Empire Cashout Restriction Bonus issue - skip if $10 issues bore you

[beernutz]

Ok this issue is admitedly small potatoes, so if you're just going to follow up with, "that's small potatoes" or something similar why waste both your and my time?

I have an account at Empire I rarely use because it has no rakeback so my account has been empty except for a few cents for months. Another Empire user transfered me about $90 in cash and I withdrew it to Neteller. This apparently triggered what Empire calls a Cashout Restriction Bonus and they put $10 into my account.

When I logged into Empire the next month because I had again arranged for another Empire member-to-member transfer I saw the $10 (the transfer had not yet happened) and thinking I'd just left it in my account I played with it and lost it all.

The next day the member transfer comes through, only Empire won't let me take it all out as they essentially say I owe them $10. I have to play another 286 hands before the 11th to clear this bonus or they deduct the $10 back out of my account.

Am I unreasonable in thinking I'm getting screwed here? I didn't ask for the $10 in the first place. I've had plenty of bonuses before at Empire but this is the first they gave me upfront and I had to earn or else have it deducted out of my account. I'm wondering what they would have done if the member transfer had occurred after rather than before the end of the bonus period.

Of course, this really is no big deal. I guess I'm really just curious as to whether something similar had happened to anyone else and what they did about it, if anything?

[ChristinaB]

No, I don't think you are being screwed. You gambled the $10 and lost it. It was your loss, you owed it. That you didn't realize that the $10 was a bonus amount does not erase the fact that yo lost it, didn't clear the bonus, and have to leave $10 in your account for them to take back if you don't want to clear it.

[bpb]

By blowing their "free" $10, you essentially accepted the terms of that bonus. I agree that they don't make it clear that they're going to hold you to that $10 on subsequent deposits/transfers until you clear the raked hand requirement. However, I don't think its totally unreasonable on their part. (just somewhat unreasonable)

Your options at this point are

a) Call/email Empire and pitch a fit. They'll likely relent and remove the cashout restriction.

b) Suck it up

I'd opt for b, but I'm really damn lazy.

[beernutz]

I have no real disagreement here except for the fact that I never requested the bonus and didn't "accept" anything. It was just there in my account and I assumed it was my money like I do with every other account I have. If it is in there, its mine. If it had been clearly explained that if I played this and lost it I would owe it back to Empire I never would have played it. Thanks for the response though--I'm not looking for validation, just other points of view.

[beernutz]

I basically agree. I've tried a.--no dice so far so b. looks like the path of least resistence. I suppose I'll have to find another reliable method for transferring funds which Empire would probably prefer anyway.

[Izaak_Walton]

I don't get the part about 286 hands for $10--are you exagerrating? That's x28 = unbelievable!!!!

[moondogg]

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I don't get the part about 286 hands for $10--are you exagerrating? That's x28 = unbelievable!!!!

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I believe it's 300 hands (no kidding). He probably already played 14 hands (which I hope were NL hands if it amounted to a $10 loss).

[beernutz]

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I don't get the part about 286 hands for $10--are you exagerrating? That's x28 = unbelievable!!!!

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I believe it's 300 hands (no kidding). He probably already played 14 hands (which I hope were NL hands if it amounted to a $10 loss).

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PL but that's a quibble. And yes, the requirement is 300 hands.