Gamdom Casino - Player asks for self-exclusion and refund.

Hello, I'd like to describe my situation, as I have a medical diagnosis for a gambling addiction. My issue arises from a while back, when I requested a permanent ban from Gamdom due to my compulsive gambling. The customer service team on chat implemented this ban. However, after a year, during a relapse, I requested the ban to be lifted, confidently stating that I was cured, even though I was aware of my severe gambling problem. Since then, I've carried out many deposits and withdrawals. Around two months ago, in a moment of clarity, I pleaded for help and asked for my IP account to be banned due to my serious issue.

Moreover, I have a correspondence with one of the assistants, who is aware that I have another account banned due to my gambling problem and he even temporarily unlocked it to unlink me from Discord.

As a result of my plea for a ban, nothing happened. They argued that since I was using a VPN, they couldn't ban me. However, they left my account open and took no action.

Considering the circumstances, I'd like to request a refund of the difference between my deposits and withdrawals, as well as a definitive ban of my account and access to this casino.

Dear ncp96,

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

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

• Could you please forward your original request for blocking your account or any subsequent request to block your account in the casino due to your gambling problems?
• My email is tomas@casino.guru

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

Best regards,

Tomas

Due to the increased volume of complaints during this time of year, we kindly request your patience while awaiting our responses. We aim to publish each complaint within 48 hours of submission but reserve up to 7 days to reply to any subsequent comments. Additionally, please be aware that it might take a bit longer for your complaint to be assigned to a resolver, as we are currently managing over 900 complaints.

Your understanding is greatly appreciated. Wishing you a joyful, successful, and healthy new year 2024, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

All screenshots have already been sent

Thanks for your messages.

Do you have your request to permanently close your account due to gambling issues saved?

Do you have your conversation from the time you requested the ban to be lifted?

Have you informed the casino about your gambling problems one year ago when you requested the block?

I'll await your reply.

Yes, of course there is the screenshot where you can see it, plus it already came from another ban due to game problems

• When did the conversation you sent me take place, please? Do I understand correctly it was recently?
• Please send me your conversation when you asked the casino to reopen your account.
• If you have the original request to close your account from a year ago saved, send it as well.

I didn't find this information in the correspondence you sent me. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks in advance for your reply.

I sent him the email with the unban request.

I have also sent the screenshots again where I request a ban due to a problem with the game (it was 10 weeks ago) around the beginning of November and to this day they have not drooled at me about anything at all.

Thanks for your messages.

How it's possible the casino blocked you before but now it's unable to do so, is the use of a VPN the only reason?

Do I understand correctly you don't have the conversation from 1 year ago where you requested a ban for the first time?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Hello, I have no idea why they didn't block me when I asked, please, even if it wasn't an IP, they should have blocked me. I guess I'm a good deal for them.

Yes, you understood correctly, I don't have the message from a year ago asking to be banned, but with the response they gave me when I was unbanned, I'm sure I'll name my problem with the game, since they ask me about it.

By the way, I've always used VPN, so that can't be the reason. Today I can still access it.

Thank you very much, ncp96, for providing the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Stefan (stefan.m@casino.guru) who will be at your service. I wish you the best of luck and hope the problem will be resolved to your satisfaction in the near future.  

Okay thank you very much

Dear ncp96,

I am so sorry to hear about your problem with the self-exclusion. I will contact the casino and try to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Now I would like to invite a Gamdom Casino representative to join this conversation and participate in resolving this complaint.

Dear Gamdom Casino,

Could you state why the player's account has not yet been banned? The player clearly stated he has a gambling problem.

Thank you in advance for providing the information.

Kind regards,

Stefan

As of today I have not been banned yet, and from what I see the casino is not even going to respond...

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.

Hello ncp96,

I am in contact with the casino representatives outside of the complaint thread and they will need more time to respond. I will extend the timer by seven days.

Your patience is much appreciated.

