TikiTaka Casino - Player's account closure request ignored.

I am writing to raise a formal complaint regarding your continued failure to close my account, despite multiple requests sent via your official support email address (support@tikitaka.com) since 24th June 2025. To date, the account remains active, and I have been allowed to deposit in excess of £1,000 since my initial closure request.

This situation is unacceptable on several grounds:

1. Failure to Act on Closure Request

Despite clear and repeated attempts to close my account, no action has been taken. This is a serious oversight, particularly as I reached out through both your support and VIP channels, evidencing my intention to self-exclude.

2. Lack of Deposit Limits or Safeguards

Your platform does not offer meaningful deposit limits or responsible gambling tools, which contradicts the principles of responsible gambling widely recognised across the industry. The absence of such tools puts vulnerable individuals at serious risk.

3. Breach of GAMSTOP Self-Exclusion

I am currently registered with GAMSTOP, the UK’s national self-exclusion scheme. While I am aware that your platform may not be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), allowing a known GAMSTOP-registered individual to create and continue using an account directly undermines the purpose of self-exclusion. Regardless of jurisdiction, your failure to take reasonable steps to protect self-excluded users is unethical and potentially legally questionable.

4. Harm Caused and Duty of Care

Gambling is a recognised mental health condition that requires proactive, ethical management by operators. Your inaction and lack of support mechanisms have significantly contributed to my ongoing harm. This is a clear breach of the duty of care owed to users, especially those indicating a vulnerability.

Request for Immediate Action

I am now requesting the following:

Immediate and permanent closure of my account.

A partial refund of the deposits made since 24th June, in recognition of your failure to act upon my original closure request and your lack of safeguards.

A formal apology and explanation outlining:

Why my closure requests were ignored.

What measures, if any, you plan to implement to improve your responsible gambling protocols.

If this matter is not resolved promptly, I will escalate the issue to the appropriate regulatory bodies, including GAMSTOP, UK-based consumer protection groups, and relevant international authorities. I also reserve the right to seek legal advice regarding your failure to implement basic player protection measures.

I urge you to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves

Hello,

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 gambling problems).

Could you please specify the reason for closing your account? Please forward me the account closure requests in email format (no screenshots please) that you sent to the casino. My email address is katarina.d@casino.guru.

We regret to inform you that we are unable to assist you regarding your current GamStop registration. GamStop is a self-exclusion scheme operating under UKGC license, and its policies are applicable only to gambling operators licensed by the United Kingdom. As this casino is unlicensed, it is not subject to the regulatory requirements of the UK Gambling Commission.

Thank you very much in advance.

Best regards,

Katarina

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Thank you for your patience, and stay safe.

Hi do we have any update on this ?

Hello,

thank you for your emails and patience.

Could you please forward all communications you have had with this casino to katarina.d@casino.guru. This includes emails, live chat transcripts, and any accompanying screenshots. Kindly include your account closure requests.

Kindly notify me here in the thread once the email has been sent.

Looking forward to your reply.

Katarina

Hi I have sent the emails and trying to close this account is becoming so difficult.

It is now 11th of August and I been waiting to close this account since June.

Hello,

thank you for your email and reply.

However, I have not received any communication between you and casino. Could you kindly forward it to katarina.d@casino.guru?

Additionally, do I understand correctly that the only reason you wish to have your account closed is the lack of responsible gaming options?

Is there any other reason you do not want to keep your account open?

Are you experiencing stress related to gambling, and do thoughts about casino games frequently occupy your mind?

Looking forward to your reply,

Katarina

To clarify: I want my account closed immediately. This is not just due to the lack of responsible gaming options, but also because I am struggling with gambling addiction. I am registered with GamCare, and it is unacceptable how difficult it has been to close my account.

I am requesting that you process the closure without delay and arrange for a refund of all, or at least some, of my recent deposits. The ongoing refusal or delay in closing my account is causing further harm, and this situation has now become intolerable.

Please confirm once my account is closed and advise on the refund process from them. Its now been 3 weeks and I have deposited so much into them its becoming a joke.

Thank you very much for your cooperation. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Matej (matej.l@casino.guru) who will be at your service. I wish you the best of luck and hope the problem will be resolved to your satisfaction in the near future.

Hello obee10098, nice to meet you!

My name is Matej, and I will be assisting you with this case. I'll do my best to help you resolve this issue as soon as possible.

