Stake just pulled the same stunt twice in two weeks. The casino sent out emails promising VIP ladder bonuses only for the codes to fail when anyone tried to claim them.
The Latest Disaster
Players opened their emails to find messages congratulating them on “climbing the VIP ladder” with promises of exclusive bonuses. The emails looked legit, complete with Stake branding and a big blue “Claim free bonus” button.
But when they clicked through, “Bonus code cannot be found or is unavailable.”
One player shared their frustration on the forum:
“I’m really miserable as this email really affected me. I made plans based on that and promised my daughter a gift, then it’s not working. Such bad timing for me as I’m 70% to reach platinum.”
What’s a VIP Ladder Bonus Anyway?
It’s a surprise reward that typically drops anywhere from $80 to several hundred dollars, depending on your VIP status. Stake keeps the exact eligibility requirements secret, but players have noticed these bonuses usually come after heavy wagering – like burning through 20% of what you need for your next VIP level in a short time.
It’s one of those bonuses that actually gets people excited because it’s pretty sizeable. You grind and boom – unexpected cash lands in your account. Except this time, it didn’t land anywhere.
The support message that players received said:
“The email was mistakenly sent to many users. We are actively reviewing the situation and will be sending a follow-up email with more detailed information shortly.”
That follow-up turned out to be the consolation prize for much smaller amount. For many players, especially high-tier VIP members, that barely covers a few spins on their usual stakes.
As forum user Warchlak wrote:
“I’ve got $100 meanwhile my VIP ladder bonuses as Diamond always were $1000+. This must be a big joke, time to move on to more VIP-friendly sites.”
Pattern of Problems
Stake pulled almost the exact same move just days earlier. Players received emails about special bonuses, codes didn’t work, and support blamed it on a “technical error.”
And right after New Year’s, the casino sent emails to all users informing them they were banned from claiming any code drops for seven days, which they retraced later.
User Fym wrote:
“We were discussing this with other users on another thread, which they immediately closed. The fact that they closed a discussion thread on this topic speaks volumes about the transparency and respect they have for us consumers. This is a huge scandal. The time has come to say goodbye to Stake.com.”
Another user, cazhinq, who originally posted about the issue, said:
“If they just do some BS like 10% boosted weekly, I’m not playing on Stake anymore.”
This wasn’t an accident. Stake is testing how far they can push players before they leave. Next they’ll send fake jackpot notifications and blame ‘server issues.’ Wake up people!!!
I play Stake every day and never had problems
Anyone else notice these ‘accidents’ always happen right before Eddie’s stream? They hype everyone up with fake bonuses, then drop codes during the stream so you’re already tilted and chase losses.
This reminds me of when McDonald’s told me the ice cream machine was broken but I could see it working through the kitchen window