Winna Casino - Player's self-exclusion system has failed.

Summary of Situation:

The individual, using the username ro***34, has submitted a formal complaint to Winna regarding a failure in the platform’s self-exclusion system, which allowed them to gamble despite having taken active steps to prevent this due to a diagnosed gambling addiction.

Background:

In mid-July 2025, the complainant, who has been in therapy for gambling addiction, self-excluded from Winna for six months (until January 13, 2026). This action was intended to block all gambling activity on their account. While the self-exclusion worked correctly on other gambling platforms, it failed on Winna.

Issue:

Despite the self-exclusion notice appearing upon login, the system still allowed full access after a few seconds. As demonstrated in a submitted screen recording, the complainant was able to log in, deposit money, and place bets in August 2025, resulting in a relapse after three weeks of abstinence.

Key Points of Complaint:

System Failure:

The site initially displayed a message confirming the self-exclusion period but then granted access anyway. The complainant’s video evidence shows successful login and betting activity during the exclusion period.

Explicit Request to Self-Exclude:

Before this, in mid-July, the complainant informed a Winna representative via Telegram that gambling was harming their life and asked to withdraw from a tournament and self-exclude entirely. Despite this explicit statement, their access to gambling remained active.

Marketing Emails During Exclusion:

The complainant continued to receive promotional emails advertising bonuses and offers. These communications, according to the Tobique Gaming Commission’s Code of Practice (Point 19.9), should have been blocked for self-excluded users. One of these emails reportedly triggered their relapse.

Inconsistent Enforcement Across Products:

The exclusion only applied to certain Winna games (e.g., "Winna Originals"), while the complainant was still able to gamble on sports, breaching Point 19.4 of the Code of Practice, which requires self-exclusion to apply consistently across all products.

Failure to Detect and Respond:

Under Point 19.10 of the same Code, if a customer breaches their exclusion, the operator may reimburse deposits at their discretion. However, the complainant argues that they did not deliberately breach the exclusion, rather the system failed, and they themselves reported the issue. Furthermore, their gambling activity during exclusion should have triggered a red flag for Winna’s staff, particularly since they contacted live chat twice during that period about bets and bonuses, but no intervention occurred.

Financial Impact:

During the self-exclusion period, the complainant deposited $29,420.24 and withdrew $19,924.27, resulting in a net loss of $9,495.77. They request that this amount be reimbursed, as the losses were incurred during a time when they should have been unable to gamble.

Complaint Escalation Issues:

After being advised to escalate the issue to the Tobique Gaming Commission, the complainant did so. The Tobique Gaming Commission and Winna have not responded to the initial complaint filed on 04/09/2025.

Resolution Sought:

The complainant requests reimbursement of $9,495.77, representing the losses sustained while the self-exclusion system failed to function as intended. They emphasize that this situation has caused a significant setback in their recovery efforts, which had previously been progressing well under therapy.

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Dear royy234,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience with Winna Casino.

Please allow me to ask you a few questions so I can better understand the situation.

• Can you provide the exact date when you first attempted to self-exclude from Winna?
• Have you tried contacting support after you learned your self-exclusion request wasn't granted?
• Could you please share your self-exclusion requests with me? Please share the information to my email at [email protected].
• Could you please advise when was the last time the casino allowed you to deposit?

As part of our Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, we've partnered with BetBlocker, a UK-registered charity providing a free service to support people worldwide. You can find more information about our initiative here (https://casino.guru/global-self-exclusion-initiative) and about BetBlocker here (https://betblocker.org/).

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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,

Katarina

Hi Katarina,

Thank you for picking up my case. Please see some evidence attached on the email I sent you. 

My main piece of evidence is the screen recording which shows me still being able to access the account even when it says I’ve self-excluded. I followed the instructions on their site on July 13th 2025 to self-exclude for the period of 6months. 

I unfortunately don’t have the emails that confirmed the self exclusion as these were deleted as part of putting gambling in my past. 

However, I do have a screen recording of my telegram chat with Liam from Winna. On 02/09/25 he says that from what he can see, my account is self-excluded until 13/01/26. This implies that from their end I should’ve been self-excluded and the system has not worked. 

Admittedly, once I found out that my self-exclusion hadn’t worked I did not contact their support. Being a gambling addict, I was at the point where if I was able to find an opportunity to gamble then I would, this is why I desperately needed the firms to cooperate to keep me off their sites, which all the others did. 

The last time I deposited with Winna was 31/08/25. I have attached all withdrawals and deposits made during the self-exclusion period. 

