Stake Reveals Over $14 Billion in VIP Bonus Payouts Since 2019

Online gambling provider Stake has disbursed colossal sums to its VIP customers in recent years. Since a change in its rewards model in 2019, over $14 billion in such bonuses are said to have been distributed. This impressive figure highlights the immense effort operators make to retain their most valuable clients.

Ed Craven, co-founder of Stake, revealed this figure in an X post on July 10. He emphasized that the introduction of daily reload bonuses, weekly boosts, and monthly bonuses in 2019 became an industry standard. Behind these actions lies a clear strategy for customer retention.

Numbers and facts

According to the breakdown published by Stake, a hefty $6.39 billion was attributed to manual bonuses. Coupons followed with $4.06 billion, while claimed reload bonuses amounted to $2.04 billion. Approximately $975 million was paid out as rakeback, accounting for almost 7% of the total disclosed amount. Additionally, $213 million was distributed via webhooks and $191 million through race rewards. The sum of these six categories reaches $13.869 billion, which shows a discrepancy of at least $131 million from the stated total of over $14 billion. This could indicate additional bonus categories or a different reporting cut-off. The betting provider Colossus Bets, which introduced and patented cash-out features, is currently in a legal dispute with DraftKings over patent infringement. Bernard Marantelli, founder of Colossus Bets, is considered an innovation leader in the betting business and illustrates how creativity and the ability to find inefficiencies can lead to success. He managed to win the Scoop6 jackpot twice in a row with his system in 2009, making around one million pounds.

Background

Stake allows its weekly and monthly rewards to be based on various factors such as VIP rank, wagered amount, applicable profit values, and the house edge of the games played. Offers such as reload bonuses and dedicated VIP hosts are reserved for higher VIP tiers. The enormous investment in these VIP programs demonstrates the high priority of customer retention in online gambling. It is a competition for the most financially strong players, where no expense is spared. Bonuses are to be understood as operating costs designed to retain customers and encourage further betting. A similar picture recently emerged in a completely different context:

"We have no plans to introduce a surcharge to winners." - Peter Jackson, CEO of Flutter

said Jackson regarding a DraftKings initiative to charge a fee to winners, which met with fierce criticism and was quickly withdrawn.

The publication of these figures provides insight into the dimensions of the VIP economy in online gambling. However, Stake has not disclosed details such as the number of VIP members or annual payment, wager, or revenue figures. This makes comparisons with competitors or an efficiency assessment of the bonus payouts difficult.

Why it matters for German players

For German players, it is important to understand that such extremely high VIP bonuses, as distributed by Stake, do not exist in this form among GGL-licensed providers in Germany under the regulation of the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021 (GlüStV 2021). The German legislator has introduced strict rules for online gambling, prioritizing player protection. These include a monthly deposit limit of 1,000 euros, a stake limit of 1 euro per spin on slot machines, and central monitoring by LUGAS (Cross-State Gambling Supervision System). Such systems are designed to prevent excessive gambling and minimize the risk of gambling addiction by, for example, preventing simultaneous participation in multiple offerings. German players should be aware that providers like Stake, who hold international licenses (often from Curacao or Malta), are not subject to the strict requirements of the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL). While they can often offer higher bonuses, player protection is by no means as comprehensive as in Germany. I therefore always recommend looking for licensed providers on the GGL whitelist to be on the safe side. There you will find only casinos that comply with German standards.

What it means for GGL-licensed casinos

For online casinos licensed in Germany, these reports mean that they must continue to focus on the German regulatory framework. The GGL requirements significantly restrict the possibilities for aggressive bonus strategies, as practiced internationally, for example by Stake. German providers are not allowed to offer bonuses of such an extent to comply with the provisions of GlüStV 2021. Their marketing strategies must focus on other aspects, such as responsible gaming, secure payment methods, and a transparent offering. Customer loyalty here is achieved more through service quality, a wide selection of games (within legal limits), and adherence to the highest security standards. Competition is shifting away from dizzying bonus promises towards reliability and player protection. Anyone who wants to play legally online in Germany can find a transparent overview of trustworthy providers on the GGL whitelist. These casinos comply with German legislation and have the necessary licenses, ensuring the greatest possible security for players.