Betonic Casino - Player's account has not been closed despite gambling addiction notifications.

Hi,

Since May 18 I have sent in total 72 emails to Betonic (support@betonic.com and customercare@betonic.com), and several chats, to close my account permanently due to gambling addiction. I have said in every e-mail that I have a severe gambling addiction and neee them to close my account immediately.

They havent.

On May 28 their first reply came, that I had to go through full KYC of identity, address and bank statements for them to close my account. I replied again that I have a severe gambling addiction and dont want to verify my account, I want to close it and shouldnt be required to log in and update documents since it triggers my addiction.

they refused to close my account anyway.

Yesterday, I was able to log in and deposit 950 euro which is exactly what they wanted to happen.

I require a full refund of my 950 euro, and that Betonic will close my account immediately.

Dear BettyBetty,

Thank you very much for submitting this complaint. I'm sorry to hear about your problem.

Could you please forward me the emails with account closure requests you sent to the casino along with all their replies? My email address is veronika.l@casino.guru.

Please understand that completing the KYC (Know Your Customer) process before self-exclusion is a standard requirement from casinos. The casinos need to verify your identity to ensure they can effectively prevent any future attempts by you to create new accounts.

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

Best regards

Veronika

Thank you for your emails. Could you please specify if you sent any KYC documents to the casino since 28 May?

No, I have not sent any KYC documents to the casino. I have never heard of having to go through KYC to close your account due to gambling addiction, I have played at hundreds or more casinos since 2003 and never been asked that question. It is also stated in the casino's Responsible gaming that "You can quit at any point in time If you find gambling to be affecting you in a non-positive way". So it took the casino two weeks to request KYC, plus in between they asked me if I wanted bonuses or to become a VIP - despite the fact that I sent over 30 emails at the time that I was addicted to gambling and therefore wanted to close my account.

Thank you very much, BettyBetty, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Jozef (jozef.k@casino.guru) who will be at your assistance. I wish you the best of luck and hope to see your problem being resolved to your satisfaction in the near future.

Dear BettyBetty,

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

Dear Jozef,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

After the player submitted the exclusion request, our team contacted them via email to request the necessary documentation to proceed further with their request. Since the player refused to provide it, the whole process became difficult. 

Please note that our dedicated team was in constant communication with them, requesting the needed documentation to proceed further. In addition, we would like to point out that the data request is one of the required steps in order to properly handle a customer's exclusion request. 

Despite their lack of cooperation, we decided to close their account as a preventive measure, and it will remain closed.

Regards,

Betonic Casino

What Betonic writes is shocking and a complete lie.

On May 16th I wrote to them for the first time via chat that I wanted my account closed due to gambling addiction. The chat said I have to email as they can't handle it.

The same day I email support@betonic.com that I am a gambling addict and want my account closed immediately.

On May 18, I get a reply that I have to email instead customercare@betonic.com , which I do the same day.

On May 19, I get a reply again that I have to email customercare, which I reply that I have done and email customercare again.

On May 20, I receive a reply that I must email customercare only and not support. Which I have done, and reply with print screens, as well as email again to (only) customercare.

On May 21, I get the same answer again, that I should just email customercare, which I have done for several days now. I send 20 more emails customercare@betonic.com that I request that they immediately close my account due to gambling addiction.

On May 22, I will send 40 more emails to customercare@betonic.cpm where I request that they immediately close my account due to gambling addiction.

On the 22nd, I get a reply that they are instead offering me bonuses and if I want to become a VIP:

"Hi xxxxx,

Thank you for your reply.

Your request has been registered and will be handled by the relative department in due course. Once there's an update, you will be notified.

I would be very sad to see you go, so I wish to better understand the reason for your decision. Your last message indicates to me that you don't have trust in our casino. Is that the real reason for your request? I can assure you that we have been in this business for a very long time now, and we would never do anything to put our reputation at risk. We only use certified games that are validated by internationally recognized entities which check and approve casino games as a fair software. We would never put at stake our reputation offering games which have not been licensed by one of the leading gaming testing laboratories.

You have joined us only recently, and you did not have the chance to fully experience all that we have to offer to our loyal members. Are you interested in taking part in our VIP program and having a personal account manager, receiving free spins, special bonuses and other gifts?

I'm looking forward to your reply.

Best regards,

Nick N. | Customer Support"

I am incredibly saddened and frustrated by this response and cannot believe it is true that after over 40 emails that I am seriously addicted to gambling, I am instead offered to become a VIP. I'll be sending a few emails over the next few days saying I won't be able to keep myself from depositing and playing unless they close my account. I get no response and I am giving up hope that they will close my account.

