Palm.Casino - Pelaajan voitot takavarikoidaan tilin sulkemisen jälkeen.

I am writing to bring to your attention a concerning issue I have encountered with Palm Casino, and I am seeking your assistance in resolving this matter.

As an avid patron of Palm Casino, I recently attained VIP status through consistent betting activity. To mark this achievement, I was offered a substantial 300% deposit bonus, subject to certain turnover requirements. Adhering meticulously to the terms outlined, including a 75,000 euro turnover threshold, I dedicated considerable time and resources to fulfill these obligations.

Upon reaching the 100% turnover milestone and witnessing the successful conversion of the bonus into withdrawable funds, 9340 euros was transferred into my account; I believed that I had satisfied all criteria for the promotion. However, my satisfaction was short-lived when a couple of days later Palm Casino abruptly rescinded the bonus, citing restrictions on playing Live Casino games and imposing arbitrary euro limits.

This unexpected policy reversal not only undermines the trust and goodwill that I have associated with Palm Casino but also raises concerns about the fairness and transparency of their promotional offerings. As a VIP member, my gaming preferences and patterns are well-documented, with a clear inclination towards live blackjack, a game excluded from the bonus eligibility criteria. Furthermore, my betting activity far exceeds the nominal 2 euro limit mentioned in their communication.

Despite my efforts to engage constructively with Palm Casino's customer service, the response has been unsatisfactory, leaving me with no recourse but to seek external assistance in resolving this dispute. I firmly believe that as a valued customer, I am entitled to fair and equitable treatment, including honoring commitments made by the casino.

Their reply is that they have taken back all of the 9.430 euros and said that I could only make bets of up to 2 euros which is absolutely ridiculous. I was playing for hours, I was losing at many points, but eventually I won, nobody intervened and said something like sorry you are betting too high or you should not be on the live casino, they waited for me to win and then decided they will not pay out which is also incredibly unfair as they know from my gambling history all I play is Live Casino, and I bet much more than 2 euros, so they just made this up and have stolen my money.

This is their response email:

'I am reaching out to address some concerns regarding your recent account activity. Upon reviewing your account, it has come to our attention that there have been breaches of our terms of service related to the use of bonus funds. Specifically, your actions violated paragraphs 7.6 and 7.10 of our terms, which stipulate that bonus funds cannot be used for live casino games and that bets exceeding 2 EUR per spin are not permitted.

Despite our efforts to ensure clarity regarding our terms and conditions, it appears that there may have been some misunderstandings. I want to reassure you that I have done everything within my capacity to resolve this matter in the fairest manner possible.

Unfortunately, as a result of these breaches, we are required to confiscate all winnings generated from the deposit bonus (9430 Eur)’

How can they let me play for hours with bonus money on Live games, with well over 2 euro bets, hand after hand of bets in the thousands of euros when that is against their policy, they had hours to stop play, reject my bets, or let me know that I was breaching their policy, but they let me play, I was down for a lot of the session, it was over a very long period of time and when I finally won, they pulled out this absurd rule about me not being able to bet more than 2 euros on a live table, when my previous visits to the casino always consisted of that, withdrawls were fine, but on this occasion they decided to keep the 9340 euros and ban me.

I would like the 9340 euros.

Many Thanks,

Evan

Dear 360ev,

Thank you very much for submitting this complaint. I'm sorry to hear about your problem. Please allow me to ask you a few questions to clarify the situation.

Could you please send me the screenshot of the bonus you activated? Please make sure to screenshot the Bonus Terms as well.

Our position towards maximum allowed bet is closely explained in Fair Gambling Codex https://casino.guru/fair-gambling-codex-for-casinos#max-bets: The max bet rule is, in fact, an industry standard, just as the fact that a casino has the right to seize the player's winnings from bonus play after breaking this rule. We prefer not to go against industry standards by penalizing casinos that use the maximum bet rule against players from time to time. 

However, if you feel like you have been accused mistakenly, feel free to forward me your game history together with a link to the specific bonus that you redeemed and played. My email address is [email protected]. 

If there is any other relevant communication between you and the casino, please send it as well. 

Thank you in advance for your reply. 

Best regards, 

Veronika

Hi Veronika,

Thank you for looking at my case. Unfortunately this happened in March and I was basically told to go away and my account was banned. I contacted them yesterday, and they are denying I ever even had an account with them, so it is hard to get any screenshots or new information from them, although I do have the old emails where they cite their ridiculous rules and say they are not going to pay me.

