PokerStars has apparently asked a few of their poker players to prove they are not poker bots by providing a video recording of game play. The poker room has contacted players and asked them to make a recording of their gaming session to prove if they are not a robot or are in violation of the terms of service. The footage of game play cannot be a recoding from Camtasia or a screen-recording program used but must show the player playing.
The news broke of this happening at TwoPlusTwo, a popular online poker gaming forum, after a player known as TooCuriousso1 reported on the matter. He took to the HU CASH Regs thread to discuss that he knew players who have been asked to record their game play. He posted information that a player reportedly was emailed from a representative of PokerStars.
The representative told the player that they require a recording on video of game play with mandatory requirements. These requirements include the face must be seen from the beginning to confirm identity. Before play starts, the player has to rotate the camera a full 360 degrees to show surroundings. The playing session must start from a computer desktop where the client is opened and logged in to.
The player is asked to play a regular session after logging in and must be at the table for a minimum of 70 active minutes. The recording has to be a sufficient quality and include the monitor used, keyboard, and mouse and hand movement. Audio must be included and a continual recording is preferred, with ten days to complete the task.
The session must played normally, as one would if not being recorded and the video has to be emailed to PokerStars. If the video is not sent in or is not of the proper quality, the video would have to be redone.
Of course, player response to this is mixed. Some feel it is not a big deal while others feel the request is very intrusive. Some feel the request is going too far while others think efforts will help to protect players from bots.
One online poker player and forum poster, Jamsym2, made a valid point on the matter. Not understanding the outrage, Jamsym2 stated that when the PLO bot ring was discovered at PokerStars, players stated that the brand should have done more. Now with ramped up efforts, players are saying it is too much. The player pointed out that if members have nothing to hide then they will not mind having to send in a video to prove they are the ones taking part in PokerStars gaming.
Forum poster DontBanMePlz reported that he had been asked to do the video even though he has not been on PokerStars in months. He tried to log in and found his account to be locked.
PokerStars is defensive in their actions, stating they are only being proactive in investigating the accounts of players and have done so for years. The site does acknowledge that the process may be an inconvenience to members who do follow the rules, they find it a necessity to investigate when they have a reason to believe that a player has been violating the service terms.
Everyone will have their own opinion on the matter, but essentially, PokerStars can do what they like. Hopefully, you won’t be one of the members who receives the request for video footage to be able to continue game play at the site. It will also be interesting to see if more players come forward after having been issued a request.