Online Site Pokertropolis Ceases Operations

From the "things inevitable" category comes a news release, courtesy of the good folks over at Pokernews.com, that Pokertropolis has ceased operation as of September 1st. Anyone with a current account balance at Pokertropolis is encouraged to check their account before September 7th, the last day that funds not already returned to remaining customers through some of the site's automated processes must be claimed.

Pokertropolis customers who have ever used their own Neteller of Firepay account have been advised at the page linked above that their funds will be automatically refunded; there is no need to do a manual withdrawal process at this time. However, credit-card depositors must submit a credit card authorization form immediately, and anyone wishing to receive a physical check must also request one manually in the few days remaining.

Now, have any of you ever played at Pokertropolis? I must confess that I never have, despite the public-service portion of this posting, the above. Truth be told, the reason I never played there is the same reason many others eschewed the site --- Pokertropolis has been tainted for years by the seeming presence of computerized bots, used by the site to fill out tables and increase the flow of play. Is it true? Pokertropolis denied the allegations, but one of the leading online-poker 'bonus' sites, bonuswhores.com, had this to say about the pokertropolis site:

Pokertropolis
Pokertropolis is blacklisted because they use poker bots (computerized players run by the house) at their tables. Their management denies this, but anyone who plays there will realize that they are not playing against human opponents.

For what it's worth, the bots do not appear to have any unfair advantage over the players. However, the fact that they are used and then lied about is cause for rather large concern about Pokertropolis.

Note the "their management denies this" (referring to Pokertropolis management), but nonetheless, the connection and the taint were long-standing in the poker arena. I can't offer first-person anecdotes on the matter, but I can offer that one of the reasons I never gave the site a whirl was because of the comments like these, found at bonuswhores.com and other places. Even online poker has its short list of taboo topics, and "bots" is one of the leading entries on that list.

As such, and unable to overcome the long-lasting stigma, it's no wonder that Pokertropolis has now ceased to be. So long, site; bots or not, I never knew ye.