Hello ncp96,

I am sorry to hear of your experience on Gamdom. Of the 9 times you have contacted support, 8 were related to miscellaneous things on Gamdom such as deposit or withdraw status and delinking of your Twitch account. I have looked very carefully into your case and I only see once instance of an inquiry into a potential ban that you did not return for comments on for action. You had requested for an IP ban to be pushed to your account to prevent the ability to create another account but unfortunately your access to Gamdom is made via VPN use and we cannot ban a VPN IP as that will impact other users who might be flagged to the same VPN IP. During this conversation you were asked to confirm if you wanted just your account blocked and you immediately closed the conversation. You had also stated yourself that you would just open another account if you were banned. Even after this contact on October 29, 2023, you had reached out 4 more times in regards to deposit status with no mention of any RG problems or help. As stated previously, unfortunately, we cannot ban a VPN IP and we cannot take responsibility in this case where a user is utilizing a VPN to bypass either country laws or their own restrictions. I hope this makes sense and I really do wish you the best going forward.Sincerely,

Felix

But in the conversation I asked for a ban that was not carried out, without VPN or with it my account should be banned, which you did not do, obviously a gambling addict wants to play and only when he has a little clarity does he ask to be banned like I did

Dear Gamdom Casino,

First of all, the Player's account should be already closed. It seems like you knew about the Player's addiction, and you haven't immediately closed his account. Could you comment on this?

Does the Player have any positive amount in his casino account?

I'll be awaiting your reply.

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.

Stefan,

The player's account has $0 balance. In regards to knowing about the player's addition, there was no confirmation from the user on an account ban being applied after asking and to top that there is no course of action that can be done as the player himself is utilizing a VPN and has even indicated they will just create another account.

Llevo tiempo intentando dejar de jugar y me es imposible me baneo una cuenta y me creo otra (I've been trying to stop playing for a long time and it's impossible for me to stop playing and I banned an account and created another one.)

The above is the first sign we received on October 29, 2023 as the CS agent tried taking it a different route knowing that the user is capable and apparently has been creating multiple accounts utilizing a VPN to bet when they want to try to seek help. After trying to tackle this with a different method the CS agent asked if they wanted the account to be blocked and was left on read.

Since this conversation with our CS team the user has deposited a total $5,804.80 and has withdrawn $5,310.72 for a total net loss of $408.02.

Due to the deliberate manipulation of creating new accounts and abuse of VPN, we cannot entertain further requests for refunds related to this matter.

For the player himself:

As you have acknowledged a gambling problem, we strongly recommend implementing protective measures to safeguard your well-being. Even with the struggled of constantly creating a new account and VPN use we always preach the following:

Utilize Tools: Take advantage of the various responsible gambling tools and resources available.

Stay Connected: Maintain open communication with friends, family, or support networks regarding your gambling habits. Having a support system in place can provide valuable encouragement and accountability.

If you find yourself in a good state of mind, we highly recommend you incorporating the following:

Set Limits: Establish clear limits on both the time and money you're willing to allocate to gambling activities. Stick to these limits rigorously to prevent overspending or excessive play.

Monitor Your Behavior: Regularly assess your gambling behavior to ensure it remains within healthy boundaries. If you notice any signs of problematic behavior resurfacing, don't hesitate to seek support or reach out to us for assistance.

Take Breaks: Incorporate regular breaks from gambling to prevent burnout and maintain perspective. Engage in alternative activities that bring you joy and fulfillment outside of gambling.

I have included the gyazo link below against the CS ticket in question that the player is challenging.

https://gyazo.com/8c3ebefebdfc71c1437e2c05a2b2850b

Again, I really do hope the best for you going forward.

Sincerely,

Felix

I appreciate that you deigned to ban me, even though the accounts are not like that, if your system was adequate I would not have lost more than 3000 euros. I only ask that if another person implores you for a ban that you not be so rude, since gambling addiction is very annoying.

By the way, you are looking for multi-accounts and you yourself have admitted that a chat with a support person was to unlink Twitch from an account banned for gambling, but hey, I just hope that they still punish you for your attitude towards me

Dear Gamdom Casino,

• Could you state what was the reason that the player requested to block his first account?

