Online Poker Sites Charge Players For Not Playing

It happened when a member of the TwoPlusTwo.com posting forum community logged onto his PartyGaming online poker account after having not played for over 6 months and received the following message:

Hi Chris,

It's been a while since we saw you at PartyPoker.com. We've made some big changes while you were away.

We've listened to our players and as a result now have fantastic new tables, a more generous loyalty programme as well as bigger and better tournaments worth $10 million guaranteed each month. What's more, you can now choose Canadian dollars as your account currency. Visit your Party Account to find out more.

Keeping your account active couldn't be easier! All you have to do is log in to Party Poker and play 1 raked hand and or any MTT or STT.

As you've not used your account recently*, we wanted to remind you that after six months of inactivity we charge an administration fee of 5 Euros each month. The first charge will be deducted in 15 days.

Make sure you aren't charged: just buy in with as little as 50 cents and play one raked hand at our limit micro-limit tables.

Log in and play on PartyPoker now, or visit PartyPoker.com to download our latest software.

For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

If you have any questions regarding your account, please contact our Customer Care Team.

Yes, you read that right, PartyGaming charges a fee (per month) for inactivity.

"It is similar to the way gift cards begin to lose their value after a certain period of time but im not sure how i feel about either," commented one member of the forum.

Another member quipped: "Yea they make billions and are charging you for keeping a minute spot on a server for you."

Online poker sites are no different, it seems, than hotels and credit card companies that in recent months have been accused of adding what many believe to be "unreasonable" fees.

In the case of PartyGaming and other online poker rooms that engage in this practice, they are charging fees on the customers own money, which incidentally earns interest while sitting in the online poker room for extended periods of time.

Patrick Flanigan, Gambling911.com