Boo Casino - Player’s winnings have been confiscated.

Hello!

I made a deposit of 300BRL and received a 200% bonus, which allowed me to play with 900BRL.

I completed the rollover following all the bonus rules and converted the bonus into real money, reaching 3,102BRL. With this money, which was no longer a bonus, I managed to win a total of 17,000BRL and requested a withdrawal. However, the site confiscated my winnings, claiming that I placed bets on games not allowed under the bonus terms. Yet, the terms and conditions only specified that I couldn’t play live casino and progressive jackpot games, categories which I avoided. Additionally, the site restricts access to games not allowed with an active bonus, so how could I have placed bets on disallowed games if I was blocked from those games?

I tried resolving this issue with them but received no response. I repeatedly asked which game they claimed I played that was not permitted but got no answers.

Please, I need your help to withdraw my winnings.

Hello kaueamaral,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint and I'm really sorry to hear about your issue with Boo Casino. Please allow me to ask you a few more question before we would move forward.

Could you please advise if your account is already verified and if yes, since when exactly? Was your balance converted into real money after wagering? When was the last time you spoke to the casino and what was it about?

We consider a bonus finished once the wagering is done. The casino should not confiscate any balance accumulated after that and specially not for restricted games as they should have been unavailable during an active bonus.

Looking forward to your answer.

Regards,

Nick

Hello, thanks for the quick response.

Yes, my account has been verified since 05/24/2024.

After completing the rollover, my balance was converted to real money and then I played live games as I already had real money and was free to play.

The last contact I had with them was on 05/26/2024, on that date they sent me an email confiscating my winnings claiming to have played with bonuses in prohibited games. I don't know how because the site should limit it and I only played slots. I asked what game they said it was, but after that date they didn't answer me anymore. That's why I came here to ask for help.

Thank you very much in advance.

Hello kaueamaral,

As the casino should ensure that all the restricted games are not accessible by the player while the bonus is active. I will now forward your complaint to my colleague Branislav (branislav.b@casino.guru) who will be assisting you from now on.

Wish you best luck resolving it.

Regards,

Nick

Thanks Nick.

Hello Branislav, I hope you are well.

I would appreciate it if you could help me resolve the problem and receive the money that would help me a lot.

I am available to send any necessary files.

Hello, kaueamaral,

I am sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience. I will contact the casino and try my best to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Now I would like to invite the casino representative to join this conversation and participate in resolving this complaint.

Dear Boo Casino team,

Could you please explain the player's situation in more detail and/or confirm the above-stated? Why have the disputed winnings been confiscated?

If we are talking about a breach of the casino's Terms and Conditions, is the casino able to substantiate its claims and decision with relevant evidence?

Feel free to send the necessary evidence to my email address (branislav.b@casino.guru).

Hello All,

We appreciate your patience during the investigation of the concern above.

An email has been forwarded to branislav.b@casino.guru containing the requested details.

Kindly inform us if any further information is required.

Best regards,

Boo Casino Representative

hello everybody.

I would like to add two prints of conversations with the casino.

In two answers came two different explanations.

In the first response on 26/05 they said that I played in a prohibited category and today they said that the problem was the change from a low contribution game to a high contribution game.

As far as I know I have played all slot games that contribute 100% to the rollover.

I appreciate everyone's help and time.

Kaue Amaral.

Hi Branislav!

Did you receive the email from Boo Casino?

Looking forward to your response.

This money will help me a lot and I don't think I did anything outside the rules.

Sorry bad english.

Based on the email from the player and additional review of the matter, we decided to reopen the case.

Considering the details provided by the casino and the bonus-specific rules, which state amounts in different currencies, it turned out I overlooked this fact and the user did not exceed the maximum bet amount for the bonus used.

I am sorry, it was my mistake. I am a human, and I am not infallible. It may happen from time to time. I hope for your understanding.

