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Dear Casino Guru,

In the following complaint, I would like to express my concerns about the responsible gambling policy applied by Forza.bet.

Earlier, I made a €700 deposit and I have been struggling with a gambling addiction for quite some time. After depositing, I hesitated a lot about playing and eventually decided that I was afraid of relapsing. I explained this clearly to the live chat agent, but despite my deposit still being in my account balance, they refused to return it.

I clearly stated in the chat that I have a gambling addiction and that I am afraid of relapsing, to which the agent responded:

"You can only get it back once you have wagered it once."

In my opinion, this does not fall under a responsible gambling policy. When I asked whether an exception could be made, and whether my account could be closed immediately with the deposit refunded, I was told that in that case I would lose the money.

Is this allowed?

In my view, they should have responded appropriately due to their duty of care.

Thank you.

Important notice:

Casino Guru will never ask for payments or access to your accounts to complete KYC. If someone claims to be from Casino Guru and does that, do not share any information.

We only contact players through this official complaint thread or via @casino.guru e-mail addresses. Always check the sender’s domain and verify your complaint resolver’s e-mail address by clicking on their avatar visible inside the official complaint thread.

If anything seems suspicious, contact us directly.

Stay safe.

Hello,

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

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

• Have you made previous deposits in the casino?
• Is your player's account verified?
• Is your account restricted in any way?
• Could you please share with me your communication with the casino regarding the issue? Send emails or chat transcripts to my email at tomas@casino.guru, or post screenshots here

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,

Tomas

Have you made previous deposits in the casino?

Yes i did a deposit of 700 euro

Is your player's account verified?

No

Is your account restricted in any way?

The account is now restricted,

E-mail attachments are sent to your e-mail.

Could you please share with me your communication with the casino regarding the issue? Send emails or chat transcripts to my email at tomas@casino.guru, or post screenshots here

Hi Tomas,

Do you have a update on this ticket?

Thanks

Hello,

We apologize for any inconvenience, but we are unable to issue a refund after a deposit has been made. According to our Anti–Money Laundering (AML) policies, the deposited amount must be wagered a certain number of times before a withdrawal can be processed.

We understand your concerns; however, the system does not allow customers to deposit funds and then request an immediate refund due to a change of mind or personal gambling-related issues. If there were any concerns, we would have expected to be contacted at the time the account was created. Otherwise, anyone could deposit and then request a refund at any moment, which would violate AML regulations that all customers are required to follow.

We apologize, but we must mark this case as resolved, as there has been no error or misconduct on the casino’s side.

Dear Forazabet,

I'm really amused the fact you're answering and referring to your Anti-Money lanundering (AML) policies, if a customer is mentioning gambling problems directly action from your end should be done by closing directly the account.

The reply of "Money will not be bounced back. For Withdrawal money you must make requirements x1 before you can Withdraw Money. So you are forcing your players to play further while having a license at Anjouan Gaming. Responsible Gambling should be taken very seriously.

@Tomas could you take a look at the chat logs which i have sent you on your e-mail 🙂?

Dear Inzetwaarde,

I wanted to let you know that your account was closed at your request. However, after making a deposit, you requested a refund of the funds without fulfilling the required wagering conditions.

According to our terms and anti–money laundering (AML) regulations, all deposited funds must be wagered before any withdrawal or refund can be processed. These rules apply to all customers and cannot be bypassed by any licensed casino.

You made a deposit and only afterwards requested a refund, stating that you have a gambling problem. While we take responsible gambling matters seriously, closing an account after a deposit has been made does not remove the obligation to comply with wagering and AML requirements.

If you wished to close your account without wagering, you needed to contact us before making the deposit. Once a deposit is made, the funds become subject to mandatory AML procedures.

We apologise for any inconvenience, but this situation was not caused by an error on our part. As already explained, we cannot process a withdrawal or refund without the wagering requirements being fulfilled.

Dear Casino Guru, please help explain to the customer once again that anti–money laundering procedures are a critical and mandatory part of casino operations. Account closure must be requested before depositing, not afterwards, if the customer wishes to avoid wagering requirements.

Thank you for your understanding.

Dear Trustworthly,

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, Kubo (jakub.m@casino.guru). 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,

Tomas

Dear Tomas,

Thank you for your assistance within this case 🙂

Hope this issue with the casino will be solved as soon as possible.

Kind regards

Hi Kubo,

Do you have an update?

