Due to a legal technicality, PokerStars players in the UK don’t have their auto-rebuy option anymore. Players are now writing a petition on the 2+2 forums where they ask the United Kingdom Gambling Commission to change the rules.
The new UK regulation presented several changes to PokerStars players. The VIP system is getting tweaked in 2015 and players will thus receive smaller benefits, because PokerStars has to pay a tax to the UKGC now. Most players on the forums stated that they believe this solution is completely understandable and feasible, but the community has a big problem with the fact that auto-rebuy is not going to be allowed in the PokerStars client.
The reason for this is a clause in the new legislation that states players have to make their own wagers and cannot let a automatized system handle their money balance. This clause is great at protecting players from falling asleep at online slot machines and having their hold bankroll spun down and at limiting problem players with their wagering, but it is not very well suited for poker games, where most regulars reload before every hand to be able to get maximum value with their good cards.
For players who are playing 10+ tables for hours on end, this change in the system is more than just a minor inconvenience, it directly affects their winrate and multi-tabling ability.
Players are now in the process of writing a petition and submitting it to the UKGC to revert the auto-rebuy option to it’s original state. A PokerStars official has also stated that PokerStars is going to allow third-party programs doing the auto-rebuy function, but that their software will not support the function by default in the United Kingdom.
