Leovegas; Responsible gaming tests/ Account locked. Is this normal?

[unassumingcanadian]

 Hi all

 To start, it should be known that I am not a high roller. I'm not well versed in online gaming/casinos etc. In fact, Leovegas is the only casino I have ever used. I've been a verified customer for 3 years. At first, I was very happy. Everything went swimmingly.

 Also to preface this, please bear in mind, I use Leovegas's existing "responsible gaming" tools. I usually have a low limit. Atm, it is a paltry $40/week, because it's just for fun.

 So, last December (2019), on vacation, we got sick. This meant I was confined in my hotel room. So I decide to log in and play Leovegas slots. Lo and behold, I do quite well for my pittance. I'm up to $500. As anyone knows, when you request withdrawal, they leave it sit there for up to 48 hours. I feel this is by design, because they want you to reverse it and spend the money. So in effort to be "responsible", I hit up Live chat customer service and ask them if it's possible to expedite a withdrawal for me. I'd like $400 withdrawn, I'll play with the remainder.

 Well the customer service rep begins to grill me on responsible gaming. WHY can I not wait the 48 hours? (because Im sick, Im stuck in a hotel, and is it your business?) I get a psychological exam- and it ends with me suddenly, without notice, being locked out of my account for security reasons. I'm rather put off by it. I email Leovegas to ask why? I haven't broken any rules! We aren't talking about huge sums of money, could they give me some information? Well no. I get an automated response that they will thoroughly look into my account, judge it, and no one knows when it will be available. As awful as I think that is customer service wise, I accept it. I have a life, my wife has been ill, it's not a priority.

 Two weeks on, I think about it again. I check, and unceremoniously, I can log into my Leovegas account. It's been unlocked. I received NO email. No conclusions of their inquisition. Just unlocked. So I just carry on, thinking maybe this is something they do to accounts once in awhile to check things are in order.

 Fast forward to this evening. I try to log into my Leovegas account. I screwed up my password 3 times. Turns out my caps lock was on. My Account gets "Locked for Security Reasons". I assume it's because of what I just did. I contact Live chat, I tell them what happened, and now, in order to get my account unlocked, to play my $40 a week- I have to endure a phone call by them and be put through a psychological "Responsible Gaming" test. What the ever living *****? Are us little people some kind of scourge on their system? I have to say, I was perturbed. I don't want to go through yet another purity test to GIVE Leovegas money.  I do this for fun on a Sunday while my wife watches her shows. I can't believe the ***** some low level peon like me has to endure just to play a few bucks on some slots. I could understand perhaps if I blew through lots of money. If I didn't use their own responsible gaming tools. But I AM a responsible gamer.

 Is this typical with online casinos? Do they test you every 2 months for gambling addiction thru various means and make it difficult to use their site? I seriously am pretty naive about all this, and maybe this is the norm, and I just don't know. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry if this all seems stupid to seasoned online gamblers.

[cocopop3011]

10 hours ago, unassumingcanadian said:

 Hi all

 To start, it should be known that I am not a high roller. I'm not well versed in online gaming/casinos etc. In fact, Leovegas is the only casino I have ever used. I've been a verified customer for 3 years. At first, I was very happy. Everything went swimmingly.

 Also to preface this, please bear in mind, I use Leovegas's existing "responsible gaming" tools. I usually have a low limit. Atm, it is a paltry $40/week, because it's just for fun.

 So, last December (2019), on vacation, we got sick. This meant I was confined in my hotel room. So I decide to log in and play Leovegas slots. Lo and behold, I do quite well for my pittance. I'm up to $500. As anyone knows, when you request withdrawal, they leave it sit there for up to 48 hours. I feel this is by design, because they want you to reverse it and spend the money. So in effort to be "responsible", I hit up Live chat customer service and ask them if it's possible to expedite a withdrawal for me. I'd like $400 withdrawn, I'll play with the remainder.

 Well the customer service rep begins to grill me on responsible gaming. WHY can I not wait the 48 hours? (because Im sick, Im stuck in a hotel, and is it your business?) I get a psychological exam- and it ends with me suddenly, without notice, being locked out of my account for security reasons. I'm rather put off by it. I email Leovegas to ask why? I haven't broken any rules! We aren't talking about huge sums of money, could they give me some information? Well no. I get an automated response that they will thoroughly look into my account, judge it, and no one knows when it will be available. As awful as I think that is customer service wise, I accept it. I have a life, my wife has been ill, it's not a priority.