I’d like to invite a representative of TikiTaka Casino to join the conversation and participate in the investigation of this case as well. Could you possibly provide additional information regarding the issue with self-exclusion and clarify the situation? I would also appreciate if the casino could provide us with any and all relevant evidence. Any sensitive information or internal system files can be shared with me directly by e-mail matej.l@casino.guru.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation in advance.

Dear Matej,

An email pertaining to this case has been dispatched to you.

We are waiting for your update. 

Kind regards,

TikiTaka team.

I would like to thank the TikiTaka team for the message.

Dear obee10098. Before we continue, I will need some clarification form your end, so I can help you accordingly.

From the screenshots uploaded to your initial statement - as well as from the e-mails you have provided - seems like you have asked for regular account closure and never stated gambling addiction being the reason. Furthermore, you have either requested the account closure without actually having an account in the casino - or you have used different e-mail address for contact. Either option is not optimal, as it is impossible for the casino to follow, as I will explain in a moment. If possible, please let me know when did you create an account at this casino and feel free to upload screenshots or forward me your self-exclusion request citing gambling addiction. Then, we can establish a timeline and figure out whether the casino has made some errors and if you are eligible for a refund.

If you have not sent such a request yet, please let me know and I will post here a quicky copy/paste message you can send to the casino, to get yourself excluded ASAP, so we can then deal with the rest of the issue without worrying about you spending more money gambling.

Now I would like to address couple of things from your initial post, to ensure we are on the same page.

1. Failure to Act on Closure Request

Since you have not stated gambling addiction as the reason for an account closure, the casino was just following the standard procedure. Many players request account closure after a hefty loss, just to request reopening a few days later, creating unnecessary workload for the admin team, which is the reason why the closure can take time - to give the player a chance to cool off. Also, to ensure the admin team is not constantly swamped under closure/reopening requests from the same players every week. If you have stated the addiction as a reason, the casino would have acted immediately - and if not, I believe we could mediate a solution. However, as of now I am not even sure you had an account with the casino at the time of the closure request.

Also, for future reference - live chat agents are not able to close accounts, and any closure/self-exclusion request has to come from an e-mail address registered with an existing account, otherwise it would be too easy to have random people's accounts closed or banned by some practical jokesters. Also, due to the GDPR law, casinos are not allowed to collect "random" data of people who are not their customers, therefore proactive self-exclusion without having an active account is also impossible by law. Personally, I would love if that was an option, but it isn't.

2. Lack of Deposit Limits or Safeguards

As stated within our review, this casino operates without a license and has "limited responsible gambling options", which basically means self-exclusion is the only option available. Unfortunately, you have signed up with this casino voluntarily, with all the information (or lack of) shown on the casino site and within the T&C. Not much to discuss here.

3. Breach of GAMSTOP Self-Exclusion

No breach here. As mentioned before, this casino is not licensed, and even if it was - unless they would be licensed by UKGC, they would not have access to the GAMSTOP database. Again - GDPR rules prevail and not only the casino can't lawfully request and possess their list, also GAMSTOP would not be allowed to share it unless the casino has UK license.

4. Harm Caused and Duty of Care

This is the part we will now investigate. First, we need to locate your account and connected e-mail address, establish the date of account creation and date of self-exclusion due to the gambling addiction request. With that, we can pinpoint whether the casino erred and left your account opened knowing about your issues, and we can proceed determining the refund value. But first, please reply to my questions at the top of this post and we'll go from there.

Thank you!

Hello..

So this is their response to my email..

Thank you for your response. I would like to clarify several key points in relation to your statement:

Reason for Account Closure

My request to close the account was explicitly connected to gambling addiction (which you have a copy of the email). This was made clear in my communication. Therefore, the suggestion that the casino was merely following a "cooling-off" procedure is inaccurate. Under responsible gambling obligations (even in the absence of a UKGC licence), once addiction is disclosed, immediate closure and safeguarding should be applied without delay.

Self-Exclusion Process & GDPR

I understand your point about GDPR restrictions and why live chat agents cannot close accounts directly. However, in my case, I used my registered account details and made the request properly. GDPR does not prevent an operator from acting upon a direct self-exclusion request from the account holder — in fact, failing to do so prolongs harm.

Deposit Limits / Safeguards

While I recognise the casino operates without a licence and therefore does not offer strong responsible gambling tools, this does not absolve it of a basic duty of care. Accepting deposits from an individual who has declared an addiction — without safeguards — compounds the harm caused.

