Gamba Casino - Player’s account has been closed and winnings are confiscated.

On the 10th of June, about 2-3 months ago, I deposited $500usd on gamba.com, or actually to be more accurate it was a tip from a close friend, and after winning 1k+ on keno I did a mental super buy(mental spins $0.80 usd per spin) for $800 usd and hit a max win of 66666x for $53332.8 usd, bringing my total balance to $54954.15, so as it was a big win I immediately submitted a withdrawal request for $54,942.90 which I will attach. So very quick I saw that it had been flagged for manual review, which isn't surprising as it's a large amount, and next thing was support informed me that I have to KYC before withdraw can be processed, so sure no problem I submitted the KYC, and next thing they told me was they will return me the deposit amount of 500usd first while they investigate the eligibility of the bet. This is when it got a bit troubling for me as knowing Gamba is a new casino it felt like they might be trying to squeeze their way out of paying out this one, but I was confident of doing no wrong and not violating any terms of service so I just waited for them to complete investigations. So they reached a conclusion that I was in violation of their terms of service after seeking oversight from the provider, the violation being that they claim I was playing from a restricted jurisdiction. So here's the thing, I was born and am a citizen of Singapore, which is the identification I submitted for KYC with and yes Singapore is a restricted region for Gamba or No Limit City(the provider of the slot) I'm not sure which, but online gambling is illegal in Singapore so I wouldn't have been able to gamble anyway. I am permanently residing in Thailand and have been for the past more than a year, and have not even returned to Singapore for that entire time. Of course asking me to KYC my first thought wouldn't be regional issues, so I replied to Gamba after they told me about the violation to explain my situation, which I am sure has no issues as Shuffle listened to my explanation of my country of residency and birth being different which is perfectly acceptable so long as I submit the relevant proof of residency. Gamba did not respond to my explanation and since then has gone totally quiet despite multiple avenues I have gone through to get my withdrawal. Until today a friend told me that casinoguru might be able to do something for me and suggested I file a complaint here. I am very strongly certain that I did not violate any terms of service, won fairly and therefore rightfully deserve to be paid out my winnings. It's a very dirty tactic for Gamba to be using to avoid a large payout and unfortunately for them it's not one that applies in my case either way. Oh forgot to mention they banned my account after that which leaves me unable to communicate with support and the owner refuses to reply me on telegram and several others that have attempted to help me all have not received any reply as well.

Dear hoehenghub888,

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 your situation.

1. Has your friend sent you the tip of $500 from his Gamba account and used the "tip" feature available in the casino profile?
2. Could you please specify if you ever accessed the casino website from Singapore?
3. Have you provided all your accurate identity information that matches your identity documents? Which country did you enter as your residence in your casino profile?
4. Have you submitted your correct date of birth to the casino?

I hope we will be able to help you resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your reply.

Best regards

Veronika

1. Has your friend sent you the tip of $500 from his Gamba account and used the "tip" feature available in the casino profile?

Yes, he sent me the tip of $500 from his Gamba account using their tip feature, which Gamba also recognised as a deposit from me as they have returned me the deposit.

2. Could you please specify if you ever accessed the casino website from Singapore?

No, I haven't been back to Singapore since the ending of 2022. I am not planning to return in the foreseeable future either which makes it ridiculous why it can be used as a reason not to pay me out.

3. Have you provided all your accurate identity information that matches your identity documents? Which country did you enter as your residence in your casino profile?

Yes, I provided all the information 100% accurately. 50k is not a small amount so when they asked for KYC I did it quickly but making sure everything was in order. Gamba does not require KYC, if you check their website on the settings or profile page, there is actually nowhere on the website at all for a user to verify/kyc, look at his verification status, or even list a country of residence/country in general. That is why this issue is so difficult, they asked me for KYC for the first time via support only when I attempted to withdraw and then when I wanted to clarify the details of my verification they just stonewalled and refused to even listen or discuss anything further.