• Has the player bypassed the block of the previous account by creating the new accounts?

• Did you reopen an account for a player after he mentioned a gambling problem?

I am looking forward to your response.

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.

Hi Stefan,

Please see my responses to your question below:

• Could you state what was the reason that the player requested to block his first account?

The first mention of the word ban was when the user reached out to us on October 29, 2023 asking "Hola, sería posible un ban de IP?" or "Hello, would an IP ban be possible?" which was a question and not a direct request. The user followed this on with "Llevo tiempo intentando dejar de jugar y me es imposible me baneo una cuenta y me creo otra" or "I've been trying to stop playing for a while and it's impossible. I ban an account and create another one." Which again is just a statement and not a request. Digging further there was never an actual request until a few lines later with him asking "Yes ban all", referring to his use of VPNs, which we cannot ban a VPN IP due to this affecting other users who may be utilizing the same VPN. This is reflected in the same gyazo I shared previously, https://gyazo.com/8c3ebefebdfc71c1437e2c05a2b2850b. Again, the user is utilizing a VPN to bypass restrictions to access Gamdom.

• Has the player bypassed the block of the previous account by creating the new accounts?

The user himself has admitted to creating multiple accounts with the use of VPN. This user has 124 different IPs logged on this one account.

• Did you reopen an account for a player after he mentioned a gambling problem?

Our standard policy when a user reaches out to us with RG issues that is trying to continue playing is to go through a slew of questions confirming with the user if they’re in control of their finances and that they have set boundaries to their limits and understand gambling should be used for fun. Typically we recommend a 6 month break and do a similar evaluation when the user reaches back out. In severe cases we extend to a year and beyond. We only ever open an account after confirming the above with the user.

Should there be any further rebuttal please let me know and I will respond as soon as possible. Thank you.

Kind Regards,

Felix

But I closed this account before October 23, alleging problems with the game, since I was asked if I had improved when I requested to reopen it, you have no information about that or you prefer to omit it

Dear Gamdom Casino,

I will ask the question one more time:

• In this case, did you reopen an account for a player after he mentioned a gambling problem?

I'll be awaiting your reply.

Can you hide my private information like my email please? Also, thank you for acknowledging that I requested a self-ban due to problems with the game previously, even though you have not facilitated the conversation where I requested the first ban, only the unban.

Dear Gmdom Casino,

Could you also provide us with the conversation from February 2022 where the player asked for a self-exclusion? What was the reason for self-exclusion? Thank you very much in advance for providing the information.

I'll be awaiting your reply.

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.

Hello ncp96,

I have contacted the casino representative outside of the complaint thread to respond to the complaint as soon as possible. I will extend the timer by additional seven days.

Your patience is much appreciated.

Stefan,

I apologize for the late reply. Please see the attached as an extract from our old email provider. The first being the user reaching out for a permanent ban (after requesting a ban and unban in the past) with the CS agent confirming they really want this action to be done. The permanent ban was executed as requested. This was the previously mentioned Feb 5, 2022 contact for a permanent ban initiated by the player. The second and third attachment is an email on Feb 19, 2022 asking for that permanent ban to be removed in which our CS agent rejected the request due to such a low amount of time passing since the permanent ban request.

I believe all the evidence and intentions of this thread is clear and explained as necessary from Gamdom's end. Please let me know if there is any further information needed. Thank you!

Felix

Please put the messages in private. Oh my goodness after reading the first email and you still unbanned...

Dear Gamdom Casino,

Thank you for the provided explanation. I would like to mention that self-exclusion due to a gambling problem is a very serious issue, because the player often loses control over his actions and is not thinking rationally. Informing the casino about a potential gambling problem is an important part of the self-exclusion process and we at Casino.Guru believe that if a player has a gambling problem and informs the casino about it, his account should be permanently closed without the possibility of opening (except for certain situations like when long enough self-exclusion period has already passed - we are talking about years) and also a relevant reopening process, which includes a sufficient cool off period (not a day but at least a week, ideally two) and also communication with the player during this cool-off period for verifying if the request was made in sound mind and wasn't just a temporary failure.

