Jokabet Casino - UK Player's losses due to casino breaching their own Ts&Cs.

On 10/12/2023 I have deposited and played around £1200 at this casino in one sitting. The game play was poor and it simply did not play like any fair RTP I have ever seen, and there were no prompts for any responsible gambling tools, or to take a break etc, something which is a legal requirement in the UK, therefore at this point I decided to check their Ts&Cs.

I discovered that their own terms state that players from the UK CANNOT deposit and play with real cash, however they have allowed this without question. They are in breach of their own terms and conditions and I assume their license. I am unable to locate a license however they are owned by the same company as NineCasino, therefore would assume they operate under the same license. The transaction also all go to different merchants all over the world with random names, this is clearly intentional to allow them to swerve the laws in place that prevent them.

I contacted the casino and requested a full refund on all losses incurred, due to them being in breach, and all I keep getting in response is ‘our specialist team are reviewing and will get back to you’ however they never do and there is no way to talk to them. I was wondering if you can assist me in trying to get an answer from this company.

Dear petemichael1401,

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. I sincerely apologize for the issues you've encountered. It's important to note that a UKGC license is specifically required for casinos targeting the UK market. If a casino doesn't actively cater to the UK market by offering GBP currency, UK-specific bonuses, etc., they can still accept UK players, but they won't be protected by the UKGC.

To illustrate our standpoint, consider this analogy:

In the UK, people drive on the left side of the road because it's the law. In my country, people drive on the right side. However, we don't build special roads for UK citizens just because their laws dictate left-side driving.

The same principle applies to the UKGC license. If you operate in the UK market, you must adhere to UK law. Conversely, if you choose to play in a Curaçao-licensed casino voluntarily, you're subject to Curaçao laws.

Regrettably, in this situation, we're unable to assist, and a refund for your deposits is not applicable. I recommend conducting thorough research in the future and playing only in casinos licensed by the UKGC.

You can explore our list of recommended casinos for UK players here. When selecting one, be sure to use all relevant filters.

To sum it up, I'd like to inform you that 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.  

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.

Please understand that we are not an agency with the authority to dictate refund policies to casinos operating without the appropriate license in players' countries of residence.

I wish I could offer more assistance in this matter.

Best regards,

Petronela

Hi, I absolutely understand where you are coming from, however, the site does specifically target the UK. Their terms state they do not allow play in GBP, but they absolutely do. Whilst I completely get you cannot dictate to the casino how they should resolve a complaint, I thought you may be able to assist in atleast trying to initiate some kind of response. There are other complainants that have failed to receive any kind of response, however when casinoguru have mediated, the response has then come. I would also argue from the state of the gameplay, the funds are as good as confiscated! I can’t say I’m not disappointed that casinoguru do not feel in a position to be able to raise this as there is a clear breach of their own terms

I sincerely apologize; however, as I've clarified before, Casino.Guru provides players with information about available casinos, their terms and conditions, and various crucial details. Nevertheless, we cannot compel any casino to acquire a valid license for a particular jurisdiction. The fact that players from the UK are prohibited from playing in Jokabet Casino is clearly outlined in our review.

Your decision to opt for this casino, make a deposit, and incur losses was voluntary. Seeking a refund based on the absence of a license is beyond our control.

Please let me know if there is any additional information that I have overlooked, but I’m afraid I will be forced to reject your complaint as unjustified. I wish I could be of more help. Thank you in advance for your reply and understanding.

It’s clear you’re not in a position to be able to help me, however your review includes factually incorrect information. As clearly, if I have joined and deposited and played £1200, then the casino in fact DOES accept UK players. The casino has accepted liability and their error, and have agreed to refund all of my losses therefore I am clearly correct in my complaint and it is not unjustified 👍 have a merry Christmas!

I'm pleased to hear that the casino agreed to cover your losses, demonstrating goodwill as it is not a common practice. I hope you won't encounter similar issues in the future and that you'll be able to play exclusively in casinos with a valid UKGC license. Wishing you the best of luck moving forward.

I’m sorry we couldn’t help you to resolve this case, but I'm happy it was resolved by the casino to your liking.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you run into any issues with any other casino in the future. For the abovementioned reasons, I will now reject this complaint. Thank you for your understanding.