 Two weeks on, I think about it again. I check, and unceremoniously, I can log into my Leovegas account. It's been unlocked. I received NO email. No conclusions of their inquisition. Just unlocked. So I just carry on, thinking maybe this is something they do to accounts once in awhile to check things are in order.

 Fast forward to this evening. I try to log into my Leovegas account. I screwed up my password 3 times. Turns out my caps lock was on. My Account gets "Locked for Security Reasons". I assume it's because of what I just did. I contact Live chat, I tell them what happened, and now, in order to get my account unlocked, to play my $40 a week- I have to endure a phone call by them and be put through a psychological "Responsible Gaming" test. What the ever living *****? Are us little people some kind of scourge on their system? I have to say, I was perturbed. I don't want to go through yet another purity test to GIVE Leovegas money.  I do this for fun on a Sunday while my wife watches her shows. I can't believe the ***** some low level peon like me has to endure just to play a few bucks on some slots. I could understand perhaps if I blew through lots of money. If I didn't use their own responsible gaming tools. But I AM a responsible gamer.

 Is this typical with online casinos? Do they test you every 2 months for gambling addiction thru various means and make it difficult to use their site? I seriously am pretty naive about all this, and maybe this is the norm, and I just don't know. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry if this all seems stupid to seasoned online gamblers.

Hi and welcome to the forum! And please don't apologise you are not stupid at all! 

I have never personally been endured to such tests and if I'm being honest if this was me I'd probabbly be telling the casino to close my account. Also I'm pretty such this is the first time these "phonecalls" have been mentioned in the forum (if m memory has served me right there). 

If you are asbolutely confident that you ARE a responsible gambler and that you are only  playing within your financial means then I guess it's just up to you as to whether or not you want to be subjected to these tests to continue playing there.m 

[pinnit2015]

Sign of the times pal.

LV have a bit of a cheek given their chequered history with RG and a few SE issues.

In their defence, they're being asked by the UKGC to look for patterns of behaviour that indicate RG issues and the asking for a withdrawal to be flushed might be one of theirs they deem.

I've had casino's that have asked for bank statements as part of RG - they've just gotten closed.

I advise if you want to avoid this in it's entirety you go with a UK bookie (feel like i'm plugging UK operators). 

I play at 3 main UK bookies now and 2/3 MGA's - guess how many i've had issues regarding AML/RG issues? Yep - all MGA. Funny that.

[unassumingcanadian]

22 minutes ago, pinnit2015 said:

Sign of the times pal.

LV have a bit of a cheek given their chequered history with RG and a few SE issues.

In their defence, they're being asked by the UKGC to look for patterns of behaviour that indicate RG issues and the asking for a withdrawal to be flushed might be one of theirs they deem.

I've had casino's that have asked for bank statements as part of RG - they've just gotten closed.

I advise if you want to avoid this in it's entirety you go with a UK bookie (feel like i'm plugging UK operators). 

I play at 3 main UK bookies now and 2/3 MGA's - guess how many i've had issues regarding AML/RG issues? Yep - all MGA. Funny that.

 Amazing that spending all your winnings = no red flag for "responsible gaming".  If they truly had issue with that, they would make it so once you asked for withdrawal, the funds become immediately untouchable. Fact is, they want people to spend that money.  I've asked for an expedited withdrawal  a grand total of once in 3 years.

 I also find it odd that they would be so ridiculous with someone who already employs their own responsible gaming tools. It makes me wonder what they do to people who spend hundreds of dollars of week?

  I'm so gambling naive that I don't even know what a bookie or MGA is. Do you mean UK casino sites? I'm a Canadian, and I just like playing slots once a week for 50cents a spin lol. Again, I'm not spending a lot of money here. I just find this all bizarre. And they really make you feel like you're doing something wrong or sketchy. I think that's what rubs me the wrong way. The implication that I need some kind of phone test when it's such a small amount per week I play! I feel like it's a Thought Police phone call or something and it just feels awkward. I might as well just go to the casino irl once in a blue moon and not be harassed like this.

 

 Thanks so much for your comment, and for the other comments so far! It makes me feel a bit better.

