StarsPlay Casino - Player’s request for responsible gambling protection was ignored.

I would like to file a complaint regarding StarsPlaySuomi Casino and its handling of my request for responsible gambling protection.

I won approximately €1,600 at StarsPlaySuomi Casino. After my win, I realized that I needed to stop gambling, as I suffer from gambling addiction. I contacted the casino's customer support and requested that my account be temporarily blocked or that a gambling break be applied to my account.

The casino does provide responsible gambling tools, including the option to set gambling limits and restrictions. However, I was unable to use these tools because accessing them required my account password.

I never had option to create a password because I registered and logged into the casino using my online banking credentials. As a result, I did not have a password. There was also no option available for me to create one afterward, which meant I could not access the responsible gambling settings or apply any limits to my own account.

I therefore contacted customer support and asked them to help me restrict my account. Despite informing them that I suffer from gambling addiction and wanted to prevent myself from gambling further, my account remained fully accessible.

The following day, my account was still open, and as a gambling addict, I continued gambling and lost approximately €4,700.

I believe the casino failed to respond appropriately after I informed them of my gambling addiction and requested that my account be restricted. Although responsible gambling tools were available, I was unable to use them because of the password issue, which was outside of my control. After notifying customer support of both my gambling addiction and my inability to access the responsible gambling settings, I believe reasonable action should have been taken to protect me.

I respectfully ask Casino Guru to investigate whether StarsPlaySuomi Casino acted in accordance with its responsible gambling obligations and whether it handled my request appropriately under these circumstances.

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Stay safe.

Dear Jakeee,

Thank you very much for submitting this complaint. I'm sorry to hear about the problem you're experiencing. I have read the casino's Responsible Gaming policy and this is what I have found:

Self-exclusion

We provide a self-exclusion facility which can be activated by contacting support@starsplay.com. Self-exclusion means that your account will remain closed for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or indefinitely.

What email address did you use to register at this casino? Have you used the same email address to contact the casino with the request to restrict your account due to gambling addiction?

Have you passed the full KYC verification, or at least submitted any identity documents to the casino for verification?

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

Best regards,

Attila

Käytin samaa sähköposti osoitetta kuin käyttäjäni. Tämä tapahtui noin 15 tuntia ennen kuin hävisin rahat

Lisäksi heillä kuitenkin on nuo vastuullisen pelaamisen työkalut, joita voisi itse käyttää. Mutta suomalaisena pelaajana en voi niitä asettaa, koska ne vaativat salasanan jota ei suomalaisena pelaajana voi saada sillä tili luodaan pankkitunnuksilla.

Uskon että olen vahvistanut tilini, sillä heidän kanssaan oli aiemmin ongelmia kotiutuksen kanssa.

Thank you for your response. Could you please forward your self-exclusion request? You can send it to me via email at attila.g@casino.guru, or you can attach screenshots here. I look forward to your reply.

Joo laitoin tähän liitettynä, lisäksi vielä kuva heidän sivuiltaan kuinka rajoitusten asettamisen tulisi onnistua myös itsenäisesti

Thank you for your messages and screenshots provided.

After reviewing the evidence provided, I was unable to find any mention of a gambling addiction in your initial communication. Unfortunately, this omission may limit our ability to assist you in recovering your lost funds. Due to the high volume of daily emails received by the casino, most of which are processed manually, a self-exclusion request lacking explicit mention of a gambling problem may have been inadvertently overlooked. I regret to inform you of this situation. For future requests, transparency is essential when seeking self-exclusion.

Therefore I would recommend that you send another request, but this time, include me in the copy of your email.

When applying for self-exclusion, clearly state the reason for deactivating your account and specify the period. Additionally, the email subject should be marked and easily recognizable, as the casino support receives many requests per day. If it is marked visibly, you will stand a better chance of having your request granted as soon as possible.

Example:

Email subject: Self-exclusion:

Player’s info:

First name:

Last name:

Date of birth:

Casino login:

Email address:

"Greetings StarsPlay Casino Support,

I’m writing to inform you that I wish to be immediately excluded from this casino and from receiving any gambling-related marketing material permanently.

The reason for my decision is that I am suffering from gambling problems.

I acknowledge that I will not be allowed to rescind my self-exclusion during this period and that the self-exclusion cannot be lifted before the end of the agreed period."