Dear Trustworthly,

It’s a pleasure to e-meet you. My name is Kubo, and I’ll be handling your complaint moving forward.

If there have been any updates or new developments since your last message, please don’t hesitate to share them with me.

Dear Forzabet.live Casino,

Thank you for your engagement regarding this complaint. While we acknowledge the importance of AML requirements, we must also emphasize the obligation to uphold safe and responsible gambling standards.

In cases where a player requests account closure due to gambling addiction while holding an active balance, our position is clear: the remaining balance should be refunded. Forcing a player who has explicitly identified themselves as gambling-addicted to fulfill wagering requirements is neither reasonable nor compliant with responsible gambling principles. Likewise, withholding their funds after account closure is inappropriate.

AML regulations applicable to Anjouan-licensed operators do not require a player to place bets in order to withdraw or receive a refund. AML obligations relate to identity verification and transaction monitoring—not to gambling activity itself.

In this case, the player has clearly disclosed a gambling addiction. Once a player is identified as vulnerable, responsible gambling obligations must apply immediately and take precedence over standard wagering or withdrawal conditions.

Compelling a known problem gambler to wager deposited funds contradicts responsible gambling principles and introduces unnecessary compliance risk. Best practice under the Anjouan licensing framework is to restrict the account and refund any unused, unwagered deposits following standard KYC verification.

Under the Anjouan regulatory framework, licensed operators are required to maintain both AML/KYC compliance systems and responsible gambling measures. While AML/KYC requirements focus on identity and transaction oversight, responsible gambling obligations—such as self-exclusion and player protection—must be prioritized when a customer discloses addiction.

For these reasons, we consider a refund of the deposited funds to be the appropriate, responsible, and compliant resolution in this matter.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.

Best regards,

Kubo

Dear Jakub,

Thank you for your message.

We respectfully disagree with the claims presented and would like to clarify our position.

First, according to our records, the total deposit amount was €200. We therefore do not understand on what basis a refund of €700 is being requested.

Secondly, the player requested a refund without completing any wagering and while the account was not verified. Our support team clearly informed the player that refunds cannot be processed unless the account is verified and wagering requirements are fulfilled. This procedure is fully aligned with our internal policies and international AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations.

Allowing refunds without identity verification and wagering completion would create a serious compliance risk. Such a process could be exploited for money laundering purposes. For example, an individual could deposit a large sum and immediately request a refund without verification, thereby bypassing AML controls. This is precisely why verification and wagering requirements are mandatory safeguards across the gambling industry.

Please note that verification was explicitly requested from our side, and the player was informed that there is no possibility of a refund without completing verification and wagering. These conditions are clearly stated in our Terms and Conditions, which the player accepted upon registration.

Additionally, if a player believes they may have a gambling-related issue, they are required to contact our support team before making any deposits, not after initiating a refund request.

For these reasons, we believe our actions were justified, compliant, and in line with regulatory and industry standards.

Dear Forza

You are completely right about the deposit amount, this was indeed 200€ my bad.

Based on the chat evidence there have never been said anything regarding KYC.

Even though it doesn’t change the fact that you are forcing me to play further.

I have sent the chat details to casino guru.

Dear Forzabet.live Casino,

Thank you for your prompt response.

I understand your concerns and your disagreement with our position. However, I would like to reiterate and further clarify our standpoint in light of your most recent statements.

Regarding the total amount of deposits, this had not yet been confirmed at the time our position was initially presented, as it was not relevant to the underlying issue at that stage. Since both you and the player have now confirmed the total amount of €200, this figure can be adjusted accordingly. Nevertheless, this clarification does not affect the outcome or substance of the case.

We agree that, in order to proceed with a refund, the player must complete identity verification (KYC). However, it appears that this option was not meaningfully considered on your side. Instead, the decision was made to close the player’s account and retain the deposited funds. Notably, retaining the funds of an unverified individual does not appear to be a concern, whereas refunding those same funds via the original payment method is presented as problematic.

Additionally, while you state that the player was informed of the verification requirement, the available chat transcripts indicate otherwise. The player was explicitly informed by your support team that wagering the funds was required in order to withdraw. This is concerning in itself, particularly as there was no mention of identity verification being required at that stage.

With regard to your statement:

"Additionally, if a player believes they may have a gambling-related issue, they are required to contact our support team before making any deposits, not after initiating a refund request."

