5plusbet Casino - Player’s withdrawal has been rejected.

Hello. On November 3rd, 2020, I deposited a total of 10100 Euro at 5plusbet, because it is rated as "very good" on your website. For the first time in my life I was really lucky and won very big at the NetEnt Slot "Dead or Alive II". But when I requested a withdrawal, I was told that I will only receive my deposit back and that my net win amount of 64947 Euro (almost 65k!) will be voided.

First, I was given this reason: I would have provided a false email address. But that was not true. Fact is that my registered email address had become inactive. I had registered my 5plusbet account several months before, and I was not aware that my registered email address had become inactive when I played on November 3rd.

I have proof that I had asked 5plusbet to update my email address to a new email address when I became aware that my registered address had become inactive. Every player should be able to update his email address (because we sometimes change an email address). But 5plusbet refused to update my email address!!

Instead they came up with a new reason to void my win: Now they told me that I would not be allowed to play at 5plusbet as a German player. But fact is that Germany was not listed in their list of restricted countries. It would have been easy for their software to block my registration when I entered my German address. 5plusbet had accepted my registration from Germany, my 10k deposits, and my game play for several days! But then, after winning big, they voided my win.

Finally, 5plusbet made a third claim to void my win: I had self-excluded from an MGA-licensed casino in 2020. But this claim was turned down later by the regulator. So, in total, 5plusbet kept searching for claims of how to void my big win. This is not what a fair casino should be doing!

Since 5plusbet refused to pay my win, I already contacted the regulator Antillephone in Curacao. The regulator never sent a ruling to me, but a mediator informed me that the regulator did not support the reasoning of Responsible Gaming as ground for account closure, but that the "initial wrong email address" as well me being a German resident would be sufficient reason to void my win. This is very, very unfair!!

Regarding my email address: I sent proof to the regulator that my email address had indeed become inactive. I cannot reactivate it because YAHOO does not recycle inactive email addresses anymore. But please note: 5plusbet requires email verification during the registration process, which actually proves that my registered email address was an active address and not a "wrong address" as 5plusbet and the regulator phrase it. It seems to me that the regulator is not thoroughly questioning the claims made by the casino operator.

Regarding my German residency: I am sure that the regulators in Curacao are well aware that players from all over Germany do play in many casinos under their license. It wouldn’t be fair if the regulator tolerates the game play of all THESE PLAYERS on the one hand, but at the same time lets 5plusbet void MY WINNNGS on the other hand. This would be a double play that effectively allows the operator to FREE ROLL German players by refusing to pay any significant winner. Either I should be entitled to receive my win at 5plusbet, or thousands (!) of German players should be refunded their deposits.

We must always remember: The business model of a casino is to offer fair gambling, to make money from the odds that are always in favor of the casino, but also to pay out money in the rare event that a player wins!! It is the primary job of any regulator to regulate a casino if it tries to make additional money from not paying its rare winners. Currently, the regulator in Curacao is not fulfilling this job.

I am submitting this complaint, because everyone should be aware that 5plusbet accepts deposits from German players, but does not pay them in case of a big win! Please note: I did not accept any bonus offer. I won these 64947 Euro with my own deposited money.

Please assist me in receiving my win. Someone should be able to help me here. My only option is to inform the whole gambling industry that a tremendous injustice is happening here. I can do this by making this injustice public on many internet platforms. I hope that the operator and the regulator will give in if the pressure becomes too high. My message: This case casts a very poor light on 5plusbet and on the regulator Antillephone in Curacao.

I have saved all emails and chats that I had with 5plusbet, and I can share them with you. Thank you!

Dear Hans,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint and forwarding all the relevant communication and screenshots. Foremost, allow me to congratulate you on your great win. We will contact the casino and ask for their cooperation in resolving your problem, but, before we do so, could you please advise if your account has been fully verified in the past?

I hope we will be able to help you to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your reply.

Best regards,

Petronela

Hello Petronela,

thank you. Yes, my account was fully verified by 5plusbet. I even have proof that 5plusbet had verified my German passport. So, 5plusbet was well aware that I am a German resident, but they did not block my account for another 3 days! And then they accused me of having played from a "restricted country", although Germany is not on their list of "restricted countries". This is not acceptable. 5plusbet could have blocked my account through their registration software or after having verified my German passport, at the very latest. But letting a player continue to deposit and play and lose for three days, and not paying if he wins big - this is "black-sheep-behavior"! I will send my proof to you by email, Petronela. To which email address can I send the proof so that you will receive it?

The truth is: 5plusbet's first claim to void my winnings was my supposedly "false" email address. I provided proof that my email was not "false", but inactive. I also provided proof that 5plusbet REFUSED to update my inactive email address to an active address upon my request. Every player should be able to update his email address at any time.

Then, when 5plusbet noticed that their first claim might be too weak, they started accusing me of being a German resident. So, their second claim to void my winnings was that I had played from a restricted country. But fact is: Germany is not listed as "restricted" on their website, while other countries are. And there is more as I already pointed out above: 5plusbet had verified my German passport three days before and they had NOT blocked my account due to my German residency. Thousands of Germans play at Curacao-licensed casinos, and the regulator is well aware of that. Either all these German players must be refunded, or I should be entitled to receive my win at 5plusbet.

