Casino Max Fees and Withdrawal Irritation

[Shelix]

Hello folks!

 

Let me first say that I chose Casino Max as my first online casino because my super extensive research into a US-friendly casino that didn't have a bad reputation and dealt with USD led me to them.  I decided to do a full cycle of deposit/game/withdrawal to make sure they are on the up-and-up before diving in hard.  I should note that I pre-verified my account, waiting several days (ID/Utility/etc); I wouldn't deposit somewhere I wasn't sure I could withdrawal from.  The folks were super friendly, and very helpful.  Great communication back and forth all the time.

 

I had some initial irritation with my first deposit - I made a max deposit ($500) via credit card, which got a surprise "currency exchange fee" attached to it that cost me 7.2%.  Combined with the minimum withdrawal limit and the $25 withdrawal fee, I was looking at having to make $60 just to break even on my deposit.  I went at it on their sadly low-stakes roulette table for a couple of hours (no deposit bonuses or matches for table games at Casino Max), then cashed out at ~$860, enough to cover the fees up front, plus $300.  Nothing fancy, it was a low stakes roulette table, there's only so much I can do at $1 - $250.

 

7/17/18:  Deposit $500.

7/18/18: Gambling

7/19/18: ~$860 withdrawal request.

7/23/18: Casino Max makes a verification call to me.

7/24/18: Withdrawal approved.

8/01/18:  Check is issued from a Canadian Bank.

8/03/18:  Check arrives at my house.

 

15 days for a withdrawal to be approved and processed.  I have no comparison experience, that's just a data point.

 

The reason I had to get a check is because Casino Max only has two withdrawal methods; wire transfer and check.  Wire Transfers from Casino Max require your bank to have a SWIFT code, which most American banks and credit unions don't have, since they don't buy or sell international currencies.  

 

That left me with a check.

 

When I deposited the check into my bank, the teller informed me that the check format from Casino Max is a Canadian Routing system that isn't compatible with American banks, and they couldn't accept the check.  So my bank has to process a direct collection Item Request Form, which they charged me $10 to do, to forward the Direct Collection Item described above to the paying institution on my behalf.  As I understand it, this is basically my bank sending the check back to the Canadian bank it came from, having that bank clear it, then wire funds to my bank, who will put those funds into my account.  For which I'll pay another $25 fee for the effort at the Canadian bank, and "may be subject to additional charges."

 

 

This is also going to take 8 weeks from Friday.  On October 5, I may receive the funds I requested for withdrawal on 7/19.

 

The fees up front and on the back have so far amounted to 19.2%.  Call it 20%.  Whatever you deposit to gamble, take 20% off the top.  Deposit $500, only get $400.  

 

I'll wait and see how this clears up in 8 weeks - but I have to say, I was looking for an easy to play with, easy to gamble at, easy to understand, not-overcomplicated casino where I can give and get funds without a hassle.  This one isn't it.

[Afi4wins]

As far as players from USA are concerned, I guess there isn't any other easier option.

Whichever way you look at it, nothing can come easily, and everything has additional surcharges/fees to be incurred.

 

Considering the months that a withdrawal may take before you can see your money in your bank account, perhaps you should just get to the nearest land casino and enjoy yourself there...saves all the heartaches and anxieties in waiting. 

[cocopop3011]

Yep, Afi has basically taken the words right out of my mouth - I was about to say when it comes to USA I really don't think there is an 'easy' option and all those fees are just a headache.

 

I really hope after all that bother the cheque actually clears and there's no more hiccups!

[Shelix]

As far as players from USA are concerned, I guess there isn't any other easier option.

Whichever way you look at it, nothing can come easily, and everything has additional surcharges/fees to be incurred.

 

Considering the months that a withdrawal may take before you can see your money in your bank account, perhaps you should just get to the nearest land casino and enjoy yourself there...saves all the heartaches and anxieties in waiting. 

 

 

 

 

 

I can only do that on vacations.  ><  I'll be gambling in November aboard the Oasis of the Seas while cruising the Caribbean, but I can't exactly pop into port and hop on a ship for a couple hours on a Wednesday when I just want to play some roulette or poker.   And I live pretty much as far away from a land-based casino as its possible to be in the US.

[Fiekie247]

I can only do that on vacations.  ><  I'll be gambling in November aboard the Oasis of the Seas while cruising the Caribbean, but I can't exactly pop into port and hop on a ship for a couple hours on a Wednesday when I just want to play some roulette or poker.   And I live pretty much as far away from a land-based casino as its possible to be in the US.

Why dont you try casino extreme and use bitcoin? They process withdrawal within 10 minutes.

[ValDes]

Hello there and welcome to AskGamblers.

 

...And second-time welcome into the reality which most of the US players are facing every time they got lucky and tried cashing out from an online casino.

 

It could be much worse though, just take a look at the complaint's history of one of the notorious recidivists when it comes to super delayed payments to US players. 

 

Planet 7 Casino AGCCS History 

[tdbet]

In the past, I have lived in Seattle and held a Canadian bank account, For this purpose only. No doubt its a pain. Tried bitcoin for a while, guess I had bad luck with the specific casino I chose, didn't earn at all.. atm I live in Canada so its easier for me now but maybe the bitcoin option will do the trick.

[Shelix]

Just to round out this ongoing complication, CasinoMax's check bounced.

 

1. I attempted wire transfer first. CasinoMax requires receiving institutions to have a SWIFT code to wire transfer, which is an identifier used by financial institutions that buy and sell foreign currencies. My bank does not. In fact, as far as I can tell, even the banks (like Bank of America) that *do* have SWIFT codes have them for specific business units that are not bank branch or customer facing, so wouldn't be applicable even if I were to open an account at one of them.

2. That took me to a check. I requested a withdrawal by check, paid the withdrawal request fee, was contacted by CasinoMax a couple of days later via phone to confirm the withdrawal request. After two weeks of no updates, I talked to their live chat again, started chasing down an update, and the check was issued on August 1st or 2nd, and delivered via FedEx envelope two days later. 

I took that check (issued from TD Canada Trust) to my US bank for deposit. My bank told me that it couldn't be deposited as is, because it was using Canadian routing (8 digit routing) which isn't compatible with American routing (9 digit routing). My bank created a "Direct Collection Item Request" which is an authorization for my bank to forward this check and a collection authorization to the paying institution on my behalf and directly collect the money, for which I had to pay a $10 fee.

My bank then sent the check from CasinoMax (labeled as XXXX-XXXX Quebec Inc) to TD Canada Trust to make a direct collection. TD Canada Trust rejected the check, and said it wasn't a payable check against that business account. TD Canada Trust returned the check to my bank, where I am going to go later today to pick it up as a souvenir of useless paper.

I then reached out to CasinoMax again, who stringently told me that they issue thousands of checks all the time, and have never heard of this issue - but that next week they will cancel the check, and re-credit my account. From that point, I'll attempt to do an international wire transfer using "NOSWIFT1" to try bypassing the SWIFT code requirement (I read that somewhere). There's no guarantees, but that's the last-ditch effort I have available to me.

However, I've been at it more than a month, I'm $100 into fees on a $500 deposit, and at this point, I definitely think that Casino Max and their sister properties are not friendly or available for US-based players.

What do I do at this point? I feel like I've been incredibly patient, but I'm getting irritated and feel backed into a corner.