According to a recent post by PokerStars Steve on the TwoPlusTwo forums, American players are now able to redeem their FPP for VIP Rewards Bonuses. This will allow those with a high reserve of the points to convert them into cash, which can then be withdrawn from the company’s servers.
Here’s the word, straight from the man himself:
“US Residents have had their VIP Statuses as of April 15, 2011 restored in order to have access to purchase appropriate VIP Reward Bonuses for their earned VIP level. Players with VIP statuses higher than BronzeStar will have until at least May 31, 2011 to purchase VIP Reward Bonuses that require advanced status.
“US players can also use their FPPs to purchase any VIP Stellar Rewards and/or Milestone Cash Credits that may have been earned in 2010 or 2011 but not claimed. The funds from any purchased VIP Stellar Rewards and Milestone Cash Credits will also be immediately made available for cashout.
“Any FPPs remaining after a US player purchases bonuses and rewards available to them will be made available again if the US player is again able to play for real money on PokerStars at some point in the future.”
Those players competing to earn a buck from PokerStars’ VIP Stellar Rewards have also received good news, of a sort. Turns out that they will indeed be paid for their pre-Black Friday efforts.
“Many players have been credited funds to reward them for partial progress toward earning their next VIP Stellar Reward. Compensation amounts have been calculated by determining the percentage of incremental VPPs earned toward the next VIP Stellar Reward, then awarding the same percentage of the value of the reward to be earned. Compensation has been issued to all players who would receive $10 or more using this formula.”
PokerStars has implemented a similar approach to their Milestone Cash Credit program.
“All US Residents with more than 100,000 VPPs have been credited with partial progress towards their next Milestone Cash Credit. Compensation amounts have been calculated by determining the percentage of incremental VPPs earned toward the next Milestone Cash Credit, then awarding the same percentage of the value of the reward to be earned.”
With these housecleaning procedures in place, it appears as though the company is mopping up the last of the ties to the American player populace. While’s a sad thing, to be sure, at least they’re taking the time to ensure their former customers are well taken care of.