The reason I am reopening this is because the email i received at the time from 'The government of Curaçao' was 'we are actively in the process of modernizing our gambling legislation and setting up our online gaming policies and procedures. We expect to be of more help as soon as the new legislation enters into force, which we expect to be the case in the second half of 2024.' - We are ofc now in the second half of the year and so I wanted to reopen my case as they would not or were unable to help back then, but I would like all the help I can get.

I can't forward my game history as I can't login, they have banned and deleted my account and are now denying I was ever a member, all I have is old emails...

Regarding the Bonus they had offered me, I did not abuse it and make huge bets to reach the huge turnover of 75,000 euros and stay in profit, it took hours and at multiple times I thought I would lose all of my money, but eventually I hit the threshold as there was a % counter on the screen to show how I was getting closer to reaching the turnover they required. As soon as I hit that, everything seemed fine, the money was converted to withdrawal funds, I withdrew the funds and then 2 days later I was informed of how I broke their ridiculous 2 euro bet on live tables. They never informed me of such a rule and whilst you might say well I should have read the entirety of their terms and conditions, what high stakes, newly upgraded VIP member, with a history of betting high on live Blackjack tables at their casino would have any concern that now I can only bet 2 euros on a live table? Also like I said previously, throughout the multiple hour long session, they accepted all of my bets, shouldn't they have been voided since they broke their own policy?

This is the best response they could give to my complaint:

Hi Evan,

I hope you are doing well!

I've exerted my best efforts to assist you to the fullest extent possible, aiming to address your concerns and find a satisfactory resolution. Your patience and understanding during this process are greatly appreciated.

Firstly, I want to reiterate that our aim is always to provide a transparent and fair gaming environment for all our players. Upon registration, it's standard practice for players to agree to our terms of service, including those related to bonuses and promotions.

Regarding your mention of betting limits and turnover requirements, please know that we make every effort to clearly outline these terms in our bonus terms and conditions. We understand the importance of transparency, and it's imperative for players to review and understand these terms before participating in any promotional offer.

After thoroughly reviewing your account activity, I can confirm that there was no attempt on our part to obscure or misrepresent any bonus terms. Our goal remains to uphold the highest standards of fairness and transparency.

While I understand your disappointment, I want to emphasize that the decision regarding the forfeiture of winnings associated with the bonus is final, and unfortunately, cannot be altered.

That being said, I'm committed to finding a solution that benefits both parties. As such, I'd like to extend an offer to negotiate a highly attractive deposit bonus with customized terms tailored to your preferences. Additionally, I'm prepared to prioritize your withdrawals to ensure a seamless and expedited process.

Your satisfaction is paramount to us, and we're dedicated to assisting you in any way we can. Should you have any further questions or require clarification, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Thank you once again for your understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

David,

VIP Team - PalmCasino

Thank you for the update. However, please understand that to be able to continue with the investigation, we need to collect some basic evidence from you.

Do you have any old emails from March or earlier that would show that you had an account in Palm.Casino? If you do, please forward them to me as .eml attachments at [email protected].

If you have any emails regarding the deposit bonus of 300%, please forward them to me as well.

I will email/forward any correspondence, but as I said, they have blocked my account, so I cannot login or even request previous betting data

Many Thanks for your help

Thank you very much, 360ev, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Branislav ([email protected]) who will be at your assistance. I wish you the best of luck and hope to see your problem being resolved to your satisfaction in the near future.

Thank you for your help

Hello, 360ev,

I am sorry to hear about your trouble and apologize for the delay. 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 Palm.Casino team,

Could you please explain the player's situation in more detail? Why has the user's account been blocked and winnings confiscated?

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

In addition, can you share with us the exact rules he allegedly breached, where we can find them (a link), and specific rules valid for the bonus in question if there were any, or where we can find them?

If it suits you better, feel free to send the necessary details and supporting evidence to my email address ([email protected]).

Dear Branislav,

Please note that this player has already proven the case against him by stating that he breached the bonus by playing over the betting limit, and live casino. (see T&C 7.6, for example). Why are you, Casino Guru, even opening a case and entertaining the player when the player is clearly in the wrong and has breached T&C?

This also happened in March, so it is very odd to start complaining here five months later.