Please let me know if I can help with anything else. 

Dear royy234,

thank you for your reply and emails.

Please confirm if the account used to access the casino site is your original account. Have any additional accounts been created?

Looking forward to your reply,

Katarina

Hi Katarina,

Yes I can confirm that the account used to access the casino site is my original account. No other accounts have been created.

Thanks

Dear royy234

Thank you for your cooperation and for providing all the necessary information. I truly appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken to share everything with us so far.

Your complaint will now move to the next stage of our process and be handled by your dedicated Resolver, Matej ([email protected]). This is a standard step in our procedure, as the Resolver will take over communication with the casino directly and manage your case from this point onward.

No action is required from you right now. Your Resolver will reach out through this thread if any additional details are needed. You can rest assured that your case is in very capable hands.

I wish you the best of luck and hope your case will be resolved to your satisfaction soon.

Kind regards,

Katarina

Hi Katarina,

Thanks for your help so far, it’s much appreciated! Matej, please let me know if you need anything from me.

Thanks

Hello royy234, 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. For now, I believe I have all the necessary information form yourself, so there is nothing else required to do right now. I'll let you know if this changes. :)

I’d like to invite a representative of Winna 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 [email protected].

Thank you for your patience and cooperation in advance.

Hi Winna,

Thanks for your reply. I believe your stats show that I am actually in $27k loss with

you rather than profit, which is correct.

On the point of being blocked from certain products, before my self exclusion you’ll have seen that I played largely only Winna Orignals games. However, after the failed self exclusion I didn’t play a single one because it wouldn’t let me. I understand you say it’s technically impossible but that is in fact what happened.

I take some responsibility on not communicating that the self exclusion hadn’t worked. However, when players self exclude they’re usually in a bad place and I feel like the gambling institution should have the tech in place to ensure exclusions work first time round. Furthermore, if it was the other way around and I was wanting to withdraw significant winnings, would my self exclusion be used against me?

Additionally, when I complained to the Tobique Gaming Commission, they gave you one week to reply. You have not replied to this date. I chased both Winna and the Tobique Gaming Commission several times. They didn’t reply anything to me, let alone that the complaint had been refused. Please can you provide evidence of the refusal and explain why this wouldn’t be communicated with me?

Thanks

I would like to thank both sides for sharing some insight.

Dear Winna Casino, the player has provided us with a screen recording, showing that the self-exclusion has not been properly executed. He was still able to log into the account and while it seems like the "Casino" part has been blocked, the "sports betting" section is still available. And the fact that the player was able to continue depositing and withdrawing - without casino's knowledge - only further underlines flawed self-exclusion procedure.

At Casino Guru, we take gambling addiction extremely seriously and while we don't place 100% responsibility on the casino, we believe that once the player informs about addiction, the casino should do everything possible to exclude the player and prevent from further play. So far, it seems like this has not happened here.

If the casino confirmed the self-exclusion, but allowed the player to deposit and bet, that is a case of self-exclusion failure and I hope we can remedy the situation in full.

For start, could you please block the player from logging into the account, mark the account as "gambling addict, never reopen" and confirm the account will be impossible to reopen and the player cannot re-register using his credentials? That will be the first step, and once a proper self-exclusion has been put in place, we can see what needs to be done next. Also, I would like to address a few things:

"The complainant continued to receive promotional emails advertising bonuses and offers." -> a simple unsubscribe from the newsletter would have solved this.

If the account is closed due to gambling addiction, the casino is obligated to cease any and all marketing communication. Sending promotional materials to a known gambling addict is akin to offering heroin samples in front of a rehab centre. Sure, people can always walk away, but what are the chances? This is an example of player protection failure on the casino's end.

"The exclusion only applied to certain Winna games (e.g., "Winna Originals"), while the complainant was still able to gamble on sports, breaching Point 19.4 of the Code of Practice, which requires self-exclusion to apply consistently across all products." -> It is technically impossible for us to block users only from a certain product (casino, originals or sports). Therefore this can't be true.

Seems to be true, as this whole complaint has been lodged due to the player's ability to continue betting on sports. Player also provided a video evidence of logging into his account and having sports betting section available, and you yourself stated in the original post, that the player did bet on his supposedly self-excluded account without notifying anyone.

Profit for player $27,037.98

Maybe this information has been misinterpreted, but I have to agree with royy234 that said amount seems like a sum of his losses, not profit. Can you elaborate, please?

Of course we are aware of the fact that there were some thing gone wrong as the self exclusion seemed to be not working properly on the technical level. The issues since then have been fixed.