On the 28th I get a reply that in order for Betonic to handle my request they want me to send in Proof of identity, proof of payment and proof of address. And that it can take them up to 7 working days to verify this. I have NEVER heard of this being required to close an account due to gambling addiction - only for withdrawals. My trust in this casino was now at rock bottom so I didn't want to submit such sensitive information to them.

Even though I would have submitted the documents, my account had not been closed on June 2 when I dropped in and played again because it would have taken them 7 business days.

The fact that they also, after receiving over 40 emails and messages that I am addicted to gambling, instead offer me to become a VIP shows that they did this deliberately and in violation of all laws and regulations.

It therefore takes over 3 weeks to get your account closed for gambling addiction at Betonic casino, which is against all reasonable rules regarding responsible gambling and also Betonic's own Responsible gaming conditions.

On June 6th, just a few hours after CasinoGuru wrote that they should contact the casino, I get an email from Betonic that they have closed my account. So don't try to pretend you closed it anyway. And it is supported by over 60 emails that it is Betonic that has "delayed and complicated the process" - not me.

Dear BettyBetty,

Be aware that submitting KYC documents after such a request is standard. The self-exclusion process varies by the casino, and your sole responsibility is to complete it; the rest is up to the casino team.

Could you please confirm that the initial request for KYC was only received on the 28th of May, and prior to that, you did not receive any further instructions? Despite sending the first request for account closure due to a gambling problem to the correct email on the 18th.

I confirm that I received the first request for KYC to close my account on 28 May and that before that I did not receive any instructions.

Dear Betonic Casino team,

Please, can you explain why the necessary steps to handle a customer's exclusion request were only sent on the 28th, even though the player had already submitted the request on the 18th?

Dear Jozef,

It is very important for each self-exclusion to be properly formatted sent to the designated as per our T&C mail: customercare@betonic.com

Such actions ensure that we can receive and review the request properly according to our standard procedure. It is also needless to mention that a technical timeframe is needed for the completion of the request as there is a specialized team that manually handles each case.

We do understand that the user was concerned and frustrated by the handling period but multiple mails delayed the process additionally after each new received request, hence the KYC documents being requested on the 28th. 

Regardless, note that we have never received a proper reply to that request, and that despite not complying with our security procedures, we made an exception closed the account.

Regards,

Dear Betonic Casino team,

I am sorry, but your justification for sending multiple emails as the cause of your delayed response is not sufficient. The player clearly informed you about their gambling problem, and the fact that you received so many emails clearly suggests urgency. I believe this situation could have been handled better, the player's account could have still been closed, and later the player could have completed KYC. You should avoid situations where you know there is a problem gambler depositing in your casino.

Therefore, I consider the player deserves at least partial compensation for their losses. Could you please reevaluate your position, or is it final?

We would like to ask the casino to reply to this complaint. 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’ which may negatively affect its rating.

Dear Jozef, 

We have once again reviewed the request, the account, and the case as overall, and there are couple things that we would like to address. 

We would like to once again emphasise the fact that the self-exclusion requests are being reviewed manually, and there is certain timeframe designated in our T&C for such requests, along with the fact that any related account activity while the process is ongoing (considering from the initial request, to the final actions taken towards the account) is the player's sole responsibility. 

While that might not be ideal, in such cases, flooding the relevant team with multiple requests may result in overall delay. We also trust that you are well aware that KYC is a standard process in order for a self-exclusion request to be completed, and we hope you acknowledge that despite the fact that the user did not comply with our request, the account was still closed.

While we respect and appreciate your opinions, it seems that they differ with the established practices and T&Cs to which the player agreed upon registration. All our actions are according to the established rules, which can very easily be located and reviewed at any time. Furthermore if they wish, the T&Cs can also be downloaded, so we have complied with every requirement to make the Players aware.

Regards,

Betonic Casino Team

Dear BettyBetty,

I am very sorry about this situation. In my opinion, the situation could have been handled much better. Your account should have been closed much sooner, and I believe you deserved compensation. There are numerous instances where you mentioned your gambling addiction and requested account closure. Once a player informs the casino about a gambling problem, the account should be closed as soon as possible. You repeatedly requested account closure, and simply hiding behind the T&Cs is not acceptable behavior for a casino we consider safe. I believe you did everything possible to get your account closed. The fact that you sent so many emails should have motivated them to close your account promptly, not delayed it. Considering all the information, I am forced to close this case as 'unresolved'.

An alternative option is to file an official complaint with the licensing authority of the casino. Please note that this complaint will have an impact on their safety index on our website.

Best regards, Jozef

jozef.k@casino.guru