Arctic Casino - Player's account has been closed due to gambling issues.

Hi, I have a problem!

I have a serious gambling addiction, and last week I gambled several thousand euros on the Arctic Casino website. I noticed that I had already set a self-exclusion on their sister site, Ibet, years ago, and that exclusion is still valid for two more years. Even on Ibet, I made several consecutive deposits. I contacted Arctic Casino about this, and they replied with the Ibet casino terms:

You can set a self-exclusion on our website. You can do this by logging in and going to the Responsible Gambling page or contacting our customer support. For those residing outside the UK or Northern Ireland, they must specify the period for which they wish to self-exclude, and their account will automatically be reactivated after this period ends. Players can set a self-exclusion for a specific brand if they feel the need to limit their gambling. It should be understood that a self-exclusion for one brand applies only to that brand. It does not automatically extend to other brands, even if they operate under the same license. If a player wants to extend the self-exclusion to all brands under our company’s license, it is their responsibility to contact our customer support separately for this purpose.

However, the MGA license states the following:

"A self-exclusion request shall be applicable across all operated brands, if there are sufficient indications that the player may have problem gambling issues."

In addition, the casino’s own terms mention that they are required to initiate a KYC (Know Your Customer) process once a user deposits €2000. I deposited €3000 within 24 hours, yet I received no warnings, messages, or initiation of the KYC process.

The MGA license clearly states that a casino must intervene if a player shows signs of problem gambling, such as:

The amount and frequency of deposits and/or wagers

The use of multiple payment methods

The reversal of pending withdrawals

Communication-based indicators such as increased player complaints and bonus requests

Use of responsible gaming tools

I did not receive any time or deposit amount warnings during this period, which is concerning.

In total, I gambled €3650 on Arctic Casino, which is a significant amount.

I would also like to highlight that their Responsible Gambling measures were not effective in preventing my excessive gambling. I believe the casino had a duty to intervene or notify me, considering the high volume of my deposits within a short period.

Is it possible for me to get my deposits refunded based on this? Which terms take precedence, the casino’s or the MGA license's?

Additionally, I have now received two emails from the casino, in which they explicitly deny having done anything wrong and state that they will not refund anything. I am including screenshots of the conversation held in Finnish, as well as a translation of those messages provided by chatgpt.com, to make it easier for you to read. Unfortunately, I am no longer able to provide screenshots of the self-exclusion on the Ibet site, but the exclusion is mentioned in the discussions with Arctic Casino.

Dear Marten,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience with Arctic Casino.

I would recommend you inform the MGA about the issue if you believe the casino failed to uphold its obligations set by the license.

Please note online casinos usually conduct KYC when a withdrawal is requested. It's possible that with a deposit of 3000€ KYC would be necessary after you request a withdrawal.

Please allow me to ask you a few questions, so I can better understand the situation. 

• Could you please provide more details regarding your self-exclusion in Ibet Casino?
• Share your request for self-exclusion and any confirmation you received from the casino to my email at tomas@casino.guru
• Could you please advise whether your account in Arctic Casino is currently closed?

Thank you very much in advance for your reply.

Best regards,

Tomas

I sent the necessary information by email.

Thanks for your patience.

Based on the responses you received from the casino, you haven't informed the casino about any gambling problem when requesting a self-exclusion in February, nor before that.

Please understand that we believe that if you inform a casino about gambling problems they are obligated to prevent you from further gambling going forward. There is a difference in the approach we expect the casino to take in situations when you inform the casino about a gambling problem and when you don't, from our point of view.

Please let me know if there is any proof of you informing the casino, otherwise, we won't be able to assist you with a refund request.

I'll await your reply.

In that case, this is only my own fault, because I didn't specifically inform the casino of anything, I just shut myself down via self-exclusion.

Thank you, however, for solving the case!

Thanks for your reply.

Since your account has been already closed, we can't offer any further assistance in this particular matter. Consequently, your complaint will be closed.

Please check the resources dedicated to responsible gambling on our website. https://casino.guru/problem-gambling

If gambling is becoming a burden, it is highly advisable to seek professional assistance. I strongly recommend reaching out to centers in your country that specialize in addressing gambling problems. You can find some of these centers by referring to the following link (https://casino.guru/problem-gambling-help-centers#cnt_77=true)

As part of our Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, we've partnered with BetBlocker, a UK-registered charity providing a free service to support people worldwide. You can find more information about our initiative here (https://casino.guru/global-self-exclusion-initiative) and about BetBlocker here (https://betblocker.org/).

BetBlocker, which supports seven languages, is quick and easy to install on multiple devices, taking just 2 minutes. Once installed, it blocks access to over 84,230 gambling websites and runs quietly in the background. The service can be used anonymously and helps individuals manage their access to gambling safely and appropriately, whether that means complete restriction or limiting access during vulnerable periods. 

Additionally, BetBlocker includes a list of 824 gambling information sites. These sites primarily inform users about and advertise gambling services. You can choose to include these sites in your restriction by ticking a box. However, if you have an ongoing complaint against a gambling operator, do not check this box, as it will prevent you from accessing the Casino.Guru website as well.

If you have currently open accounts in online casinos, I would like to call your attention to our Self-Exclusion Assistance Tool (https://casino.guru/global-self-exclusion-initiative/assistance-tool)

This tool will make it easier for you to block your casino accounts across multiple gambling establishments simultaneously and is not affiliated with any specific casino. The Self-Exclusion Assistance Tool was designed to assist individuals who may be facing challenges with their gambling habits by helping them limit their access to gambling and reduce the potential for further harm.