If the player had any issue with customer support, it is because he provided the wrong email address.

The player is banned, and the account will not be re-opened. The player was also fully refunded for any deposits made. Case closed.

How can you let me play for hours with bonus money on Live games, with well over 2 euro bets, when that is against your policy, you had hours to stop play, or let me know that I was breaching your policy, but you let me play, and when I finally won, you pulled out this absurd rule about me not being able to bet more than 2 euros on a live table.

If I had lost, do we all think the casino would have refunded my deposit as i had breached their apparent rule, which I had broken 100+ times. before and it is okay, but as soon as i win, you quote me ' Specifically, your actions violated paragraphs 7.6 and 7.10 of our terms, which stipulate that bonus funds cannot be used for live casino games and that bets exceeding 2 EUR per spin are not permitted.

How can you let me play for hours with bonus money on Live games, with well over 2 euro bets, when that is against your policy, You had hours to stop play, or let me know that I was breaching your policy, but you let me play, and when I finally won, you pulled out this absurd rule about me not being able to bet more than 2 euros on a live table.

I don't think this is case closed, people need to understand that casinos like this allow you to do anything you want, YOU KNEW from multiple experiences and sessions i had played before, you made me a VIP player, you knew i only played live blackjack with large hands and offered me a bonus. I obviously bet more than 2 euros on a live table, and not JUST more; i bet hundreds, thousands, per hand. I got lucky and beat the bonus requirements, it took hours, i couldnt believe it myself, but you just didn't like my luck, and you just don't like it, so you blocked me, fobbed me off via email, and never returned my winnings.

Why were those many bets not voided, since i broke your strange policy?

This is not case closed

Dear Palm.Casino team,

Thank you for your response.

Why are we opening a case like this?

• Our position is that rule 7.6 should be fully enforced by the casino; the casino should not let players play restricted games without any additional notification (feel free to provide me with a screenshot of the notification if there is any, which the player has to confirm before loading a restricted game with an active bonus) if it means the casino will confiscate winnings for that; the casino can restrict access to such games, not count such bets to bonus wagering requirements, or warn players about it by additional notification; I sincerely believe that the casino does not really expect players checking the list of maybe 250 restricted games before accessing any game with an active bonus...
• The casino's Terms and Conditions were maybe updated in the meantime, but in their current wording, there are sentences like "Not all bets are taken into account. The bets from sports betting or table games (Roulette, Sic Bo, Baccarat, Live Сasino and others), as well as from various video poker games are not taken into account." or "Not all bets are counted as wagering the bonus. There is a number of exceptions (games) that do not count or count with a lower contribution.", which means that either the applied rules (7.6 and 7.10, as the casino stated in the email sent to the user) contradict each other or the way of their application by the casino contradicts those rules
• If something is in a casino's Terms and Conditions, it does not automatically mean it is completely correct/fair or applied fairly, or that "the player is clearly in the wrong"
• We have here a breach of the restriction for Live Casino games play with an active bonus (which we consider unfair if the casino allows it without additional warning) and play over the betting limit, which is impossible to find on the casino website at all
• To consider the matter sufficiently on our side, we need the requested details and evidence

So, can you please look at my previous post, answer my questions sufficiently, and provide the requested?

In addition, a few more questions arose:

Unfortunately, I was unable to find any rule stating the maximum bet limit for playing with a bonus. How are players informed about it, please?

When exactly in March was the last activity on the user's account?

Can you provide me with the information on what exact bonus was used and provide me with bonus-specific rules that were valid and applied at the time the user claimed the bonus?

In case the casino's Terms and Conditions were updated - can you provide me with the wording of rules 7.6 and 7.10 at the time they were applied to the user's winnings or the complete Bonus section from them?

My email was stated in my previous post.

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 360ev,

Unfortunately, since we have not received any further response from the casino regarding the issue, nor anything relevant from the requested, we cannot continue resolving this complaint and we are forced to close it as ‘unresolved’, which will influence the casino’s rating in a negative way.

There is one more option for how you can try to resolve your issue or speed up the process - I recommend you contact the gaming authority the casino is regulated by (Comoros) and submit a complaint directly to the regulator. You can find more about their complaint process HERE or general information about complaint processes in our article HERE.

In case of any questions or news from the regulator, do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].

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.

Best regards,

Branislav, Casino.Guru