Dear Boo Casino Team,

Considering the fact the complainant did not exceed the maximum bet amount, as I initially thought, now the applied rule (available HERE) you mentioned in your email does not make sense.

"The following wagering activities are not allowed until the wagering requirements of this promotion have been completed:

4. Switching from a low wagering contribution game or category to a higher wagering contribution game or category. (Please see the Wagering Contribution Page.)

If, on review of your wagering activities, it is found that you have performed one of the above, your winnings will be removed."

Can you please explain why the casino has a rule like that, and/or what an unfair advantage it gives to players if they play this way?

Our position is that the casino should either enforce such rules by software/system (should not allow players access to such games at all with an active bonus) or not count bets made in such games to the wagering requirements.

Provided that the player played within the bonus rules, no other rules were breached, and the only applied rule to confiscate his winnings was the one stated above (or there is no other justified reason to confiscate the disputed winnings), we strongly recommend the casino reconsider its decision. If the player's 3,102 BRL were accumulated legitimately, and the rest of the disputed winnings were gained by further play with those legitimate funds, there is no reason to confiscate anything from his winnings, and the casino should pay them out.

I am sorry for the inconvenience caused by my mistake.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us back regarding this.

We can agree that the player did not exceed the maximum bet rule, as it is evident from the provided betting history.

However, the promotion terms and conditions, as well as our General Terms and Conditions stipulate that performing a non-allowed activity, namely switching from a low wagering contribution game or category to a higher wagering contribution game or category, will result in the winnings to be removed.

In support of our decision to void the player's winnings, we have provided sufficient evidence that the player breached this rule on multiple occasions while the bonus wager was still active in their account.

Please also bear in mind that as per our bonus terms, the game category (Crash games) that the player switched to/from is not restricted for bonus play, therefore no software block is required. However, the same has a wagering contribution of 1%, as specified on our website here: https://www.boocasino.com/en/tnc/wagering-contribution

Kindly note that the clause in question, as well as all other clauses provided in the applicable bonus terms, is an industry standard to protect the casino against bonus abuse.

The casino's General Terms and Conditions, as well as any applicable promotion terms and conditions are subject to license and regulation by our governing body - the Malta Gaming Authority.

In conclusion, we find the casino's decision to void the player's winnings to be adequate and in line with the stipulated terms, which are made available for reference to all players prior to registering on our website and before participating in any promotion.

If CasinoGuru's team requires any further information in regard to the casino's risk policies, it can be provided additionally via email.

Best regards,

BooCasino

Hello.

I didn't know I couldn't make those game changes, I just played like every player does.

I think that what I played in the crash category, which was the Aviator game, didn't help much with the rollover contribution.

My 17,000BRL could be returned to the account and the rollover percentage spent on the Aviator so I could finish the rollover in slots.

This rule is quite complicated to impose on players.

I await Branislav's response and still believe I deserve my winnings.

Thank you BooCasino team for your time.

Thank you Branislav for your time.

Dear Boo Casino Team,

Thank you for your response and additional information.

Yes, that was cleared up, it was completely my mistake regarding the maximum bet amount, as I explained.

Can you please explain why the casino has a rule like that, and/or what an unfair advantage it gives to players if they play this way?

I dare to disagree - although yes, it is an industry standard for online casinos to protect themselves against bonus abuse, however, not in such a way, and the applied rule does not fall under the category of industry-standard rules. Maybe rules about "jumping" between high-volatility games and low-volatility games are more frequent in the industry (which we do not accept as a justified/fair reason to confiscate players' winnings either), but it is not the case for the applied rule.

Since it is not a common bonus rule, and according to our Fair Gambling Codex, "The T&Cs should be written clearly so that they are easily and exactly understood by players. The entire system should be set up in a way that doesn't allow players to break the T&Cs unknowingly. All rules should be listed in one place (in the T&Cs), and they should not be unfair and/or predatory", we would be able to accept if there was a pop-up or if players were somehow "additionally"/clearly informed about a possible breach of such a rule upon trying non-allowed activity. However, like this, it looks a bit like a trap for players or a way how to confiscate players' winnings even if they play within the casino's rules.

