker, the world’s largest cash-game online poker site, has reached an agreement with the high-stakes cash-game community to reverse a major increase in rake that had sparked a boycott by many of the site’s top players. The boycott, which primarily affected those playing at stakes of $25/$50 and higher, lasted for several weeks following the rake hike.
The news of the agreement was shared by George “you-mad-br0” Froggatt, a British online poker pro, via multiple social media platforms. Froggatt’s posts included details about the deal and a breakdown of how the rake structure will be adjusted once most of the rate hike is rolled back. This follows several rounds of negotiation between GGPoker and the boycott’s organizers.
A GGPoker spokesperson declined to offer a public comment on the agreement, maintaining the site’s policy of not commenting on business or procedural matters.
While GGPoker continues to be lauded for its cutting-edge technology and innovations in the online poker space, its rake rates have consistently been higher than the industry average. The recent increase had drawn heavy criticism from the high-stakes community, where players at these levels possess significant skill, making the increased rake almost unbearable and leading to the boycott.
In his social media posts, Froggatt expressed his thoughts on the agreement: “My personal opinion is this is a huge W for the HS community, and online poker overall. It is the first time in online poker history a boycott has been successful, and we have to credit GGPoker, and especially @elkypoker for their side of this.”
The mention of @elkypoker, or Bertrand “eLKy” Grospellier, GGPoker’s brand ambassador, highlights the role he played in the negotiations. Grospellier is a close friend of Michael Kim, GGPoker’s co-founder and CEO, which further solidified the relationship between the community and the platform in resolving this issue.
This marks a rare victory for the high-stakes poker community, showing that player-driven movements can result in tangible changes in how online poker sites operate.
