PokerStars Introduces Video Monitoring to Prevent Cheating

In recent times, the news concerning PokerStars has been dominated by a dispute which has broken out with its high-stakes players who believe they have been unfairly treated by changes made to the site’s VIP program. The move is part of a larger strategy by PokerStars to divert extra resources towards its recreational players, and create a fun and fair playing environment for its customers.
Clamping down on the use of HUDs, as well as identifying any cheating or collusion taking place, is also a part of that strategy, but PokerStars’ latest attempt to police the action taking place on the site has raised a few eyebrows as it involves players allowing themselves to be video monitored. It’s worth mentioning that so far letters with instructions on how to go about the task in hand have been sent to just a small number of high-stakes players who for some reason PokerStars has decided are worth studying further.
The site insists, however, that receiving an e-mail does not automatically label them as guilty of having breached the site’s terms and conditions. Amongst the set of video recording instructions this group of players are then required to follow includes:
– Ensuring their face is clearly visible, audio is on, and with the recording allowing a clear view of their surrounding playing environment.
– Logging on from an empty computer when they initiate their playing session.
– Playing one of their typical playing sessions, as well as exhibiting their usual playing tendencies, for at least 70 minutes.
Players will subsequently be given 10 days to provide the required information or, as an excerpt from the PokerStars e-mail then explains:
“Failure to follow these instructions or if the video is of sub-par quality, will result in this task needing to be repeated.”
All the required steps are needed in order for PokerStars to determine whether the player being scrutinized is attempting to use some type of “illegal” software, whilst trying to evade detection by the site’s usual detection methods. In the meanwhile, players failing to comply with the set of instructions risk having their account funds frozen.