Complaints

[Steven339]

Hi I am wondering if somebody can help point me in the correct direction.

How/what is an online casino responsible for in order to ensure they are ensuring responsible gambling?  Is there any kind of code they should  adhere too? How do they protect people in vulnerable possitions and who is the regulatory body you report issues too if you believe they should have done more?

if they don’t have to do anything that’s cool I just need to know .

 

thanks and good day 

[ValDes]

Hey there and welcome to AskGamblers forum

The so called Responsible Gaming policies, procedures and tools adopted by the relevant online casino operator are duly described within the relevant licensing agreement with the regulatory body being it MGA, UKGC, etc. Depending on the regulator, all these RG requirements could vary dramatically - from quite vague and liberal if it's licensed under Curacao to quite strict and rigorous if we talk about UKGC for example. 

Hope the above helps but in case you need further assistance, please let us know.

[Steven339]

That’s great thanks, I’m trying to help my son, who has had a problem and we are dealing with it through a charity, 

after investigating I’ve found that in 12-14 months he has closed his around 12+times only to be contacted the the day later with a carrot offering from the casino to reopen the account. He had some large transactions and also many transactions declined over each month.

He also had been offered tickets to shows and promised tickets to future large events which he declined as he thought it was a bit iffy.. I just want to ensure for future people with problems they have a procedure to recognise problems, but if these bribes and all the above is allowed by the regulators then I’m wasting my breath.

 

kind regards 

[cocopop3011]

2 hours ago, Steven339 said:

That’s great thanks, I’m trying to help my son, who has had a problem and we are dealing with it through a charity, 

after investigating I’ve found that in 12-14 months he has closed his around 12+times only to be contacted the the day later with a carrot offering from the casino to reopen the account. He had some large transactions and also many transactions declined over each month.

He also had been offered tickets to shows and promised tickets to future large events which he declined as he thought it was a bit iffy.. I just want to ensure for future people with problems they have a procedure to recognise problems, but if these bribes and all the above is allowed by the regulators then I’m wasting my breath.

 

kind regards 

Have you made a complaint at the casino then regarding this? How many deposits have been made after the account has been reopened? Did he self exclude at any time?

[Steven339]

Hi I haven’t made a complaint as I wanted to understand a bit more  around online gambling as I’m not familiar with it. What I can safety say is we are talking many deposits each time after the account was re-opened. The casino incentivised him just enough to get him going again until after a few weeks he’d close the account after another bad run then the process would continue again. During which time many deposits would be also unsuccessful too through declined card payments. He has only just self excluded from them indefinitely. 

 

 

[Steven339]

What I have so far not been able to find a great deal of information on this. I’m genuinely shocked this go’s on unquestioned, it’s opened my eyes a bit 

[TheAverageGuy]

29 minutes ago, Steven339 said:

What I have so far not been able to find a great deal of information on this. I’m genuinely shocked this go’s on unquestioned, it’s opened my eyes a bit 

 

A few links to help get you started

 

UKGC-

https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-gambling-businesses/Compliance/General-compliance/Social-responsibility/Social-responsibility.aspx

https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-gambling-businesses/Compliance/General-compliance/Social-responsibility/Advertising-marketing-rules-and-regulations.aspx

https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-gambling-businesses/Compliance/General-compliance/Social-responsibility/Self-exclusion/Self-exclusion.aspx

 

MGA-

https://www.mga.org.mt/wp-content/uploads/Directive-2-of-2018-Player-Protection-Directive.pdf

https://www.mga.org.mt/support/online-gaming-support/

 

Gibraltar-

https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/finance-gaming-and-regulations/remote-gambling

complaints-https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/new/sites/default/files/HMGoG_Documents/CRRF V 1.0.6.pdf

 

 

 

 

self exclusion/help with addiction

https://www.gamstop.co.uk/

https://www.begambleaware.org/

https://www.ncpgambling.org/

https://www.rgf.org.mt/

 

 

[Steven339]

Thanks very much for the reply. I have have a read tonight. I am due to speak to the legal team in my works tomorrow so hopefully they can assist. I don’t understand most of this everything seems very vague but nevertheless I should know more tomorrow.  

[TheAverageGuy]

The UKGC and MGA have been actively strengthening legislation , regulations &  enforcement in regards to responsible gambling tools, policies, requirements and dispute resolution/remedies for the past couple of years. 

While online gambling was very much a “Wild West” situation for quite some time the “sherif”” has been very busy as of late establishing law and order.

if the site in question is under their licensing purview then there are indeed options available to pursue remedy.

unfortunately some other licensing bodies aren’t quite as attentive.. yet..

best of luck in your search for assistance, I hope you are able to provide the assistance you’re seeking.

[Steven339]

Thank you very much for your reply, the information has been most useful. 

Its a popular site I believe it must be I’ve heard  of them so we will see 

[cocopop3011]

31 minutes ago, Steven339 said:

Thank you very much for your reply, the information has been most useful. 

Its a popular site I believe it must be I’ve heard  of them so we will see 

If he self excluded he definitely shouldn't have been able to deposit there again and you may be able to get his deposits back. I'm assuming he's over the age of 18 is he?

[Steven339]

Yes over the age of 18. But no didn’t self exclude just closed his account until the next day. If I’m being honest I don’t expect him to get his deposits back, the bit I’m struggling with is after the 10+ time over 9 months and unsucessull deposits  the merchant should have thought there is clearly an issue here, rather than offering incentives like bonus , tickets to high profile football games they should have directed him elsewhere and kept the account closed. I wouldn’t like this to happen to anyone else 

[pinnit2015]

Hola,

This is actually a bit tricky and tbh I'm constantly changing my mind around things like this.