4. Have you submitted your correct date of birth to the casino?

As I mentioned Gamba has nowhere on it's website for a user to list personal details so the first time I submitted my date of birth was during KYC for the withdrawal but yes, I did submit the correct date of birth which can be seen on the identification documents I submitted.

Oh, let me clarify that only the winnings from the Mental max win were not paid out. I mentioned that Gamba allowed me to withdraw the initial $500 deposit/tip, this was along with the about $1000+ I won from their original games, this was indeed done so after some prodding and they only forfeited my winnings of $50k+ from Mental. The total withdraw amount initially requested was $54,942.90 as I showed in the withdrawal screenshot, so the current amount left owed to me is minus the $500 deposit and 1k+ from their original games. I'm not sure what is the exact amount as they banned my Gamba account so I can't check right now so will have to get them to clarify the exact figure regarding this but it's above $50k for sure.

Could you please forward me the documents you sent to the casino for verification? My email address is veronika.l@casino.guru. Do your documents show Singapore as your country of residence? Do you have any official documents proving that you have been living in Thailand for the past two years? Have you used a VPN or IP-masking software to access the casino website?

Ok I've sent you the documents I used to KYC with Gamba.

No, none of the documents state my country of residence at all. These documents generally don't do that. And yes, I have forwarded you a copy of my wifi bill as well which proves I am residing long term in Thailand. I don't specifically recall using a VPN to access Gamba as there wasn't a need to, so I don't think so and I did mention to support that they should be able to see my location/IP as Thailand and I think they are able to differentiate if it's a VPN or a real IP so I told them they should be able to verify right there and then that I am indeed accessing Gamba from a Thai IP that is not a VPN.

Thank you for the documents. Before we proceed with the investigation, please forward me all the communication (emails, screenshots, chat transcripts) between you and the casino customer support regarding your problem at veronika.l@casino.guru.

I have sent you an email containing what I managed to take screenshots of before my account was banned between me & live support as well as the emails from Gamba.

Thank you very much, hoehenghub888, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Michal (michal.k@casino.guru) 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.

Hello hoehenghub888,

I'm Michal, and I have taken over this complaint. I have reviewed your case, and just so you know, without any official document that would prove your long-term residence in Thailand, our ability to help will be very limited because it is indeed the player's responsibility to prove they are not from a restricted country. I will contact the casino to see if I can be of any help.

We would like to invite Gamba Casino to join the conversation.

Dear Gamba Casino,

Could you please provide clarification on the reason why the player's broadband bill is not accepted as proof of residence? What alternative documents would be acceptable for the player to submit? Additionally, have you considered the option of conducting a video verification call to confirm the player's residency in Thailand?

Sorry can I clarify it is Thailand not Vietnam, and I am able to produce firstly was the wifi bill as it's only logical that someone who is able to subscribe to a long term home wifi plan contract of 1-2 years must definitely have the place of installation as a permanent residence, and going further than that I am able to produce rental contract for my long term lease of minimum 1 year term here which I feel are two very strong evidence of residing here in Thailand as it would not be possible to procure these documents without doing so. Also, I do understand that it is my responsibility to prove my residency and so these were the options I brought up, out of my own initiative, that were the best to my knowledge, however I am definitely open to any other requests or suggestions the casino has and made it very clear from the beginning that I will be fully cooperative but did not even receive a response, so definitely I feel I have done my part for proving my residency or trying to resolve any doubts the casino had but they have not been cooperative in the very least for their part. A video verification is a very good idea as well, I am able to do so at any given time even right now and I am able to do or show anything to prove whatever I need to, and not only that any other suggestions I am open to as well but with Gamba remaining completely silent there has been no point to my initiatives trying to resolve anything so far. So how would it be possible for me to perform my responsibility which I have done my best when the casino is not willing to cooperate at all. It is very clear that I have nothing to hide as I am very certain I have done no wrongdoing and am willing to go to the end and do anything to prove so while Gamba up till now has remained silent I think simply looking at the situation like this it can already be seen which party here has the shortcomings.