Then, 5plusbet started searching for my email address on the internet and found a casino where I had self-excluded in the past. So, they put up a third claim: My winnings are void because I had self-excluded from another casino. But a mediator (that I already asked for help in the meantime) informed me that the regulator in Curacao confirmed to him that the reason of Responsible Gaming is not supported as ground for account closure. I will send this proof to you, too, by email. I was also informed that the other two claims (my supposedly "false" email address and my German residency) still stand. As a matter of fact, it is well known that account closures at Curacao-licensed casinos do not carry over to other operators. If my win were voided because of Responsible Gaming, then all players should be refunded who once self-excluded from another casino.

And just yesterday - I still can't believe it - 5plusbet came up with a fourth claim: I would have multiple accounts at 5plusbet. Well, I have proof that 5plusbet ADVISED and ALLOWED me to play with a second account, after I had asked them to change the currency of my first account from Rubel to Euro. Since this currency change was not possible, 5plusbet blocked my Rubel account and asked me to play with my Euro account. So, 5plusbet gave me permission to play with that account where I finally had my big win! Again, I will send this proof to you by email.

IN SUMMARY: As you can easily see, 5plusbet is desperately coming up with one weak claim after another to void my big win. They never congratulated me as you just did, Petronela. They were only looking for ways of how to void that win. Tell me, is this what a fair casino should be doing??? If I win at a table in Las Vegas, would it be the primary concern of the casino to void my win??? What would all the other players do if they see this happen??? I want all the world to know what is going on here. And I can only hope that the regulator sees that this is indeed a "black-sheep-behavior". Otherwise, this story will cast a very, very poor light on the regulator Antillephone and on the complete Curacao gaming industry, too! I am pretty sure that the regulator does not want this to happen.

The story is: 5plusbet offers casino games. I deposited a lot of money and played only with my own deposited money. I eventually won (after having lost almost 10k Euro!), but 5plusbet is not paying me. I had the risk of losing all my deposits (10k Euro). The operator always has the risk that some players win against the odds. It would not be fair if 5plusbet were freed from this risk.

The good thing is that I had saved every single chat and every email that I had with 5plusbet. I even saved my complete game history! This is my advice to all players playing in Curacao: Save everything that you can, so that you can fight for your rights.

Let justice prevail in this case!

Thank you very much, Hans, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Jozef who will be at your assistance. You can forward all the relevant communication or screenshots to him directly (jozef.k@casino.guru)

I wish you best of luck and hope to see your problem being resolved to your satisfaction in the near future.

Hello Hans.

I absolutely appreciate that you shared your experiences with the Casino Guru team. We will now try to get in touch with the casino.

Hello Jozef,

We are clarifying the details of this case and we need more time for this.

Dear 5plusbet Casino team.

Thank you for your cooperation in this case. I am extending the timer by 7 days. Please, let us know if you need further time period.

Dear Casino Guru team,

All information regarding the player's case was sent to the corresponding authorities.

Since the case was transferred to the licensing authority we are closing the complaint accordingly. When there is any new information we will also update this thread.

We’ve reopened this complaint as per the player’s request. We would like to give this case one more chance to get resolved and help both involved parties to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Dear 5plusbet Casino team.

May I ask you to provide us with more information? Could explain what were the reasons for winning confiscation? Have you received any final decision from the regulatory?

Please, be aware that if you wish, we can mark it as private (invisible for the public).

Dear Jozef,

We are still we are still waiting for a response from the regulator. We hope that this issue will be resolved in the very near future.

Dear 5plusbet Casino team.

Thank you for your reply. Since the regulatory has not decided since December, we would like to give it a chance and find more information. Are you open to provide us with more info, please?

We are extending the timer by 7 days. If the casino fails to respond in the set time frame, we will close the complaint as ‘unresolved’.

Dear Jozef,

We received information from the regulator that they sent you additional information on May 28 to this mail: jozef.k@casino.guru

Dear 5plusbet Casino team.

Yes, I can confirm that I have received this email, it contains confirmation that they received the player's claim and email conversation between the authority, Thepogg and 5plusbet casino team. After a deep evaluation with Casino.Guru team, we agreed that the reasons mentioned there are still not valid for winnings confiscation in the player's case.

Even with the fact that the player may have behaved incorrectly in other casinos, it is still not sufficient ground to not pay him in your casino if the winnings were legitimate. For example, when someone commits a crime and completes his sentence (player breached T&Cs in the casino and was penalized), he can now relatively move freely without fear of being arrested (the player should be able to play in other casinos without being punished for old sins).

But before we do any conclusions, could you explain to us what unfair advantage has a player gained while he was playing in your casino that can be a relevant reason for winnings confiscation? Is there any further information that has not been mentioned anywhere?

Dear Jozef,

We have sent you information by email.

Dear 5plusbet Casino team.

I am not aware of any email from you with further information. Please, could you forward it once again?

jozef.k@casino.guru

Dear Jozef,

We have sent you information by email again.