The users account is $27,037.98 in profit which means he withdraw $27,037.98 more than he deposited on our casino. The account is fully deactivated and is impossible to open again.

Thanks both for your replies.

I’d like to confirm that I am most definitely not in profit with Winna. The $27k loss actually sounds more like the position that I’m in. The initial statistics look correct given the number of deposits and withdrawals too.

Additionally, my account was fully closed by a Winna colleague on 02/09/25. Yet I still receive email promos from Winna, the last one being on 06/11/25. I will forward this to your email Matej.

Lastly, Winna I appreciate you admitting that something was wrong with the self-exclusion system and that it has since been fixed so hopefully other problem gamblers don’t face the same difficulties and life changing circumstances I have. I kindly ask you to review my stats which show I’m in a net loss and once confirmed I would appreciate if you considered my resolution of being able to recoup my losses from the period when my account should’ve been self-excluded and hence shouldn’t have been allowed to deposit.

Thanks

Dear Winna Casino, maybe I am missing a key piece of information, but if the player deposited $85,179.50 and withdrew only $58,141.51 - how can he be in profit? According to your own math he is in loss of $27,037.98. Can you explain?

Also, could you please e-mail me player's cashier history showing both deposits and withdrawals made between 16th July 2025 until the recent closure? My e-mail is [email protected] and no sensitive information will be shared publicly. Thank you very much.

Hello,

We have investigated this matter further and would like to provide the following update.

According to our internal logs, the complainant has previously submitted a complaint regarding the same issue under our licence, and a detailed response was already provided to them via email.

Please find below the reply that was issued at that time:

"Upon review of the case, we can confirm the following:

The player registered an account on January 18, 2025.

Between January 18, 2025 and August 31, 2025, the player deposited a total of $85,179.50 and withdrew $58,141.51, resulting in a net loss of $27,037.96.

On July 13, 2025, at 09:24:00 UTC, the player submitted a self-exclusion request via the ‘Winna Cares’ section of our website. This automatically triggered a 24-hour cooling-off period. After this period, the player chose not to extend the self-exclusion.

On September 2, 2025, at 11:22:41 UTC, one of our administrators manually applied a lifetime self-exclusion after the player requested it directly from our support staff and exhibited signs of problem gambling. The account remains permanently closed and will not be reopened.

Based on the above, the self-exclusion process was handled fully in accordance with our Responsible Gaming Policy and applicable technical procedures.

Please let me know if any additional information or documentation is required.

Best regards,

Max"

In conclusion, we initially believed this to be a technical issue; however, after further investigation, we can confirm the player’s request and the subsequent actions taken regarding their self-exclusion.

Furthermore, we promptly took action once the player reached out to us, and we permanently excluded their account due to gambling addiction concerns, as stated by the complainant to our live support agent.

We also wish to clarify that the previous information regarding the player’s profit was a misunderstanding. In reality, the player is in a net loss, as initially stated and communicated to them.

We have also forwarded their statement of Deposit and Withdrawals as per your request.

Hi Winna,

Thanks for your reply.

There seems to be a lot of inconsistency in your responses but I’m glad we agree that I’m in a net loss.

If what you’re saying is true, why would it say that I’m self-excluded until January 13th 2026 in my video recording which you’ll find in your inbox? I don’t have email evidence to prove my self exclusion but I wonder if you store emails sent to players to show when I self excluded and how long for? This will clearly show that after the 24 hour cool down period, I chose to exclude for 6months.

Additionally, someone mentioned that Tobique Gaming Commission refused my complaint, please can you provide evidence of this?

Thanks

I have the cashier history now, and requested further details form the casino. Once I have the response, I will post an update here.

Dear royy234, just to keep you up to date: I am still waiting for the Winna Casino's response and have messaged them again. If my calculations are correct, I should be requesting a refund on your behalf. However, I need some vital information to be confirmed, to see if I am correct. Once I hear back, I will post another update.

Hello,

Please note that we have provided all the information as requested. We would like to clarify that we have not failed to support the player’s claims at any point. The player informed us of their addiction problem via live support on 01/09/2025.

According to our logs, the player requested a self-exclusion on July 13th. Their cooling-off period was activated, and after 24 hours they received a follow-up email in which they could select the duration of their exclusion. However, no action was taken by the player, and the account was automatically reactivated. We did not receive any communication from the player stating that their self-exclusion had failed. Their next and only communication with us was on September 1st. They also contacted our regulator, and a response was provided as mentioned above.