In this case, if the player's account was opened after a few months and all he had to do was to write an e-mail and wait for 24 hours, we do not consider this whole process and also the responsible gambling policy sufficient enough and we recommend improving the whole process.

I would like to ask you if we understood the situation correctly or if there are any other information as to why was the player with a gambling problem allowed to reopen his account and play so easily.

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.

Hello Stefan,

I believe you may have misread the last response I gave. The user reached out for a permanent ban on Feb 2, 2022 and then 2 weeks later requested for an unban which he was denied. The user reached out 15 months after the last unban request which we asked "Can you please confirm that you have absolutely no addiction issues and that you have it all under control?" and the user agreed so we followed through with their request for their account to be reopened.

Feb 2, 2022 - Permanent ban request

Feb 19, 2022 - Unban request - denied

May 27, 2023 - Unban request (15 months post ban request) - reconfirmed with user "Can you please confirm that you have absolutely no addiction issues and that you have it all under control?". Unban request approved.

As a casino with over 16 million registered users, we have chat rooms in various different languages and chat rooms provided in several of our live games to allow users to freely discuss almost anything they wish. We come across languages many times signaling potential RG or concerning issues where players, for the majority of the time, say they were just kidding or just joking. Only when it comes to scenarios where players have depleted funds does it turn into something like this in a last ditch effort to try to get money back. At the end of the day a casino is a casino and we treat each player differently.

This case is obviously one of those cases. When players request for a ban, we oblige. When it's an RG related ban we respond back normally with a 3-6month recommended break before considering an unban at which point we go through a series of an RG related questionnaire which we have improved upon over the many years we have been in business and still continue to look to improve our system.

If there is any further information required please let me know. Thank you.

Felix

Do you really think that you have acted well towards me? I begged them not to let me open the account again. Also, the questionnaire that you took and asking, are you okay? And after 5 minutes they unbanned me

Dear Gamdom Casino,

Can you describe what the unbanning process entails? You mentioned a questionnaire regarding Responsible Gaming – is that the only step involved?

I'll be awaiting your reply.

Sorry, but there is no such questionnaire, they only ask you if you are okay with your problem.

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.

Stefan,

At the time of this user's complaint we had no official RG department within Gamdom and our CS team was handling all inquiries with very minimal training. As indicated prior, any ban request is met with an immediate ban as requested, which is what happened in this scenario. In our line of business, we get players that request bans very often as a tool like what we have for self-exclusion to give themselves a little breather to relax, and they usually come back with a request for an unban, almost always same day, to continue playing, which as in this case seemed to be apparent at the start with him utilizing multiple accounts, VPNs to dodge any identity matches, and requesting multiple bans and unbans.

In cases where RG is involved and the player is requesting a ban, we enforce a 3-6 month ban to give the player time to recoup themselves as well as look into self help programs to get themselves back on track. Once that time period expires, which in this case the user did not reach out until 15 months had lapsed, we ask for confirmation that the user is in full control and are sure about reopening their account upon their first email back.

Fast forward to Gamdom now, where we have developed an RG core for response and handle and are continuing to improve our system, we have a set of questionnaires that we ask the user depending on type of RG whether it be financial, relationship, time and health to get a grasp of where they are actually at and how they respond to our questions before allowing any account to be reopened. All RG cases are handled initially at the CS agent level and is forwarded to management for approval in a two-step process for every user.

As stated previously, this case has now been re-opened and reviewed way too many times to count, and this user will not be eligible for any type of compensation or reward due to abuse of multiple accounts and VPN disguise to bypass terms and conditions in place at Gamdom. Also, the fact that this thread is being created due to mistreatment or mishandling of an RG case as far from the truth more strongly backs our ever improving RG team. This user requested a permanent ban that was granted and denied upon appeal until the 3-6 month time lapse had passed in which the next email sent for a reopen request was 15 months post permanent ban request which was honored.