This position implies that individuals must be aware of a gambling addiction before engaging in any gambling activity, which is neither realistic nor consistent with established responsible gambling principles. Problem gambling, by its nature, is often only recognized after harm has occurred.

Furthermore, it is not correct to suggest that refunding the balance of a self-declared gambling-addicted player is impossible or prohibited. On the contrary, such a refund remains AML-compliant provided that:

• the refund is sent to the original payment method,
• the player completes KYC verification, and
• the reason for the refund is properly documented.

You also state:

"Allowing refunds without identity verification and wagering completion would create a serious compliance risk."

While we fully agree that identity verification is a fundamental and essential requirement, we strongly disagree with the assertion that completion of wagering is necessary in this context. Where a refund is based on responsible gambling grounds, insisting on wagering completion undermines the very purpose of responsible gambling policies and directly contradicts them.

In light of the above, our recommended next steps are as follows:

• completion of the player’s KYC verification; and
• refund of the player’s remaining balance via the same payment method used for the deposit.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

After carefully reviewing this case, we would like to clarify the following points.

First, the player requested a refund after the funds had already been lost. This is a crucial detail. The incident itself occurred approximately one year ago, which also limits the availability and reliability of evidence. For transparency, we ask the player to provide verifiable proof showing that a refund request was made immediately after the deposit and before any bets were placed. Without such evidence, this claim cannot be confirmed.

Additionally, we request that the player share the complete chat transcript. Based on our internal records, the conversation history is longer than what has been provided publicly. According to our logs, the initial discussion was related to account closure, during which our agent explained in detail how self-exclusion works. At that time, self-exclusion was available as a manual option, meaning the player could activate it independently by visiting the designated page.

Importantly, the first conversation did not mention any gambling problem. On the contrary, the player stated that he was satisfied with our casino and simply decided that he wanted a refund. There was no indication of gambling-related harm or concerns at that stage.

Only after the refund request was refused did the player initiate a new conversation and raise a gambling issue. This raises a serious question: if the player was genuinely experiencing a gambling problem, why was this not mentioned from the beginning? Instead, the gambling issue was brought up only after the refund request was denied.

From our perspective, this sequence of events strongly suggests an attempt to retroactively justify a refund request, rather than a genuine responsible gambling concern. Therefore, we consider this behavior to be manipulative, as the gambling issue appears to have been raised only after the initial request was unsuccessful.

We appreciate the explanation provided so far, but in order to proceed fairly, we require clear factual evidence that the refund was requested before any loss occurred, not afterward.

Dear Forza,

I'm really amused the fact you're refering to Dear Forzabet,

Thank you for your response.

All contact attempts were made via live chat, and immediately after making the deposit I informed the live chat that I wanted the money refunded due to a gambling addiction and fear of relapsing into my old pattern.

The chat transcript has been made available to Jakub from Casino.GURU, along with all email correspondence. Throughout the entire chat conversation, none of the following topics were mentioned:

KYC (as previously stated by you)

Self-exclusion (via the website)

The story you present is completely incorrect. You state that the player indicated he was satisfied with your casino and simply decided that he wanted a refund, and that there were no indications of gambling-related harm or concerns at that stage. On what is this based? Please provide the relevant chat logs and/or email correspondence to support this claim.

Thank you in advance.

Dear Forza.Bet

In additionally, On friday 06-12-2024 the deposit was made at 15:40 has been made.

The chat was on 16:04 about that the deposit was missing of 200,-

Contacted within the chat 24 minutes later that the deposit was not reached and that i didn't feel comfortable and asked for a account closure to be scared to get a fall back on my gambling behaviour due a addiction.

The only answer was that Ryan said that it has to be wagered, and if i would like to close my account the money would be lost for not playing it.

I don't know where you're reffering to that i'm satisfied about your services?

Dear Inzetwaarde,

We kindly ask you to contact us via Gmail and provide all the relevant facts and information you have regarding this matter. If, upon review, we determine that the information is valid and demonstrates that the amount was not lost prior to the previously mentioned gambling issue, we will refund the amount without any issue.

Our only intention is to ensure that everything is handled fairly and transparently.

We look forward to your response.

Dear Forza.bet

The details have been sent to your support email.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards.

Dear Forza Bet,

Do you have an update?

All proof have been sent to your support email.

Hi Jakub,

Sadly no responses anymore from the casino. Could you get in touch with them?