Dear Casino Guru Team,

Thank you for reaching out regarding the complaint filed by LimLim (Player ID: LimLim, Email: tygatruman@gmail.com). We appreciate your efforts in mediating this matter and are committed to providing a clear and detailed explanation of our actions.

Background Information:

1. Account Activity:
2. Approximately three months ago, the player "LimLim" received a $500 tip from another Gamba Casino player using our platform's tipping feature.
3. Notably, "LimLim" did not make any personal deposits into their account.
4. After receiving the tip, the player engaged in our Gamba Originals games and accrued winnings.
5. Subsequently, "LimLim" played "Mental," a slot game provided by NoLimit City, and achieved a maximum win, bringing their balance to over $50,000.
6. The account was less than an hour old when this significant win occurred.

1. Initial Concerns:
2. The combination of an extremely new account, no personal deposits, and a large win raised immediate red flags for potential fraudulent activity or violations of our Terms of Service.
3. We initiated a standard investigation into the account to ensure compliance with our policies and to protect the integrity of our platform.

Investigation Findings:

1. KYC Verification:
2. We requested KYC documentation to verify the player's identity and residency.
3. The documents provided by "LimLim" included:
4. A Singaporean government-issued ID with a Singapore address.
5. Bank statements from a bank branch in Singapore.
6. A bill from a company operating in Singapore.
7. The address of the bank is a 4 minute drive from the player's Singaporean residential address on his ID card.
8. All submitted documents indicate that the player is a resident of Singapore.

1. IP Address Analysis:
2. The player's IP logs showed inconsistencies and frequent changes, suggesting the use of VPNs or IP-masking techniques.
3. The player who sent the $500 tip exhibits IP activity predominantly from Singapore, with similar patterns of IP fluctuations from different locations.
4. Given the inconsistencies in IP data and the KYC documents provided, we cannot accept the claim of residency in Thailand.

Relevant Terms and Conditions:

As per our Terms of Service, which all players agree to upon registration:

1. Section 5.1.2 – Jurisdictional Compliance:
2. e) Your access and use of Gamba.com are from a jurisdiction where such activities are legal.
3. f) You will abstain from using our services in any jurisdiction where betting or gambling is prohibited.
4. g) You accept and acknowledge that Gamba reserves the right to detect and prevent the use of prohibited techniques, including but not limited to fraudulent transaction detection, automated registration and signup, gameplay and screen capture techniques. These steps may include, but are not limited to, examination of your device properties, detection of geo-location and IP masking, and transactions and blockchain analysis.
5. i) You acknowledge that third-party game providers on Gamba.com operate under their own geo-restrictions, which you are also required to comply with. Accessing games from providers in jurisdictions where they are restricted may result in the reversal of winnings and additional penalties.
6. j) In the event that Gamba identifies your account as operating from a restricted jurisdiction, you acknowledge that Gamba reserves the right to suspend your access, withhold winnings, or close your account in accordance with applicable laws and agreements.

1. Section 8.6 – Investigative Rights:
2. 8.6.1 Account Examination: Gamba reserves the right to investigate your account and gaming activities. If there's reasonable suspicion of terms violation or unlawful activity, we may delay or decline further transactions while investigations are conducted.

Actions Taken:

1. Withholding Winnings:
2. Based on the evidence, we concluded that "LimLim" was accessing our platform from Singapore, a restricted jurisdiction.
3. Consequently, and in compliance with our Terms of Service and obligations to our game providers, we withheld the winnings from the NoLimit City game "Mental."
4. Account Closure:
5. Due to the violation of our jurisdictional compliance terms, we proceeded to close the player's account.
6. Return of Funds & Originals Winnings:
7. We permitted the player to withdraw approximately $4,000, representing the initial tip received and winnings from Gamba Originals.

Conclusion:

Our decision is based on substantial evidence and is in strict accordance with our Terms of Service and legal obligations. The player’s KYC documents, IP address records, and transaction history all point to residency and activity in Singapore, a jurisdiction where our services are restricted.

Should you require any additional information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dear hoehenghub888,

Sorry for the mistake, I have corrected my previous response.

