PokerStars has quietly increased rake across its North American markets, affecting the three US states where it operates—New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania—as well as Ontario, Canada’s most populous province.
The changes, implemented on November 12, impact most No-Limit and Pot-Limit cash games.
One day after the rake increase, PokerStars added a notice to its website where rake information is listed:
As of Nov. 12th 2024, PokerStars rake fees changed on ring games to be closer in line with the market in North America. These fees will help maintain our competitive features such as the best rewards, the most trusted security and game integrity in the industry and the best selection of games for poker players.
PokerStars issued a statement to pokerfuse explaining that the decision to increase rake was driven by the need to align its fees more closely with other poker sites in the North American market.
“PokerStars’ rake across its North American licences had been somewhat lower than its competitors and the commercial decision was made to bring this in line with other poker sites,” the operator told pokerfuse.
“These rake changes … just move PokerStars in line with the market. In some spots, slightly more than the market, in others slightly less than the market,” the operator further told.
PokerStars also highlighted that the rake structure had remained unchanged for several years despite rising costs in the industry. They explained that since launching in each region, they had kept the rake unchanged to provide players with consistent value, “even as [the] industry evolved and costs have risen.”
“At PokerStars, we strongly believe we offer the best poker offering out there through a mix of great tournaments, liquidity, rewards, and best-in-class game integrity to ensure that our players are playing other real-life players,” the operator further explained.
Details of PokerStars Rake Increases
Micro stakes have been impacted the most, particularly in Ontario, where the lowest stake 2NL has seen an increase from 3.5% to 5.5%—a 57% increase. At 5NL, the rake jumped from 4.15% to 5%, representing a 20.5% increase. For 10NL and 25NL, the rake increased from 4.5% to 5.5%, a rise of 22%. Stakes from 50NL to 500NL moved from 5% to 5.5%, an increase of 10%. Furthermore, the rake at 100NL and above rose from 4.5% to 5%, marking an 11% increase.
Not just the percentage has increased, the operator has also raised the rake cap significantly. For instance, the cap at 2NL went from $0.30 to $0.50—a 67% hike. Higher stakes, like 50NL and above, saw the rake cap double from $4 to $8.
In the US, the 2NL rake also rose from 4.5% to 5.5% (a 22% increase), while stakes of 5NL and above increased from 5% to 5.5% (10%). However, 100NL and above stakes retained the same percentage rake, with a slight rise in the rake cap.
No changes have been made to the rewards program, meaning players in the US can still earn up to 33% rakeback whereas in Ontario, it is capped at a maximum of 25%.
PokerStars USA Rake Increase Nov 2024
| Stakes | Old Rake % | New Rake % |
|---|---|---|
| 2NL | 4.50% | 5.50% |
| 5NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 10NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 30NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 50NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 100NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 200NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 500NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 1000NL | 5% | 5% |
| 2000NL | 5% | 5% |
| 5000NL | 5% | 5% |
PokerStars Ontario Rake Increase Nov 2024
| Stakes | Old Rake % | New Rake % |
|---|---|---|
| 2NL | 3.50% | 5.50% |
| 5NL | 4.15% | 5.50% |
| 10NL | 4.50% | 5.50% |
| 25NL | 4.50% | 5.50% |
| 50NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 100NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 200NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 500NL | 5% | 5.50% |
| 1000NL | 4.50% | 5% |
| 2000NL | 4.50% | 5% |
| 5000NL | 4.50% | 5% |
Rake Comparison
While these rake increases may closer align with the rest of the North American market, PokerStars can no longer position itself as one of the lowest-rake options in the US—a reputation it has typically enjoyed across most of the markets.
The timing of this increase is notable, coming just days after BetRivers Poker entered the Pennsylvania online poker market, promoting itself as one of the lowest rakes in the market. Currently, BetRivers charges 4.5% at the lowest stakes (2NL) and 4.75% across all other stakes in both No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha.
Other US regulated sites such as WSOP Online charge 5.5% at the lowest stakes and 3% at higher stakes. BetMGM Poker, however, applies a flat 5.5% rake across all stakes.
In Ontario, GGPoker ON takes 5% from each pot, while BetMGM Poker Ontario mirrors its US pricing at 5.5%. The rake at 888Poker rake is slightly higher at micro-stakes, charging 6.25% at $0.01/$0.02 and 5.88% at $0.02/$0.05, with a consistent 5% for all other stakes.
With these adjustments, the new rake structure at PokerStars Ontario now comparable to its competitors, but it no longer ranks among the lowest rake options in the market.
Following the Dot-Com Model?
The rake increase in North American markets mirrors a similar rake increase made in the global dot-com market earlier this year, where PokerStars significantly raised fees for micro and low-stakes cash games. However, that increase was limited to stakes of 10NL and below in cash games, though the operator did increase rake in other game formats as well.
At that time, PokerStars explained the increase as a move “to maintain a healthy poker ecosystem while ensuring the sustainability and growth of our business.” It seems the same rationale applies to the North American markets.
No rake changes have been implemented for other games.
While the rake increase will likely disappoint regular and high-volume players, the reality is that the majority of players will hardly notice or be affected by the change. Only a small percentage of the player pool will feel the impact. While any price hike is a burden on players, it is within the operator’s rights, especially given the rising costs to maintain their business.
It remains to be seen whether this increase will be balanced out by an increase in rewards. It also remains to be seen whether other operators will respond or take similar actions.
