Freshbet Casino - Player seeks deposit refund.

I am requesting a refund of my deposits made to freshbet Casino for several reasons:

Bank Account Closure: The deposit system on the casino's website has caused the closure of one of my bank accounts. This happened because most transactions were collected by different merchants, which appears to be a tactic to circumvent gambling blocks implemented by UK banks. These transactions are listed under non-gambling categories, thus bypassing UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) regulations.

Lack of Responsible Gambling Measures: The casino claims to be a responsible gambling operator, but there are no safer gambling options on the website. This is highly inappropriate and exploits vulnerable individuals like myself, who are registered under GamStop. The lack of responsible gambling measures indicates that the casino is focused on financial gain at the expense of player protection.

Breach of Terms and Conditions: The website's terms state that UK players are not allowed to deposit and wager money, yet the casino allows sign-ups with UK addresses and payment methods. The responsibility to adhere to this rule is placed on the player, with no mechanism in place to notify UK players of this restriction during the sign-up process.

Despite depositing hundreds of pounds, I have never made a withdrawal from the casino. I have contacted the casino multiple times regarding these issues but have not received a response. I hold the casino responsible for the closure of my UK payment account due to these activities and request a full refund of all deposits made.

Dear omarajamie9,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem. I will try to address all your points.

1. Unfortunately, we do not handle matters related to third parties such as banks. This falls under the jurisdiction of your bank, rather than a mediator like us. Kindly recognize that we lack the legal authority and resources to conduct investigations related to issues like this and we are not in a position to penalize casinos in such cases.
2. The only responsible gambling tool we believe casinos must have is the option of self-exclusion. Regrettably, responsible gambling tools are not unified and each casino has free hands when deciding on which they offer to players. All responsible gaming tools offered by this casino are listed in the Self-exclusion section on the website. Also, please understand that GamStop only offers its services and shares the database of registered players with casinos licensed by UKGC. Since this casino doesn't have this license, you cannot be protected by GamStop and the casino has no way of knowing that you are registered in this database.
3. We accept the situation when the casino allows players from restricted countries to open an account as long as they don’t use this as an opportunity to later cancel the player’s legitimate winnings. Simply said – if the casino allows players from restricted countries to deposit and play, they should pay out their winnings as well. However, if the player personally chose to make deposits and lost, we believe they are not eligible for any refunds because they could lose their deposits in the same manner at any other casino. Therefore, I would like to emphasize, that we investigate further and help only those players, whose funds or winnings have been confiscated due to being from a restricted country. Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem that this is the case here, but correct me if I am wrong, please.

I apologize, but from our standpoint, there is no reason for a refund and I am afraid that we are not able to assist further.

Please, if there is anything else, we could help you with, do not hesitate to contact us, otherwise, we will reject this complaint. Thank you for understanding.

Best regards,

Kristina

Dear omarajamie9,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.

Unfortunately, the player has not responded to our messages and questions. Consequently, we are unable to investigate further and have no choice but to reject this complaint.

The player can reopen this complaint at any time.