Dear 5plusbet Casino team.

I have just received a second email from you, and you have requested to have a call with me, but I have not received a further response. Please, could you forward me valid information about this case, that we can believe your process in the player's case was justified?

First of all:

My complaint against 5plusbet should be settled only on answering this simple question: Did I gain any unfair advantage while playing at 5plusbet?

In total, 5plusbet has brought up four claims of how to void my win. Please let me explain in brief why all of these claims are not valid:

1st claim:

I would have provided false data in my profile. I have already provided proof that I had not registered a false email address. My registered email address had only become inactive. This is a big difference. My registered email address must have been a valid address, because 5plusbet requires email verification during the registration process. One thing is for sure: The fact, that my email address had become inactive, did certainly NOT give me any advantage while playing at 5plusbet.

2nd claim:

I would have self-excluded from another casino in the past. The regulator has already confirmed to Duncan Garvie from ThePOGG that this claim is not a valid ground for voiding my win. It is well known that self-exclusions do not carry over from one operator to another under a Curacaco license. And again: A self-exclusion from another casino did NOT give me any advantage while playing at 5plusbet.

3rd claim:

I would have played from a restricted country. I have already provided proof that 5plusbet had verified my German passport without blocking my account. My account was blocked only after I had hit that big win. Moreover, Duncan Garvie from ThePOGG already provided proof that the 5plusbet website had targeted German players in November 2020, and that players from Germany were not blocked from registering although players from other countries are. And again: Playing from Germany did NOT give me any advantage while playing at 5plusbet.

4th claim:

I would have registered multiple accounts. I have already provided proof that I received the permission from 5plusbet to play with a Euro account after my Rubel account had been blocked. My Euro account is the ONLY account at 5plusbet that I ever played with. Please honor that I did not play with bonus money and that I risked a lot of my own money (10,000 Euro). 5plusbet would not have refunded me, if I had lost everything. So, they should also pay out my win. Again: I did not gain any advantage while playing with my Euro account at 5plusbet.

My personal impression:

5plusbet invited me to a Skype video call at the end of March 2021 to verify my identity. During this video call, I had the impression that the 5plusbet manager is a very honest man and that he is like me waiting for a ruling from the regulator. But please, dear 5plusbet management: You may pay me now even without an official ruling, if you now feel that it was a wrong decision to void my win. I believe that 5plusbet would never have decided to void my win, if their emails to my inactive email address had not been returned to them. But then 5plusbet concluded that they could make use of it by claiming that I would have provided a false email address. At that time, 5plusbet was not aware of the fact that my email address had only become inactive. When I explained to them that my email address had only become inactive, 5plusbet started looking for other claims of how to void my win. Certainly, this wasn’t a fair move, and so, I strongly call upon the 5plusbet management to stick to the basic rule of a casino: If a player wins (without having had any unfair advantage), he should be paid! Dear 5plusbet management: Please pay me now. Casino.guru will not downgrade your rating, if you pay me now.

Dear directors of Antillephone: Please, PLEASE, bring this issue to a fair end. 64,947 Euro is an awful lot of money for me and my family – it is equivalent to a two year’s income. You are doing me wrong when calling me a "notorious responsible gaming complainant". I only did what my gambling therapist advised me to do: Asking for refunds only from those operators who accepted my deposits ALTHOUGH I can prove that I had self-excluded from them. There is nothing wrong with that. And now, after having finished my gambling therapy, I should be treated like any other player. As a matter of fact: The gambling industry should welcome players like me, because I have meanwhile learned how to make use of deposit limits and how to play responsibly.

Thank you

Hans

Dear Hans.

I have just experienced a meeting call with 5plusbet Casino team. We will evaluate all the information and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Dear Hans.

I have just the last questions for confirmation before we make our final statement.

Have you received a deposit refund from the casino?

Have you registered with fully valid information and passed through the verification process?

Yes, I confirm that only my deposit was refunded by the casino. 64,947 Euro from my win have not been paid out.

And yes, I had registered my 5plusbet account with fully valid information. And I had even passed through the verification process. I have proof that 5plusbet verified my German passport without blocking my account.

Hans

Hello there,

Dear 5plusbet Casino team.

After detailed examination of the case, we believe that the confiscation of the player's winnings was unjustified. Although the Germany was mentioned in your T&Cs when Hans registered, he was able to register (with German IP, valid personal information), deposit huge amount of money and even verify his account. Unfortunately you have noticed this only when he managed to win and asked for withdrawal, so we believe since he has legitimately won the amount, he should have been paid the whole balance, and then you could block his account because now it looks like he played without chance to win. If he loosed, he would never have got anything back. I am very sorry, but we are forced to close this case as unresolved. Be aware that if you change your decision, you may request to reopen at anytime.

Dear Hans.

I am very sorry that we could not help you more. Be aware that this complaint is going to affect the reputation of the 5plusbet casino on our site. I would recommend you to contact their licensing authority but since they have not decided this case for more than half of a year there is nothing much you can do.

Please, let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards, Jozef

For more information about our position:

https://casino.guru/fair-gambling-codex-for-casinos#restricted-countries