BlueChip Casino - Player criticizes casino's irresponsible reactivation of account.

I requested BlueChip Casino to close my account for gambling addiction on the 19th of July, 2023. They complied with my request but reactivated my account upon my request on the 13th of October, 2023. I believe it's irresponsible to reopen an account if a customer has confessed about a gambling addiction just a couple of months ago. I demand a refund for the deposits made between the 15th and 18th of October, 2023.

Dear Imjjj, 

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m very sorry to hear about your negative experience. First, I’d like to explain to you what the difference is between closing the account and self-exclusion: 

Closing an account is simple and has almost no impact - the player can reopen the account anytime, and the casino has no obligation to the player.  

On the other hand, self-exclusion does. If a player successfully makes a self-exclusion the casino agrees not to open this account or if yes only under particular circumstances (after the cooling off period and this cannot be done for players who are addicted/with a gambling problem). 

Could you please specify the reason for closing your account? Would you be so kind as to forward me the account closure requests that you sent to the casino? My email address is veronika.l@casino.guru. 

Thank you very much in advance. 

Best regards

Veronika

Thank you for your email. Could you please specify if your account is closed now? When was the last time you deposited to the casino? After you requested permanent self-exclusion, did you make deposits only on the days between October 15 to October 18?

The account is now closed. Latest deposits 15-18 October 2023

Thank you very much, Imjjj, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Michal (michal.v@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.

Hello Imjjj,

My name is Michal and I will be assisting you with your case. I hope that together we will come to a successful resolution of your issue.

I would like to request the presence of a representative from the casino in this conversation.

Dear BlueChip Casino,

Could you possibly provide additional information regarding the opening of the player's account and clarify the situation?

Thank you in advance.

Respectfully,

Michal

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 Imjjj,

We are trying to get in contact with the casino internally. I will let you know here in the thread with any updates.

Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Dear Imjjj,

Thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the reactivation of your account and understand the gravity of the situation.

In response to your concerns, we want to assure you that our actions were in full compliance with regulatory standards and our licensing obligations. We followed the guidelines outlined in our Responsible Gaming Policy, which emphasizes the importance of self-exclusion for individuals who recognize the development of a gambling problem. Specifically, we refer to our Responsible Gaming Policy, which outlines our commitment to addressing issues of gambling addiction and providing appropriate measures for our players.

"Should you feel that you have developed a gambling problem, we recommend that you self-exclude on an indefinite basis. It is possible to revoke self-exclusion upon a written request by contacting support@bluechip.io, however your account will be reactivated thereafter only after 24 hours has elapsed from the submitted written request regarding revocation of self-exclusion. We reserve the right to reject reactivation of your account in case we suspect that problem gambling still exists. You will not be able to deposit or withdraw funds when the self-exclusion limit is active."

As per our policy, players who acknowledge a gambling problem are encouraged to self-exclude indefinitely. However, we also recognize that individuals may change their minds or wish to reassess their situation. As stated in our policy, self-exclusion can be revoked upon a written request, but the reactivation of the account occurs only after a 24-hour waiting period from the submission of the request. In your case, you expressed your desire to reopen your account both through our chat and via email correspondence. We made sure to confirm your decision with you in both instances, ensuring that you were certain about your choice.

Upon receiving your consent, we proceeded to reactivate your account. We want to emphasize that this action was taken in strict adherence to our policies and licensing regulations. We prioritize the well-being of our players and take our responsibility towards responsible gaming seriously.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Best regards,

BlueChip Customer Care Manager

Dear BlueChip Casino,

Thank you for the provided explanation. I would like to mention that self-exclusion due to a gambling problem is a very serious issue, because the player often loses control over his actions and is not thinking rationally. Informing the casino about a potential gambling problem is an important part of the self-exclusion process and we at Casino.Guru believe that if a player has a gambling problem and informs the casino about it, his account should be permanently closed without the possibility of opening (except for certain situations like when long enough self-exclusion period has already passed - we are talking about years) and also a relevant reopening process, which includes a sufficient cool off period (not a day but at least a week, ideally two) and also communication with the player during this cool-off period for verifying if the request was made in sound mind and wasn't just a temporary failure.

In this case, if the player's account was opened after a few months and all he had to do was to write an e-mail and wait for 24 hours, we do not consider this whole process and also the responsible gambling policy sufficient enough and we recommend improving the whole process.

I would like to ask you if we understood the situation correctly or if there are any other information as to why was the player with a gambling problem allowed to reopen his account and play so easily.

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 Imjjj,

I am in contact with the casino representative outside of this thread. I am waiting for updates regarding your case. I will let you know.

Dear Michal,

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention and for providing your thoughtful insights on responsible gambling policies.

We have thoroughly reviewed the situation and have taken your feedback into serious consideration. We understand the gravity of self-exclusion due to gambling problem and recognize the importance of implementing robust measures to support players facing such challenges.

As a result of this review, we have revised and updated our protocols. We have enhanced our procedures to include more stringent criteria for reopening accounts following self-exclusion, including extended cooling-off periods and additional verification steps to ensure that requests are made with clarity and sound judgment.

We are deeply committed to promoting responsible gambling practices and prioritizing the well-being of our players. We strive to create a safe and supportive environment for all individuals who engage with our platform.

We appreciate your valuable feedback and remain dedicated to continuously improving our processes to better serve our community and uphold the highest standards of responsible gaming.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards,

BlueChip Customer Care Manager

Dear BlueChip Casino,

I really appreciate your willingness to improve and also your commitment to upholding the industry's safe gambling standards. Therefore I am pleased to hear that you considered revising and updating your protocols.

With everything that's been said, would you consider refunding the player in this case?

Dear Imjjj,

Dear Michal,

Yes, that's correct, we have already initiated the refund process. Once all the funds are returned to the player's account, we will get in touch with him.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards,

BlueChip Customer Care Manager

Dear Imjjj,

Could you let us know here in the thread when you have received the refund so we can close this complaint in our system as resolved? I will be waiting to hear from you.

Dear Imjjj,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.

I got a refund thanks

Dear Imjjj,

I'm glad to hear that your issue has been resolved successfully. I will now mark the complaint as 'resolved' in our system. 

Thank you for your cooperation, and please do not hesitate to contact our Complaint Resolution Center if you run into any issues with this or any other casino in the future. We are here to help.

As you know, we do not charge for our services, nor do we accept any gratuities. However, we would appreciate it if you could take a moment to share your experience with our services on Trustpilot (https://www.trustpilot.com/evaluate/casino.guru). An honest review and any suggestions you may have to improve our complaint resolution and mediation process would be greatly appreciated. Your feedback could prove helpful to others who are considering contacting us about any online casino-related issues. Thank you in advance for your time. 

Best regards,

Michal V from Casino.Guru