Please note that immediately after the player showed signs of gambling-related issues, their account was permanently deactivated, and it will remain permanently excluded.

We would also like to note that we did not fail to provide support to the player once they made us aware of their issue. Additionally, the video the player refers to is from September 1st, at which time their account was already deactivated.

Please let us know if you require any further explanation.

Kind regards,

Winna Team

ScreenRecording_09-01-2025 00-46-28_1.mp4

EDIT: I have just noticed a message from Winna Casino representative, and need to reword my post.

In light of the new information provided by the casino, I am swapping the timer towards the player, from whom I have asked for additional information regarding the self-exclusion request from the July 2025.

Hi Winna,

I understand we have both been having some back and forth convo with Matej. I would be grateful if I could get some answers to three questions clearly listed below please?:

1) Winna mentions twice on the Casino Guru thread that the player initiated self-exclusion on 13th July and the 24-hour cooling off period was triggered on this date. In that case, why does the player have proof that the self-exclusion/cooling off period was triggered on 12th July? The action Winna sees on 13th July is when the player initiated the 6 month self-exclusion. Please provide explanation for the dates Winna has provided.

2) What is the explanation for the player's screen recording which shows self-exclusion exactly 6 months from when the player has said they self-excluded and 24-hours after their cool off period?

3) Where is the proof of the regulator having responded to the player's complaint?

Thank you

I am switching the timer towards the Winna Casino, to respond to the player's questions and I have also sent an e-mail with the above-mentioned screen recording to the casino for a review.

Hello,

We have provided further clarification to Matej regarding the timing and the confusion about the dates. Our system displays time in UTC, while I am in a different time zone (Eastern Time), which is why I provided the date with a +1 difference.

There is no issue arising from this, as the dates do not affect the outcome of the case or how we handled your situation. The displayed time zone should not be an issue, as no transactions occurred after the stated dates.

Please note, and I would like to emphasize again, that after your initial request for a 24-hour cooling-off period, you did not confirm any further self-exclusion period (such as one week, one month, three months, or permanent). We do not offer a six-month self-exclusion option to be confirmed via email.

Regarding your statement about being able to place sports bets while self-excluded, we have confirmed that no bets were placed on your account after the self-exclusion was applied.

Could you please clearly state the outcome you are seeking?

We have been discussing this back and forth for some time now, and there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest that your self-exclusion failed or that you were able to place bets during the stated period.

Regarding the complaint, you can find our reply in your email. We only receive a notification of the complaint, after which we provide a response to you and send proof to the regulator that a reply has been issued.

With the questions answered to both me and the player, and the account being permanently blocked, there is just one more thing left to do.

Dear Winna Casino, the player is still receiving promotional materials, one being sent to him 18th December. If you could turn off the promotional messaging and confirm it either here or via e-mail, I can then close this complaint. Thank you very much.

Thanks Matej for your help, I appreciate it greatly.

Thanks Winna for your replies, I hope if anything that I have helped fix some technical issues in terms of self exclusion and promo emails still being sent to closed accounts, so that other players don’t have to face the same. I don’t quite feel all my questions were answered and I know at the end of the day I placed those bets so I do take some responsibility still. However, I do think your system issues have had a detrimental impact on my life. I have only been able to gamble with Winna since self excluding from all sites in July.

I am working to get some deleted emails and Telegram chats back, should this be successful I will contact you back.

I am happy for you to close the case Matej and help other people in the meantime. Thanks again.

Hello royy234,

Please note that I have personally removed your email address from receiving communications from us. If you wish to contact us, please reach out to [email protected].

You can always contact us if you need anything or require further assistance.

We wish you all the best.

Kind Regards

Winna Team

Thank you Winna

Thank you Winna Casino Team for the confirmation.

Dear royy234, since the self-exclusion has been applied, marketing communication disabled and the evidence provided does not support refund request, I will now proceed to reject this complaint. Thank you for your understanding. I am genuinely sorry that I was not able to assist you more effectively in this particular situation, as we always aim to help players resolve their issues whenever possible.

I would also strongly recommend installing free app BetBlocker (https://betblocker.org/) onto your computer and mobile device, to keep you safe from online gambling sites while browsing the internet. It's free, and for maximum protection it is recommended to have a family member or a friend to set up the password in your stead. Also, I would advise to block all the mobile numbers and e-mail addresses that are sending you promotional materials.

Please remember that you are welcome to contact us again if you run into any problems with this or any other casino in the future. Whether it is a question, a concern or a new issue that needs to be looked into, our team is here and ready to support you.