GAMSTOP / Licensing

I acknowledge your point that GAMSTOP applies only to UKGC-licensed operators. However, the casino’s lack of licence itself raises significant concerns about consumer protection. The fact that a vulnerable player can continue to deposit and gamble despite clear self-exclusion requests demonstrates a failure of accountability.

Harm & Duty of Care

I welcome your offer to investigate. I have already sent you a copy of the email where I requested self-exclusion, and I also first attempted to close this account in June. Despite these requests, the account remained open, and further deposits were accepted, causing demonstrable financial and emotional harm.

I therefore ask that this matter be escalated and that a refund for deposits made after my self-exclusion request is considered. Please confirm the next steps in your investigation

Thank you for the clarification, obee10098, and the additional e-mails sent.

From the conversation with the casino there are two issues apparent, which are the main reason why you are unable to close your account. I will try to explain the issues first, then give you a step-by-step guide how to solve it.

• Wrong e-mail used

It seems like you have registered at the casino with a Gmail address, but have been constantly e-mailing the support from Googlemail address. While those are interchangeable for the e-mail communication, it is not admissible for an account closure at the casino. Unless the request is sent from an e-mail registered with an account you want to close, the support is unable to proceed with your request. This is to protect the players from imposters and practical jokers. The casino has requested you to e-mail from the registered address, which you never did.

• No mention of gambling addiction

This is another huge issue, as you have requested self-exclusion, but never mentioned gambling addiction. Only thing I could find was your concern about lack of deposit limits, and once you even threatened the casino to either give you a cash bonus or you will close your account. From all the communication I have seen it looks like a regular account closure. Mentioning self-exclusion is not enough, as it is often used by players who just wish to close the account forever. The casino has asked you directly for the reason behind your account closure, yet you never confirmed being addicted, or worried about your gambling habits. By avoiding to tell the casino what seems to be the issue, you prevented them from acting accordingly.

To ensure your account gets permanently closed and your account marked as gambling addiction which will prevent you from engaging with this casino in the future, please do the following:

• Send the message below from the e-mail address you have used to register at the casino:

Subject: Self-Exclusion Request

Player’s Information:

First name: [Your First Name]

Last name: [Your Last Name]

Date of Birth: [Your DOB]

Casino login: [Your Username/Login]

Email address: [Your Registered Email Address]

Email Body:

"Greetings TikiTaka Casino,

I am writing to request immediate self-exclusion from this casino and to opt out of receiving any gambling-related marketing materials for a lifetime. The reason for my decision is gambling addiction. I acknowledge that during this period, I will not be able to rescind my self-exclusion, and it cannot be lifted before the agreed timeframe ends.

Thank you for your assistance."

Please send this email to support@tikitaka.com and feel free to CC me at matej.l@casino.guru so I can stay updated on any developments. Once the message is sent this way, the casino will have to promptly block your account for good. I would also strongly recommend not to deposit any more money into this account, and please let me know if the casino voids any kind of balance upon the account closure - this should not happen. Thank you.

Matej, thank you for your response. I must challenge several points in your explanation, as they do not withstand scrutiny.

1. Gmail vs Googlemail

Your argument that my request was invalid because I used "@googlemail.com" rather than "@gmail.com" is completely without merit. Google confirms these domains are identical, point to the same account, and cannot be separated. To suggest they are different accounts is factually incorrect and demonstrates either a lack of understanding of basic email systems or an excuse to deflect responsibility. No reasonable operator should rely on this as a justification for ignoring repeated requests to close an account.

2. Gambling Addiction and Self-Exclusion

Your response downplays the fact that I repeatedly raised gambling addiction as the reason for my account closure in live chats. The casino’s staff either failed to record this accurately or chose to interpret it as a casual closure request. Both outcomes are unacceptable.

Responsible gambling obligations are crystal clear: once a customer mentions gambling addiction, the operator is required to act swiftly to protect the player. Suggesting that my words were insufficient because I did not phrase them exactly as you expected shows a failure in your responsible gambling procedures, not in my communication.

3. Deposits After First Self-Exclusion Request

The fact that my account remained open until only three days ago, despite repeated requests for closure on the grounds of gambling addiction, is a breach of duty. Every deposit made after my first request should be refunded, as those funds should never have been accepted. It is the operator’s responsibility to ensure vulnerable players are protected — not the player’s responsibility to repeat themselves endlessly while continuing to lose money.