[pinnit2015]

2 hours ago, unassumingcanadian said:

 Amazing that spending all your winnings = no red flag for "responsible gaming".  If they truly had issue with that, they would make it so once you asked for withdrawal, the funds become immediately untouchable. Fact is, they want people to spend that money.  I've asked for an expedited withdrawal  a grand total of once in 3 years.

 I also find it odd that they would be so ridiculous with someone who already employs their own responsible gaming tools. It makes me wonder what they do to people who spend hundreds of Dollars of week?

  I'm so gambling naive that I don't even know what a bookie or MGA is. Do you mean UK sites? I'm a Canadian, and I just like playing slots once a week for 50cents a Spin lol. Again, I'm not spending a lot of money here. I just find this all bizarre. And they really make you feel like you're doing something wrong or sketchy. I think that's what rubs me the wrong way. The implication that I need some kind of phone test when it's such a small amount per week I play! I feel like it's a Thought Police phone call or something and it just feels awkward. I might as well just go to the casino irl once in a blue moon and not be harassed like this.

 

 Thanks so much for your comment, and for the other comments so far! It makes me feel a bit better.

Malta Gaming (or is it gambling?) Authority licence holders.

I've chucked a fair few quid in casinos over the years and BY A MILE, any licensed in Malta (like lV) employ the most OTT, disproportionate interpretations of laws and regulations. The UK ones, to my experience, no (Didn't know you were CAD). The last year has seen them get worse - banned from logging cos i didn't answer a call, imposing mandatory limits and in some cases (Casumo), plain skullduggery. 

In their quest to 'appear' responsible they get you to fill out stupid questionnaires and take, IMO, lazy approaches to a lot of this. Some are worse than others.

If you have a 20 quid a week limit, and had so in my case at some of these places, why employ blanket approaches to RG? Cos it's lazy. 

They're trying to cover their arses in fear of a fine etc but still, come on. 

[pinnit2015]

Just realised and seen username, shud have gave it away 

[pinnit2015]

There was a magical time when you played at casinos, won/lost, walked away or bought summat with your cash and spoke to the casino the odd time if a game didn't load. 

Those days went a number of years ago and the last 6months at least have been pretty grim experience wise 

Some places, like Stakers, will ask you for you bank statement to check your RG credentials if you dare deposit 500 quid, Casumo will ask for it going back 3 years etc and break a few GDPR laws along the way

[pinnit2015]

Incase you need somewhere to play, here's my personal view of ones that won't treat you like a degenerate gambling addict for throwing 40 a week:

Novibet - one call, timed out for a day or two but generally reasonable

Videoslots - they won't bother you

Rizk - they will jump in at some point with a questionnaire but at 40p/w should be fine.

White Hat Gaming sites - they're just interested in Bonus bans, you could probably chuck your house at them

I'd avoid Casumo as they're currently running around like a demented housefly  

[cocopop3011]

@unassumingcanadian What happened with this one in the end?

[unassumingcanadian]

2 hours ago, cocopop3011 said:

@unassumingcanadian What happened with this one in the end?

 Hiya

 

 My account is still "locked for security reasons".  I've sent Leovegas an email inquiring why. I asked them to give me a clear and succinct explanation of what I'm doing wrong, and why they keep locking my account. I'm seriously flabbergasted here.

 Once again, I am NOT a big time  gambler. I'm really not lol. So I have virtually no experience with online casinos. I go maybe twice a year to my local casino irl.  So I guess I'm naive and didn't realize it's just normal for online casinos to treat their customers this way (terribly). I can't really understand this scenario where they just lock your account for absolutely no reason, or at least, for no reasons they can tell you. The customer service rep was very 'fake' polite- it was almost insulting because I know that he knew what was going on, but he was dancing around the subject and being all peppy yet condescending at the same time. It's unseemly.

 If they lock your account, I feel they should be able to at the very least tell you why. I have received no emails. No explanations, and I know for a fact I haven't broken any rules (or if I have, I cannot imagine what they are).

 I don't know whether to move this to a complaint or not. I thought I would wait to see if they'd grace me with an explanation (and it's been 5-6 days). Again, I could understand if I was some kind of high roller. But we're talking about the amount of money per week someone might spend buying dinner. It's hardly unaffordable, you know?

