[A masterclass in horrible T&Cs - Lapilanders and L.C.S Limited]

On 1/23/2022 at 12:22 PM, MP_123 said:

This Saga began on the 16/1/2022. After having amassed my balance of €39K I requested a €1K withdrawal (their withdrawal limit). Of course I uploaded my KYC Documents right away, being a regular gambler, I had the standard documents ready to go.

On the 19/1/2022, I received the following email (Confiscated.JPG) informing me that 1. My withdrawal has been rejected and that €34399 has been deducted from my balance. 
I figure, "OK, I'll deal with this some other way, at least I'll withdraw the remaining €5200" So I submit a new withdrawal request.

The experience tilted me somewhat, so I have no logical explanation for the following paragraph. Perhaps I had resigned myself to the thought that I was in the hands of a predatory operator who would never pay out my money anyways? I told myself that I would just use the €200 to do some bonus buys. Well, low and behold, the bonus buys resulted in a new balance value of €24K, which is where my account sits at today. This will become relevant further down.

On the 20/1/2022, I receive a new withdrawal rejection. This time requesting additional KYC proof. Apparently now I need to take a selfie of myself holding my passport. Well, I go ahead and take the requested photo and upload it.

At the same time, I sent support an email informing them that I had exceeded their daily win limit again, and kindly asked for them to deduct the excess. I have received no reply, nor has the balance been adjusted.

On the 21/1/2022, my additional KYC document has been marked as approved. And I have submitted a new withdrawal request for €1K.

I expect that on Monday the 24/1/2022 or Tuesday 25/1/2022, I will receive a new email informing me that my withdrawal has been rejected and excess winnings will be removed. (Don't ask me why on earth this operator can't process a withdrawal while also adjusting balances). If I am lucky, the operator will leave €10.200 on my account as the additional winnings occurred in a new 24-hour window. 

Next will be the question of withdrawals. Unless of course the operator requests a DNA scan attested by the national social registry for my own "safety".

Their withdrawal terms leave a lot to be desired, which I mentioned in the initial post:

63.3. The maximum withdrawable amount per account is limited to 7000€/month (or currency equivalent), unless otherwise specified in the Terms & Conditions of a specific promotion. Exceptions may be made to players with a higher VIP level, if any, at the Casino’s sole discretion. If a customer wins more than €30,000, the Casino reserves the right to divide the payout into monthly instalments until the full amount is paid out. If the amount to be withdrawn is larger than €7.000 , the remaining amounts will be placed back in the player’s account, to be withdrawn in the following month.

So if I they actually start processing payments I will likely be subjected to withdrawing €1000 / 72 hours until I reach €7000. After this point they will require me to wait for an additional calendar month to begin withdrawing again.

Perhaps askgamblers has struck some special deal with this operator for more favorable T&Cs for players using their links, but as it stands, everything about this operator feels like a predatory money-trap dressed up as a casino. Most casino's would at least let the 1/1000 player walk out with their money since they'll always make it back. This operator seems more intent on skinning the sheep rather than just sheering it.

Here are a few of the pro-active steps I have taken thus far:
- To begin with, I want to ensure that people know that Campeon Gaming Partners, the operator of this brand as well as Wallacebet Casino, sonsofslots and sven-bet employ the same terms and conditions and KYC procedures.

- I have submitted a formal complaint to the ADR, in this case MADRE to review this case for the outstanding winnings

- Fortunately, I have had business dealings within the FinTech space and have shared this experience with a few senior contacts among the operator's payment processors (thus far, 3 of which have asked me to supply them with further details in order to review their dealings with Campeon Gaming Partners and L.C.S Limited).

Steps planned: 

- I have investigated the possibility of filing a report with the European Consumers Center to review whether the business practices are legal or not.

- In the event that withdrawals take an extended amount of time, I will use the complaint feature available here on askgamblers (thanks for providing this facility, guys. You're legends).

This point can't be underscored more strongly for all the 'yOu DiDnT rEaD tHe T&cS' Zombies out there.

Terms and conditions of any particular business can never overrule the law itself, and there are reasonable expectations when conducting business or consuming services which are often 'just assumed to be case' due to their sheer naturalness. 

For instance when availing yourself of a gambling service the expectation is that you as the consumer risk your funds at the tables, and it is expected that in the event that you win you will be allowed to walk away with your winnings.

To put this into context, lapilanders casino allows betsizes of €50-€100 on slots, and €1000s on table games and game shows. This is something within their power to adjust in the various games on offer, and can easily be done. In essence, they have created a casino where they cap their max liability to €5000, while leaving a bottomless hole as the downside for the consumer. I highly doubt any regulatory body would take even a single step towards assist me recover any funds, and this is what it is. Memento Mori, I suppose. At the very least, the operator can be taken to task to protect others in the future. 

I expect to provide further updates in the coming weeks,

Happy slot slapping, brothers and sisters.