4. Deflection of Responsibility

Your attempt to shift the blame onto me for "not using the correct email" or "not phrasing addiction strongly enough" highlights a systemic weakness in the casino’s responsible gambling procedures. A competent operator would have immediately recognised the risk factors and acted to protect the customer. Instead, the casino ignored repeated warnings, allowed further deposits, and only closed the account after a prolonged delay.

Conclusion

I am restating clearly and firmly: my closure requests were made due to gambling addiction. The casino failed to act appropriately, relied on a technicality about Gmail/Googlemail that has no basis in fact, and continued to accept deposits that should have been blocked. I therefore request:

Immediate confirmation that my account is closed under self-exclusion rules.

Full refund of deposits made between my first closure request and the actual date of closure.

An explanation of why responsible gambling obligations were not followed when I first raised addiction concerns.

Dear obee10098, please follow the instructions from my previous post first, to get your account properly excluded due to the gambling addiction. We can discuss the semantics afterwards. The longer the account stays open, the higher the chance of relapse and losing more funds. I would like to avoid that situation at all costs. Thank you.

Matej, thank you for your message.

To clarify, my account has now been officially closed for request under self-exclusion, and I have already sent the required email from the registered address. That part is resolved.

However, the other factors I raised cannot simply be dismissed as "semantics." They are central to the issue and must now be looked at:

The repeated requests for self-exclusion on the grounds of gambling addiction were ignored or mishandled for a significant period.

The Gmail/Googlemail excuse was used as a barrier, despite the fact they are the same account. This was a weak justification for inaction.

As a direct result of the delay, I was able to deposit and lose further funds. These deposits were taken after I had already requested exclusion and therefore should not have been accepted.

Now that the account is closed, the focus must turn to accountability: why my initial requests were not acted on, why the Gmail/Googlemail point was raised at all, and how the casino intends to address the issue of deposits taken during that period.

Thank you for the message and also I would like to thank the TikiTaka Casino for promptly closing the account. Now we can proceed with the explanations, as the main issue has been resolved and no more deposits can be made. Please, can you confirm in this thread the marketing communication will cease and that the acocunt has been closed permanently, with no option for reopening due to the player's gambling addiction? Thank you.

Dear obee10098, let's try this point by point:

1. Gmail vs Googlemail

While for the Google it is the same, for the casino staff it is not. Their instructions are clear - any official request has to come from the registered account. You have registered stating the e-mail domain as Gmail, but messaged the casino from Googlemail. When they simply copy/paste your Googlemail address, system will not find a match. And since the admins are swamped with dozen of requests on any given day, nobody will stop and think about "why", they just simply go back and request you to message them from the associated e-mail. I personally believe this is one of those "one in a thousand" issues that nobody expects. You never mentioned that the two domains are interchangeable (why would you), and nobody in the support team thought of that either (why would they). Luckily this problem has been solved now. In the future I would recommend using Googlemail domain for official registration, to avoid this exact issue.

2. Gambling Addiction and Self-Exclusion

3. Deposits After First Self-Exclusion Request

I have triple-checked your screenshots and provided e-mails. Not once you have mentioned gambling addiction. Only to close your account because the casino has not given you £50 bonus and has no deposit limits. Or not providing a reason at all, replying "Yes, close it." Unless I have missed something, all the messages would be classed as regular account closure.

4. Deflection of Responsibility

I am not deflecting responsibility, just dividing it fairly. We have a simple rule - the player has to admit having a problem, the casino has to act swiftly. If the player keeps avoiding the issue, we have no leverage towards the casino. Furthermore, admin staff has to deal with plenty of requests as I have mentioned before, and they simply have no time to think of all the possible interpretations of any given sentence. Additionally, a lot of players request self-exclusion and account closure after a hefty loss, then 3 days later ask for unblocking, because they cooled down and want to come back. This creates a lot of unnecessary work for the admins, which is why the regular account closures are taking longer time - to allow the player to reconsider and avoid the need to process account closure then reopening request later on.

This is where "gambling addiction" comes to play. While regular closure can take as long as the casino wants (since the player can simply stop playing and depositing - nothing forces them to continue using the casino services), gambling addicts are not in full possession of their faculties and the habit can kick in at any given time. In such cases we are also very strict and request form the casino to act responsibly and swiftly. That is why we require the player to be honest and upfront about their gambling issue. This is a serious matter and there can be no place for doubt or misinterpretation of the request. If you at least mentioned anything related to gambling, like being worried about your money and time spent playing, we could argue about whether the casino should have investigated further. But unless I have missed a crucial piece of information, there is no reason to treat the previous requests as anything other than a regular account closure requests.

