Joya Casino - Player faces withdrawal issues due to terms violations.

I have been a member of Joya for a while now. Recently, after accepting a deposit match bonus, I wagered the required amount as confirmed by live chat. I then played Live Blackjack and worked my way up from €4000-odd to €8000-odd.

After requesting a withdrawal, I was surprised this morning to receive an email stating that they were only prepared to pay me €1000 out of €8000. They cited two infringements:

1) I played a game (Sugar Rush) which has a Bonus Buy feature. Note that I did *not* buy the feature. I was just playing a slot which happens to have such a feature.

2) I played live games (Live Blackjack) after the bonus wagering had been completed (something one would assume the casino would surely appreciate as they gain more of an edge from the player).

To me, both these terms seem unusually harsh and irregular even if they are covered by the website T&Cs.

Hello dsp99RF,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint and I'm really sorry to hear about your issue with Joya Casino. Please allow me to ask you a few more question before we would move forward.

Could you please advise if your account is already verified and if yes, since when exactly? How much is your current balance on your casino account? Can you please forward a screenshot of the bonus and it's terms you used? When was the last time you spoke to the casino and what was it about?

Looking forward to your answer.

Regards,

Nick

Hi Nick and thank you for trying to help me.

I joined the casino on 13 Feb 2024. I have checked all my email history and cannot find any request for ID. When I go to the "My account" section of the website, it says:

==============================================

Identity

It is NOT obligatory But upon request for your withdrawal Payout, ID-Verification is required, to avoid delays on your withdrawals payouts, please ID verify on time

Verified Stage 1: No

==============================================

My current balance is zero. After all my wagering, my balance was around €8000 and because I was only allowed to withdraw €1000 at a time, I withdrew the €1000 with the intention of withdrawing the remaining balance (more or less) in instalments of €1000. Joya sent me the €1000 but then wiped the remaining balance to zero.

The bonus came in the form of an email (see text below), of which I can provide a screenshot of if necessary:

==============================================

Hey there,

I’ve got something special for you!  Enjoy a 90% bonus on all providers.

Just deposit and play your favorite games with an extra boost on us!

Thanks for being an awesome VIP at Joya Casino. If you need anything, I’m just a message away!

Happy gaming!

Skye

==============================================

It might be worth noting that although not necessarily intended by the casino, I was lulled into a false sense of security by this offer because it refers to enjoying all my favorite games without a disclaimer stating that some games were disallowed. There was also no link to the bonus terms page.

The most recent communication was when I claimed not to have used a bonus buy feature and the casino replying by saying that it is not necessary to buy a feature to contravene the terms, only to play a game with such a feature.

I have attached a transcript of all the emails, but I am unsure if it is shown. If not, let me know I will send them to your email address.

In addition to the above, I notice that the aforementioned rule regarding not playing bonus feature games appears to have suddenly vanished from the bonus terms page.

Furthermore, according to archive.org, the two rules I was said to have breached have only been implemented within the last two months or possibly sooner (as archive.org only has a limited range of archived pages). I never received an email or pop up message on the site stating that these very important terms had been added.

Hello dsp99RF,

How much exactly did you deposit to get the bonus? Is there any specific link directly to that bonus? How is it possible that they even paid out 1000€ if you did breach any of the terms?

I have just checked and the payment was via crypto, so both the initial deposit and withdrawal were approximately $1000.

There was no link to the bonus offer. It was an email which stated:

===============

Hey there,

I’ve got something special for you!  Enjoy a 90% bonus on all providers.

Just deposit and play your favorite games with an extra boost on us!

Thanks for being an awesome VIP at Joya Casino. If you need anything, I’m just a message away!

Happy gaming!

Skye

===============

They paid me the $1000 as a "goodwill gesture" according to their email.

Dear dsp99RF,

I hope you're doing well. Upon reviewing your case, it appears that the casino has refunded your initial deposit. However, based on the details provided, they have also confiscated your bonus winnings due to playing restricted games. Ideally, the casino should have safeguards in place to prevent players from accessing such games.

To ensure your complaint is handled appropriately, I will be forwarding your case to my colleague Branislav (branislav.b@casino.guru), who will be assisting you moving forward.

Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,

Nick

Hello, dsp99RF,

I am sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience. I will contact the casino and try my best to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Now I would like to invite the casino representative to join this conversation and participate in resolving this complaint.

Dear Joya Casino team,

Could you please explain the player's situation in more detail? Why exactly have the user's winnings been confiscated?

If we are talking about a breach of the casino's Terms and Conditions, is the casino able to substantiate its claims and decision with relevant evidence?

Feel free to send the necessary details and supporting evidence to my email address (branislav.b@casino.guru).

Hello dear Daniel and Branislav,

Hope you are well and safe.

After thoroughly reviewing the player's account, I’ve identified a clear breach of our Terms and Conditions. Specifically, Term 5.4 states: "Bonus terms and conditions apply regardless of whether wagering requirements are fulfilled. Live games and progressive slots are excluded from bonus play eligibility." This means that games like Blackjack are not permitted with this type of bonus, even if the wagering requirements have been met.

Given this breach of our rules, we are unfortunately unable to proceed with the requested withdrawal.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Joya Casino

Thank you for your response, Joya Casino team. However, it did not clarify the situation at all.

Can you provide us with the following:

• What was the balance at the time the user met the wagering requirements + was his balance cleared of everything over the maximum cashout upon meeting the wagering requirements or conversion/moving of the winnings to a real money (withdrawable) balance
• Information on whether he played BlackJack (a restricted game) only after meeting the wagering requirements
• Why should the casino apply bonus rules to winnings/funds after meeting wagering requirements if those funds are considered real money (withdrawalable balance)? What are players supposed to do if they want to continue playing with such funds/winnings, and how they are informed about it?
• The user's complete game logs with bonuses visible in the data

Feel free to send the necessary details and supporting evidence to my email address (branislav.b@casino.guru).

Hello Branislav,

Thank you for getting back to us.

I will provide you with all the information that you requested on your email.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Joya Casino

Thank you for your email and additional information, Joya Casino.

Can you please look at my email regarding the matter sent a while ago and answer my questions/provide the requested?

Thank you.

Hello Branislav,

I will check the email and will provide you with all the answers.

Thanks in advance.

Joya Team

Hello, Joya Team,

Thank you for the additional information and details.

Feel free to check our external communication outside the thread and provide the requested answers and details.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

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.