 I really don't want to have to be subjected to some bizarre phone call from a customer service rep, asking me insulting, scripted questions just so I can spend money on their site. It's been stated in this thread that you feel this is the first time on AskGamblers that anyone has said anything about a *phone call* from Leovegas. So this is unusual.  I'm thinking of just closing my account because of how crazy this is. I'm the most random, innocuous user. I don't spend a lot.  I feel whatever is happening, is disproportionate to whatever it is they think I'm doing.

 

[pinnit2015]

I wouldn't bother with a complaint - if they're not holding withdrawals etc there's not really much there - just play elsewhere.

Same as having a/c's closed - they'll just trot out their term that allows them do to so etc. 

[unassumingcanadian]

 Yeah. I'll probably  just close my account if I don't hear anything reasonable soon. Thanks for your list of online casinos up there! This experience has kind of soured me though, I have to say. I never thought of throwing a few dollars a week at slots as being some kind of problematic behaviour. Being treated like this has sort of made me insecure. Oh well lol.

[unassumingcanadian]

 Update-

 

 They will not give me any answers online. They insist I have some phone call with them to consider re-opening the account. It's crazy.

 

 

 

 I don't feel comfortable having this phone call. I don't like there not being a written record. I'm not sure what to do.

[Flatzem]

18 minutes ago, unassumingcanadian said:

 Update-

 

 They will not give me any answers online. They insist I have some phone call with them to consider re-opening the account. It's crazy.

 

 

 

 I don't feel comfortable having this phone call. I don't like there not being a written record. I'm not sure what to do.

record the phone call

[unassumingcanadian]

 I think recording the phone call is just too much for me. This is all too ridiculous ( not the suggestion- just Leovegas). I think I'll hit them up today and close my account. This seems to be going into a realm of lunacy I'm just too bland to be a part of lol.

 I wanted there to be a record of it online though just in case this happens to other people.

[unassumingcanadian]

 Last Update****

 

 I asked over Live Chat for my account to be closed. Leovegas customer service said this phonecall from the Responsible Gaming department is "routine", even though no one on AskGamblers has ever heard of it before? (idk). I was told I did not break any rules,  but they refused to reopen my account unless I submitted to a phone call and had some kind of purity test. 

 * They said it HAD to be a phone call. It could not be done online, in Live Chat. I could not send any bank statements or anything like that to prove I could afford my $40/week ( LOL it's honestly so ridiculous).

 Maybe some people wonder why I refused the call. Personally, I don't like some rando reading from a script and testing me to see if I'm good enough to spend money on their site. I find that too creepy and unseemly to deal with. It introduces anxiety to something I was doing just for fun. So I opted to close the account down. Here are screenshots of what I was told in the live chat.

 

 You suck @LeoVegas

 

 

 

[Flatzem]

34 minutes ago, unassumingcanadian said:

 Last Update****

 

 I asked over Live Chat for my account to be closed. Leovegas customer service said this phonecall from the Responsible Gaming department is "routine", even though no one on AskGamblers has ever heard of it before? (idk). I was told I did not break any rules,  but they refused to reopen my account unless I submitted to a phone call and had some kind of purity test. 

 * They said it HAD to be a phone call. It could not be done online, in Live Chat. I could not send any bank statements or anything like that to prove I could afford my $40/week ( LOL it's honestly so ridiculous).

 Maybe some people wonder why I refused the call. Personally, I don't like some rando reading from a script and testing me to see if I'm good enough to spend money on their site. I find that too creepy and unseemly to deal with. It introduces anxiety to something I was doing just for fun. So I opted to close the account down. Here are screenshots of what I was told in the live chat.

 

 You suck @LeoVegas

 

 

 

It all sounds so Orwellian,  Orwell would wince from all this madness.

[pinnit2015]

If they’re doing the same for 40 dollars or 4000000 dollars they’re doing it wrong. A: it’s a waste of their resources and B: it should, or is, be based on risk profile.

If you Self Exclude some casinos wont let you re open until you chat to them. Personally I don’t see what it achieves; customer interaction, meh

[pinnit2015]

Could be worse; they could come to you house 

 

 

[pinnit2015]

On a wider note: casino procedures regarding RG or AML

I think AML is easier to show compliance with - it comes from European Directives etc; comply with this, comply with National Regulations. 

RG - is more a 'baby' of the regulator and therefore may be more over zealous than the above and more subjective.