Thank you for your detailed reply.

I would like to clarify a few points:

E-mail Domain Issue (Gmail / Googlemail)

While I understand the technical explanation, this issue demonstrates a lack of flexibility in the casino’s procedures. Gmail and Googlemail are interchangeable domains, and it is not reasonable to expect a customer to anticipate such a "one in a thousand" issue. A simple verification step by staff could have resolved this without unnecessary delays or confusion.

Self-Exclusion vs. Account Closure

Although you state that I did not explicitly use the words "gambling addiction," my requests for closure were clear and repeated. The fact that the casino continued to allow deposits after multiple closure requests undermines the principle of responsible gambling. Whether or not I used the specific term "addiction," the operator had a duty of care to consider the possibility and act promptly, not weeks later.

Responsibility

I appreciate that players sometimes request closures impulsively. However, this should not serve as a justification for delaying or disregarding closure requests altogether. The safer, more responsible approach is to close the account first, then if the player wishes to reopen later, that process can be managed with the necessary safeguards. The current approach prioritises administrative convenience over customer welfare.

Refund of Deposits

Given the circumstances, I must insist that the deposits made after my repeated closure requests are reviewed and refunded. Allowing play to continue under these conditions was a clear failure to uphold responsible gambling obligations. This is not simply a matter of goodwill but a matter of regulatory compliance and duty of care.

Future Conduct

I note your recommendation regarding domain consistency. However, I expect that moving forward, requests to close or exclude accounts will be treated with the seriousness they deserve, regardless of minor technicalities or the exact wording used by the player. Gambling-related harm is a sensitive issue, and erring on the side of caution should be standard practice.

I therefore request written confirmation that:

My case will be formally reviewed with a view to refunding the deposits made after my closure requests; and

Future closure/exclusion requests will be processed promptly and responsibly.

Kind regards,

M

Dear Matej,

We are responding to your inquiry dated August 27, 2025.

We have dispatched an additional email containing a screenshot of the player's account. This serves to confirm that the account has been permanently closed, with no option for reopening.

We will kindly wait for your update. 

Kind regards,

TikiTaka team.

I would like to thank the TikiTaka team for helping us out to sort this issue, and for the confirmation of the permanent account closure.

Dear obee10098, to sum things up: the account has now been self-excluded, any future re-opening will be denied and no marketing comms should be sent to you. Since there was no balance confiscated and no deposits were made during the time that would be considered above the reasonable amount between proper self-exclusion request and the actual account closure, I believe this complaint now can be closed.

E-mail Domain Issue (Gmail / Googlemail)

As mentioned before, this is such a rare occasion these days - even you have not thought of mentioning that either to the VIP manager or the support staff, when they told you your Gmail account is not recognised. I hope this case will be reviewed by the casino internally and make additional notes for their training, but this is completely in the hands of the casino management. Not much else can be said or done about it by us or yourself now.

Self-Exclusion vs. Account Closure

Responsibility

Future Conduct

All 3 points can be addressed together. We take gambling addiction seriously, but even that does not allow us to place 100% of the responsibility on the casinos. If the player is unwilling to do the bare minimum - say he/she has a gambling problem - we can't do much to help. As explained before, it is important to make the casino aware of the addiction ASAP. In case of regular account closures we can't help, as anyone requesting such action has an option of simply not depositing and playing anymore. Even if the account never gets closed.

For example I still have active player accounts in some MMORPG games I used to play as a teenager. As I lost interest in those games and did not want to pay for subscription, I have unsubscribed from promotional emails and simply stopped playing. To this day I have the option to come back, but nothing is really pushing me or forcing me to resubscribe and play again. Same goes for regular casino players - they can stop depositing, unsub from marketing comms and leave the account dormant until they decide to come back. If ever. That is how the industry looks at the regular players. They have the option to stop. Unlike gambling addicts, who are not able to control how much they are playing and depositing, and that makes a whole lot of difference. I hope this helps to explain why the explicit mention of gambling addiction is the difference between being able to help, or not. As such it should not be marginalised.

I therefore request written confirmation that:

From the point of Casino Guru this complaint has now been dealt with and will be closed. There is nothing else I can do. Since you are unhappy with this resolution and still demand refunds - which (as I explained before) I am unable to request on your behalf - I will have to close this complaint as "rejected".

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Thank you for your understanding, and I am sorry we could not be of more help on this occasion.