Please send another email to support@starsplay.com (you can include me in the copy at attila.g@casino.guru) and keep me informed about any further developments.

In the meantime, check other resources and information in our responsible gambling guide found here: https://casino.guru/responsible-gambling-guide

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

Best regards,

Attila

Haluan vielä korostaa kahta mielestäni erittäin olennaista asiaa tässä tapauksessa.

Ensinnäkin kasinolla kesti yli 15 tuntia sulkea tilini siitä hetkestä, kun olin pyytänyt heitä rajoittamaan/sulkemaan tilini. Tänä aikana tilini pysyi täysin käytettävissä, vaikka olin nimenomaisesti ilmoittanut haluavani estää itseni pelaamasta. Juuri tämän yli 15 tunnin aikana pystyin jatkamaan pelaamista ja hävisin noin 4 700 euroa. Mielestäni on erittäin olennaista arvioida, oliko yli 15 tunnin käsittelyaika asianmukainen tilanteessa, jossa asiakas pyytää pelaamisen estämistä.

Toiseksi kasinon omien sivujen mukaan asiakkaan pitäisi pystyä asettamaan vastuullisen pelaamisen rajoituksia itse. Näitä työkaluja ei kuitenkaan ollut mahdollista käyttää minun tapauksessani. Niiden käyttäminen vaati salasanaa, mutta suomalaisena asiakkaana olin rekisteröitynyt ja kirjautunut verkkopankkitunnuksilla, enkä ollut saanut salasanaa enkä pystynyt luomaan sellaista jälkikäteen.

Eli kyse ei ollut siitä, että olisin jättänyt kasinon tarjoamat vastuullisen pelaamisen työkalut käyttämättä. Työkalut, joita kasinon omien tietojen mukaan asiakkaan pitäisi pystyä itse käyttämään, eivät olleet minun käytettävissäni. Tämän vuoksi jouduin ottamaan yhteyttä asiakastukeen ja pyytämään heitä sulkemaan tai rajoittamaan tilini.

Mielestäni tässä pitäisi siis tarkastella erityisesti sitä, miksi tiliä ei suljettu tai rajoitettu nopeasti sen jälkeen, kun olin pyytänyt sitä, ja miksi kasinon itse ilmoittamat vastuullisen pelaamisen työkalut eivät tosiasiassa olleet suomalaisen asiakkaan käytettävissä.

Pidän yli 15 tunnin viivettä erityisen merkittävänä, koska kyse ei ollut tavallisesta tilin sulkemispyynnöstä, vaan pyynnöstä estää minua jatkamasta pelaamista.

Nyt kuitenkin tilini on saatu suljettua live chätin kautta eli en tarvitse enää tilin sulkua vaan rahani takaisin, sillä selkeästi heidän sivujen vastuullisen pelaamisen työkaluissa on puutteita

Hello Jakeee,

We would like to update you that due to Attila, your designated resolver, being on vacation, we have opted to extend the timeline by an additional 7 days. Since Attila has an in-depth understanding of your situation and maintains direct communication with the casino, we find this extension justified. Your patience is sincerely appreciated, and I assure you that Attila will contact you at the earliest opportunity.

Thank you for your understanding and ongoing patience.

Best regards, Casino Guru

Dear Jakeee,

Thank you for your patience.

After reviewing the case, unfortunately, we are unable to support your request for a refund.

The original request you provided did not clearly mention gambling problems or gambling addiction. Therefore, we cannot consider it a valid self-exclusion request due to gambling problems. Additionally, even if we were to consider it as such, the account was closed approximately 15 hours later, which we consider a reasonable processing time.

Regarding the responsible gambling tools you were unable to access, we generally do not handle individual complaints concerning additional RG tools, as these are supplementary to standard self-exclusion options. We understand the importance of reliable features within the casino's offerings, but verifying the proper setup by the player can be a complex process. It is worth noting that these tools are provided as additional measures to complement standard self-exclusion and account closure options, and we believe it is more constructive to encourage casinos in their efforts to implement new responsible gambling tools rather than penalize them for any potential issues that may arise during their implementation.

As your account is now closed, there is unfortunately nothing further we can assist you with, and the complaint will be rejected as unjustified.

For future reference, it is important to clearly communicate gambling problems when requesting self-exclusion.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Attila

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