Dear Gamba Casino team,

Thank you for the detailed information. Please forward the supporting evidence of the above to me at michal.k@casino.guru

Hello, supporting evidence has been sent.

Dear Gamba Casino team,

Thank you for your email, I have replied back with some additional questions.

Dear hoehenghub888,

I kindly request that you send me all the documents you possess that can verify your residency in Thailand as well as photographs of your accommodation, the surrounding area, and a selfie with the street name of your current residence. If possible, a brief video would be even more helpful. You can send this information to michal.k@casino.guru or upload it to a platform from which I can easily download it. Thank you for your cooperation.

Dear hoehenghub888,

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.

Hi, sorry for the late response as kept forgetting to take a video and all. I reached home late just now and remembered to take the video so here u go https://streamable.com/e/jws1ww i cant embed it into the post not sure why, as for documents other than wifi bill and rental contract what else would be ideal? I've already sent whatever i can think of but if u have anything more specific let me know i'll send it right over

Dear hoehenghub888,

Thank you for the video; however, it does not meet my request. Please shoot the video in daylight that showcases your apartment or flat where you live and how you walk out of the building, as well as record the surrounding area in daylight. Ensure the video is clear. Additionally, do you have any visa, work permit, temporary residence permit, work contract, or any other document held in your name that can prove your long-term residency in Thailand? If so, please forward it to me. Also, please take a selfie of you holding your ID or passport close to your face in front of the building where you live. Please make sure the picture is clear and the details of your ID or passport are clearly visible.

Hi, sorry for the delay as I've been sick the past week, so would like to apologise for the delay and ask for an extension, but I'll go downstairs and take the video and all later either way before the time expires so no worries.

Dear hoehenghub888,

Thank you for the videos, but I still have not received the additional documents I asked for. Do you have any visa, work permit, temporary residence permit, work contract, or any other document held in your name that can prove your long-term residency in Thailand? If so, please forward it to me. 

https://file.io/mJWe3WeHxyy4

Is this ok? I submitted rental contract, wifi bill, if you want I can video my passport in and out stamps other than these i don't know what else i can show you let me know

Also, can I enquire roughly how long I can expect to receive the funds or how long to resolution as this issue has dragged on since June it's about 4 months now, if you need the video of my passport let me know I'm happy to cooperate in any way if it helps to speed up the process, thank you

Dear hoehenghub888,

I have just had the opportunity to review your responses today, but unfortunately, it seems that the uploaded files have already been deleted. I assume they are not big so please forward them to me at michal.k@casino.guru

Apart from these documents, do you have any visa, work permit, temporary residence permit, work contract, or any other document held in your name that can prove your long-term residency in Thailand? Can you also please verify what you are doing for a living? What typically serves as your primary source of income?

Hi

The document I submitted is an official government document called TM-30 which shows proof of residence here and that I'm on student visa so I think should be sufficient right? I've submitted quite a few other documents and if you need I can video my passport pages or something just let me know if I can do anything to help expedite the process. Really hoping that things can proceed fast now and we can come to a conclusion soon. And oh to answer your question my primary source of income now is e-commerce as I am self employed and still intending to continue studying so just that right now and the funds my family gives me access to.

Dear hoehenghub888,

Thank you for sharing the evidence. I will proceed with discussions with the casino team to explore potential steps toward a favorable resolution. I hope to provide updates in a reasonable, timely manner

Dear Gamba Casino team,  

I have reached out via email and am looking forward to your reply.

Replied to Michal via email!

Thank you for your email, Gamba Casino team.

Dear hoehenghub888,

I have sent you an email and am awaiting your take on it.

I have replied to your email, Michal. I hope to see a reply that leads to a favourable resolution for all parties in my inbox soon.

Thank you for your email, hoehenghub888.

Dear Gamba Casino team,

I have reached out via email with additional details and possible next steps, and I look forward to your feedback on the matter.

Hello! Replied via email.

Thank you for your email, Gamba Casino team.

Dear hoehenghub888,

I have sent an email containing further details and potential consensus, and I await your thoughts on this.