Large losses after deliberately ignoring self-lock prompts

Hello,

my name is leo I have an account at Vulkan Vegas and in April I wanted to ban myself forever. I suffer from severe gambling addiction. Psychologists have already established this. Also, I'm in ongoing therapy and had only managed to be off play for a few months.

I was able to successfully exclude myself from gambling with all operators where I was registered. But not at Vulkan Vegas. On the website, the provider says I can block my account in the "Responsible Gaming" section. But this area does not exist. So I contacted an employee via live chat. I informed that I want to permanently ban my account forever. But the clerk told me I had to do a full verification of my account first, which I hadn't done yet. Since I deposited there with many different cards and accounts, this was a cumbersome process. I just wanted to block my account forever.

Anyway, Vulkan Vegas didn't ban me. They sent me an email saying exactly that. "In order for us to ban your account, you must first verify your account and then send us an email and tell us the reason for the ban."

I immediately contacted a member of staff again via live chat. I was really frustrated because I couldn't lock (and protect) myself. I said annoyed that they couldn't even get my account banned. In any case, the account is still open to this day. Luckily I have kept the screenshots of the chat and the e-mail about the ban until today.

I haven't played for a few months. Then I received an email from Vulkan where they offered me a no deposit bonus of around €200. I just pushed that email away. But a few days later - in a weak moment - I accepted the offer. A few days later - because the crediting took so long - I really just gambled away the free credit.

But a few days later, my suffering began again. I deposited and lost a huge sum in a few days. I'm totally frustrated with myself for relapsing again but also with Vulkan as it only happened because of this ad as they were fighting the self-lockdown at the time. They simply tried to prevent this by providing the supposedly necessary account verification.

I've gambled away all the money I have. Completely succumbed again to my pathological addiction. Now I'm totally at a loss as to what to do. Of course, the first thing I do tomorrow is to contact my therapy center.

But since it was a huge sum of money, I wonder if I shouldn't make a complaint here?

What do you advise me?

Hi Leo,

I am sorry about your experience. I can only imagine how frustrating it can be to struggle with blocking when you are aware of your issues and want to create a reliable barrier. From my experience, many online casinos have verification requirements in case of longer or permanent blocking. I can only guess what is the reason for this. However, it often changes after you openly mention problem gambling or addiction, and the casino blocks you ASAP. It is quite a widespread industry standard also for operators licensed in less regulated jurisdictions.

Did you mention this during the process? It might represent an important factor. If so, I would advise you to submit a complaint on our website. My colleagues might be able to help.

Self-exclusion is a tricky topic in online gambling due to the limits of scale and inconsistency in best practices. In case online gambling is harming you and especially when you are undergoing therapy, it is important to mention this during the process of self-exclusion.

Hold tight,

Simon

Hello Simon,

I am devastated today. Regarding your question: Yes, I mentioned that I am very addicted to gambling and that is why I am in therapy. Made screenshots/copies of chat and emails. Luckily I kept it and didn't delete it.

Now I have sent an e-mail to Vulkan with the request that I be reimbursed for my losses from this point onwards. As a next step, I would also send an email to the EM Group, which is registered with the responsible company Invicta Networks NV (parent company of Brivio Ltd.).

Thank you for your help,

Leo

Hey Leo,

Sorry to hear about your struggles with this company.

I don’t understand the fact that you said that you tried to exclude yourself from this casino and that they didn’t help you because you didn’t complete the verification. Something doesn’t seem right with all this.

I have struggled with gambling addiction for many years. But I’ve never been in the position where the casino wouldn’t block me when I asked them.

Anyway, regardless of this, my advice to you is to distance yourself from the casino and the worry over getting your money back. The money is gone. You need to accept this and focus on moving forward and not putting yourself in this position again.

Take a minute away from chasing your deposits and have a think why you let yourself slip back into this horrible addiction. Try to find the reason why you lost control and think of how you will do things differently moving forward.

It is a long process to make your mind understand why you do this to yourself. But until you can be honest with yourself and focus on getting better, then you will always be caught in this circle.

This disease can be beaten. Be strong and stay focused.

All the best.

Charlie

Hello Charlie,

I have clearly informed Casino Vulkan that I suffer from our gambling addiction and am also undergoing therapy. The blocks worked without any problems at the online casinos with a license from Malta. There were also a few in Curacao who immediately activated the self-lock without any problems. At Casino 20bet the VIP manager said that he didn't know why he should activate the lock since I'm in the black. And at 1bet I had to send about 20 whatsapp messages and 3 emails until finally my account got blocked. So it's not always that easy. Only Vulkan has completely resisted it.

Yes, I agree with you, I have to keep working on myself and my health. I've been in therapy for years and have had good periods without play. This stupid e-mail from Vulkan then hit me at a bad moment. At first I ignored her for weeks, then eventually I snapped.

However, not fighting for my money is not the way to go. If it were a small sum I would say: bad luck. But it's a really, really big amount that I lost in just about 12 days. And I'm not talking about 5,000 euros.

Warm greetings,

Leo

Hello Leo,

I can't imagine what it must be like.

I believe that we all need to work especially on things that don't work as they should. Hence I ask you kindly to submit the complaint. Through it, you'll give other players a chance to learn how this "casino" deals with such a delicate and complicated matter and you can save them from greater harm eventually.

Thank you and keep fighting 🤞

Hello Radka,

I have already emailed the casino. I also involved the EM group. A responsible person has already contacted me that they are currently on vacation, but I was forwarded to a central office.

Let's see what will happen here today. Maybe there is a simple solution.

Hello leo174402,

I will wait for any updates. Keep us posted.

Hello,

I received an answer yesterday. My claim for a refund was initially rejected by the casino. I sent more information there and give them another day. The casino referred me to their terms and conditions. I followed exactly this (tried to block myself via chat and mail).

If we don't come to an agreement today, I will file the complaint on your side.

Hello leo174402,

feel free to file the complaint anytime. I wish it would not come this far, however.

Stay strong.

Hello,

I got a reply from the casino this morning. My submitted facts were ignored. The casino says again: We did everything right, no refunds.

They don't even bother with the evidence I gave them. I can't believe the methods they use to protect their money. I will file the complaint today.

Hello,

We always advise casinos that it's necessary to explain what went wrong and what should have been done differently to avoid the future issue.

Let us see what we can do about it in this case.

I think it's high time I quit gambling, I am 49 already....my son and daughter does gamble too,I sometimes gamble with them....this is also an addiction and a very bad character I need to abstain from!

Your experience is really touching, I'm an addict too and I have lost alot of money to gambling!

Hello!

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