I will add you in cc on the email.

thanks

Hello dear all,

The investigation has already started, and we will update you with news. Please be more patient. We need time, we are using the time frame that Guru gave us. Just be more patient, and we will find a solution

Dear Forza,

Thank you for your update.

Looking forward of hearing from you.

Thanks.

Dear Forzabet.live Casino,

Thank you for your response and for your stated willingness to handle this matter with the necessary care.

At this stage, our assessment has been based solely on evidence provided by the player. In order to ensure a fair and balanced review, we kindly ask you to submit any supporting evidence that substantiates your position.

Specifically, we currently have a chat transcript dated December 6, 2024, with your support agent Ryan, in which the player disclosed a gambling problem and explicitly requested the closure of his account. During this conversation, the player also inquired whether his deposited funds would be returned. According to the transcript, the support agent informed the player that the deposit would not be refunded and that the funds would need to be wagered either 2x on slots or 3x on sports betting prior to withdrawal.

If you believe that the sequence of events differs from this account, or that the transcript has been misinterpreted, please provide clear and verifiable evidence, including precise timestamps, to support your claim.

Additionally, we are in possession of email correspondence between the player and your support team (support@forza.bet) from August 2025. In this communication, the support agent stated that they reviewed the transcript, confirmed that the player made a deposit and subsequently requested a refund due to a gambling problem, and further explained that a refund could not be processed without meeting wagering requirements. This request was ultimately declined. This correspondence appears to confirm the player’s account of events.

Should you wish to clarify or contest these findings, please submit any relevant documentation or evidence directly to my email address at jakub.m@casino.guru.

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to your response.

Dear Kubo,

Thank you for your update.

Looking forward to hear from Forzabet.

Dear Forza,

Do you have an update?

Thanks

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 Forzabet,

Do you have an update?

Thanks

It seems the operator doesn't reply at all =(

Sadly for a operator which is rated with Safety Index:High and not taking responsible gambling seriously.

Dear Forza.

do you have an update so far?

Dear Trustworthly,

Since our last update, the casino has not provided any response or supporting evidence, despite being given sufficient time and multiple opportunities to do so.

Without cooperation from the casino, we are unable to continue the investigation or move the case forward. For this reason, your complaint will now be closed as unresolved.

Based on the evidence available, the case will be classified as Failed Self-Exclusion. You clearly disclosed a gambling problem and requested the closure of your account. Instead of applying responsible gambling measures and offering a compliant solution (such as KYC followed by a refund to the original payment method), the casino informed you that your funds had to be wagered before withdrawal. This approach contradicts responsible gambling principles and undermines the purpose of self-exclusion.

While this outcome is not what you were hoping for, unresolved complaints negatively affect a casino’s public rating and may encourage them to change their practices. If the casino decides to respond or cooperate in the future, we will be able to reopen the complaint and notify you immediately.

In the meantime, I recommend contacting the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA) also known as Anjouan Gaming by submitting a complaint through the license badge displayed in the footer of the casino’s website. Regulators often have additional tools and authority to assist players in such situations.

For guidance on how to effectively submit your complaint to the regulator, you can find helpful information in this article.

If you need any assistance with the submission process or receive a response from the regulator, please don’t hesitate to email me at jakub.m@casino.guru.

I’m truly sorry that I couldn’t provide a more favorable resolution this time.

Best regards,

Kubo

Hello Everyone,

I sincerely apologize for my recent unresponsiveness due to work unavailability.

We have reopened the complaint after receiving information that the casino is willing to issue a refund for the funds deposited during the period when self-exclusion should have been applied.

Dear Forzabet.live Casino,

Could you please confirm this decision, outline the next steps, and provide an estimated timeframe for when the funds will be released?

Thank you for your cooperation.

We'd like to inform everyone following this case that the player has marked this complaint as resolved using the dedicated button.

Dear Trustworthly,

We are pleased to hear that your issue has been resolved. We will mark the complaint as 'Resolved' in our system. Thank you for your cooperation and confirmation. If you experience any future issues with this or any other casino, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Complaint Resolution Center. We are here to assist you.

As always, our services are free of charge, and we do not accept any gratuities. However, we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to share your experience with our services on Trustpilot: https://trustpilot.com/evaluate/casino.guru. Your honest review, along with any suggestions for improvement, would be incredibly valuable. It can also help others who are considering contacting us for assistance with online casino-related matters.

Thank you in advance for your time and feedback.

Best regards,

Kubo