Should you need a copy of our current RG outlines for our team, I can provide this via Skype for you to view upon request.

If there is any further information required please let me know. Thank you.

Felix

I begged them to ban me forever, they still reopened my account. And later, in a moment of lucidity, I requested a ban from them, which they did not carry out. And you don't accept even a shred of blame

Dear Gamdom Casino,

It is commendable that you have improved the process of self-exclusion, however in this case the player did not receive the same level of service. Attempting to create multiple accounts and utilizing a VPN is a common behaviour exhibited by a player struggling with addiction. Considering this behaviour pattern, the casino should proceed with caution and ensure that the reopening process is sufficient. We believe that in this case, the player should receive the deposits and his account should remain closed. I kindly request that you reconsider compensating the player. I am hopeful that we can reach a mutual agreement.

I'll be awaiting your reply.

The situation is that I opened an account because I saw Spanish streamers on Twitch playing and promoting the casino. Inviting you to use VPN for games prohibited in the country. When I saw that it was becoming a problem I requested the ban, I had Twitch and Discord linked to that account.

Later, in a relapse, I opened another account and even asked support that I couldn't link Discord and Twitch well.

They unlinked my Discord account and momentarily unbanned my account so that it would unlink my Twitch account and there they could see what another account had but nothing happened, I was not banned nor was I complained about it. Besides, couldn't you see that I requested the banning of that account due to problems with the game? Why, if according to you I have violated the rules and terms, shouldn't you have banned me when you saw that I have two accounts? Or were they just interested?

I asked you to unban, that's true, but when I banned that account I implored you to make it forever.

I asked you in November to please ban me and you ignored me, I asked and turned off my phone out of anxiety and the chat operator ignored my plea.

I asked you for an IP ban, for help, I begged for your help and you did nothing.

I'm glad to know that your policy has changed, I don't want anyone to go through the hell I'm going through.

I requested the 2023 balance sheet for my annual tax return and does this activity really seem normal to you to lose 7,000 euros in less than 5 months? And yet I did not request a refund of that amount, only for the deposits made after begging for a ban in November.

You did not act well with me

We are very disappointed with the decision that Casino Guru has come to. We cannot self exclude a player more than what they initiate. We cannot prevent a user from bypassing bans and creating multiple accounts under several guises to fool our systems in place by utilizing a VPN. This user's permanent ban was sustained for over 15 months until undone per their request after confirming RG related issues have been settled which is nothing out of the ordinary and extends way past our 3-6 month preliminary.

In order to comply with what is requested, we are taking the user's response "only for the deposits made after begging for a ban in November" and will oblige to Casino Guru's request for refund. Below are the user's statistics from November 2023 to the date they were banned again.

Total Deposits - $5,804.80

Total Withdrawn - $5,310.72

Net Loss - $494.08

Npc96, please provide me with a valid crypto address via any of the following and we will get your funds ($494.08) issued out to you ASAP.

BTC

ETH (ERC-20)

USDT (ERC-20)

LTC

TRX

XRP

DOGE

SOL

I want to again reiterate that we do not agree with the decision that has been made.

Sincerely,

Felix

I confirm that I have received the payment, thank you very much for the management and the process, I am very grateful.

After successfully resolving the problem, we will mark the complaint as 'resolved' in our system. We appreciate your cooperation and confirmation, ncp96, and if you encounter any issues with this or any other casino in the future, please do not hesitate to contact our Complaint Resolution Center. Our goal is to assist you.

As you know, we do not charge for our services, nor do we accept any gratuities. However, we would appreciate if you could take a moment to share your experience with our services on Trustpilot https://www.trustpilot.com/evaluate/casino.guru. An honest review and any suggestions you may have to improve our complaint resolution and mediation process would be greatly appreciated. Your feedback could prove helpful to others who are considering contacting us about any online casino-related issues. Thank you in advance for your time. 

Best regards,

Stefan, Casino.Guru