On the one hand you've the very black and white view: accounts are only SE upon the person asking for this.

On the other, and the one that the recent UKGC rulings have came down on, is that the above isn't sufficient in itself: in other words, they should be looking at the less visible indicators: cancelling withdrawals, excessive use of the time out facility etc. 

You might want to look at the revised LCCP - I'm pretty sure they strengthened wording around the need to be more vigilant when granting VIP status - in layman's terms, they need more monitoring/perform greater checks: that's where they may fall down. 

There was a recent case that the UKGC highlighted in their decisions (can't remember which one), that failed deposits should have been a factor.

In other words....it's not good enough that they didn't SE, you should have identified them as someone who required a bit more of a review.

Getting into choppy water when asking casino to be arbiter but hey ho, social contract and all that 

[Steven339]

Thanks for the reply I will have a look into this. Yes there Have been many cancelled withdrawals loggin in all the time Without playing, I’ve just spoken to him and it’s come to light that he closed accounts with 2 other casinos, on the third request of opening they denied access as they identified he had a problem which is reassuring to say the least, so at least some are acting responsible.. 

the other in question proactively chased him each time 

[Steven339]

Hi guys 

Sorry to ask again. 

We are in the process of compelling a complaint. Can I ask is it best to complain directly or do we use an intermediate service.

I have got to also obtain more info from the merchant, which I am in the process of obtaining. Once again. Thank you all who have assisted with the information provided. It’s helped tremendously 

[TheAverageGuy]

2 hours ago, Steven339 said:

Hi guys 

Sorry to ask again. 

We are in the process of compelling a complaint. Can I ask is it best to complain directly or do we use an intermediate service.

I have got to also obtain more info from the merchant, which I am in the process of obtaining. Once again. Thank you all who have assisted with the information provided. It’s helped tremendously 

Once again, it depends on the license and the casino operator. 

Under some licenses the site can assign a specific arbitration service and will only deal with conflicts/disputes through that particular service, others will openly engage in an effort to settle any issues directly with genuine intent to find solutions, others will duck, dodge and weave in any way possible to avoid any discussions with anyone regarding anything at all citing privacy, data protection, the alignment of saturn in the night sky..  

You can typically find the information on the best initial approach at the bottom of the site or in the terms of service under "complaints" or a similar heading.

Personally, when the option is available, I would make use of one of the the well respected, reputable and imminently experienced mediation services available such as the one you could find right here at the top of the page under "complaints" ;-)

[Steven339]

Can’t thank you enough, I’ll start the process off, On Monday, I need to sit down with him to rather more information, but it’s been difficult just getting him to admit there has been a problem when I found out how they proactively chased him every time i was astonished.

however the main thing is I can help him now more forward, hopefully they will take the feedback onboard and learn from it going forward. 

[cocopop3011]

8 hours ago, Steven339 said:

Can’t thank you enough, I’ll start the process off, On Monday, I need to sit down with him to rather more information, but it’s been difficult just getting him to admit there has been a problem when I found out how they proactively chased him every time i was astonished.

however the main thing is I can help him now more forward, hopefully they will take the feedback onboard and learn from it going forward. 

Absolutely! I couldn't agree more. The important thing here is that your son gets the help he needs and I think you're doing an absolutely incredible job supporting him! Keep us updated and don't forget we're always here if you need us. 

[Steven339]

Thanks appreciate it, like I said even if they change there approach I will be happy, but I don’t intend to let them off the hook, but like with anything I need to get them to investigate first, and see what there response is.

I’ve just been looking over some of the many e mails they sent him and it’s more of the same I’m afraid.  

 

[Steven339]

Hi 

just a quick update the casino in question wouldn’t allow my son to submit a complaint unless it was done through there website. Anyways this had been submitted after studying the various documents and e mails I’ve pulled from them so we will see how we go, if anything comes of it I will let you know. I’m not really expecting anything but if my comments ensure they revisit how they deal with this kind of problem then at least it’s been worth while. 

Regards 

[TheAverageGuy]

Not exactly a shining condition to ensure fairness, unless by "through their site" they actually mean through their preferred Licensing Body Approved Arbitration Service. 

If not, despite their preference to keep it in house, a complaint to their licensing body is always an option afterwards so keep good notes  

Either way I wish for you positive results.

Cheers!

[Steven339]

Thanks very much, no they specifically ment in house citing security reasons

[TheAverageGuy]

The privacy regulations line is a crock, as long as the player signs off on it, it's their data and they have every right to access it or assign someone to do so on their behalf.

The only "security" issue I can see is that if the licensing has policies against events that occurred, the casino could face some financial insecurities and negative public awareness/perception.

As I said before though,  license dependent of course

 

 

[Steven339]

Yeah we thought so, too. We received an acknowledgment advising we would be contacted, with 72h but we have heard nothing. We did find that they had been  investigated by the gambling commission and fined for something very similar so it looks like they have done this before.

 

 

[Steven339]

Hi guys sorry to bother again, I just have a couple of questions. So We’ve  gone direct to the casino with our complaint. 

We was advised he would have a response with 48-72h.

if as we suspect we don’t hear anything are there any escalation points ie straight to the gambling commission . 

 

I believe in allowing them to respond first but I’m just planning the next steps. 

 

Thanks