Therefore, I mentioned the part about enforcing such rules by the casino's system/software or restrictions - it would be much easier for the casino or fair toward players if such games were not allowed to be played with an active bonus (in case the casino penalizes players for playing that way or does not want to enforce it on a software level).

In addition, the player accumulated significant winnings in the first game (slot) he played with the bonus, and it looks like he then only played only allowed games, without any special purpose or tactic. If I overlooked something important, please correct me.

Feel free to reply via email (branislav.b@casino.guru). However, based on all the above-stated, our position remains unchanged, and if no essential information or details that could change it is provided, we recommend the casino restore the player's winnings. Otherwise, we will be forced to close the case as 'unresolved'.

Dear Branislav,

Thank you for your reply.

Please note that we will respond to you via email with additional information in regard to your comment and the reason we have such rule in place.

Thank you for your patience in advance.

Best regards,

BooCasino

Sure, feel free to email me anytime. I will wait for further details.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Dear Boo Casino Team,

Please see my last email regarding the matter and let us know about the casino's final decision.

Feel free to reply via email.

Hello All,

We appreciate your patience during the investigation of the concern above.

An email has been forwarded to branislav.b@casino.guru containing the requested details.

Kindly inform us if any further information is required.

Best regards,

Boo Casino Representative

Greetings all,

Thank you, Boo Casino Team, for your email and confirmation.

Based on the mentioned and explained earlier, I am forced to close the complaint as 'unresolved'. Although the casino has the applied rule clearly visible in its Terms and Conditions or Bonus Terms and Conditions, it does not mean that it or its application is completely fair or correct. The casino can set its system/software in a way that simply does not allow players to play specific games (or does not count bets in such games to bonus wagering requirements) or set wagering contributions to desired values. Despite limiting players (while playing with an active bonus, and in the casino's sole discretion) by maximum bet amounts and existing lists of allowed games and different wagering contribution values per game types, the applied rule is basically something created by the casino to limit players, on top of common and industry-standard system tools.

We know that players usually do not read whole Terms and Conditions/Bonus Terms and Conditions. Therefore, since we are talking about a rule that is definitely not common or usual in this industry (at least for bigger/fair casinos), as I mentioned above, we strongly recommend the casino set its system and/or rules in a way that does not allow players to breach them so easily and unknowingly, especially if the casino can confiscate their winnings for that, and that mainly does not give the casino (unfair) advantage over players playing with bonuses, despite the casino being able to manage it on its side.

The casino's system settings/restrictions and bonus rules are obviously set up incorrectly. If specific games contribute to the wagering by 1%, and the casino has a problem when players jump to such games and back to slots, it should just restrict such games from playing with an active bonus completely. It is not alright to dictate to players a way how they can play games allowed by the casino itself and consider it an abuse or unfair advantage.

We would be able to accept the rule and its application if the casino had at least some additional notifications or pop-ups implemented in its system, informing players about possible breaches before they would do it. But this is not the case here. Unfortunately, we cannot agree with the casino's decision and such application of the rule in question.

Dear kaueamaral,

I do not think I have to explain more. At this point, I strongly recommend you contact the casino's ADR (eCOGRA) and submit a complaint to them, or directly to the regulator (MGA). You can find more information (links) in the casino's Terms and Conditions, HERE, section "18. Complaints and Disputes". Also, I am adding a link to our article devoted to a complaint process generally - HERE.

In case of any questions or news from ADR/regulator, do not hesitate to contact me at branislav.b@casino.guru.

I wish I could be of more help. I sincerely hope you will not come across a problem like this again.

The casino can reopen this complaint anytime, and I sincerely hope they will use this option in the future.

Best regards,

Branislav, Casino.Guru