Lupin Casino - Player's winnings were confiscated due to obscure bonus terms.

I want to share my experience with Lupin Casino where I believe I encountered unfair and predatory practices. This situation concerns the use of bonus terms and conditions, and I feel it's important for other players to be aware of such practices in the industry.

I won €4600 using a bonus on this site. The terms specified that the maximum bet with a bonus is €5 or 10% of the balance, whichever is smaller. I carefully adhered to this rule while winning. However, to my shock, the site confiscated my winnings, citing a breach of this maximum bet rule on my earlier use of bonuses (10% of the balance)

In these earlier instances, I was just trying to run down my small balance, mainly playing €5 bets throughout most of the wagering process.

What strikes me as particularly unfair is the retroactive enforcement of the maximum bet rule. It seems predatory to apply this rule to past actions where the bets resulted in losses and no cashout. Moreover, after these supposed breaches, the site accepted my next 13 deposits with bonuses. This gives me the impression that they were accepting deposits knowing that they could use my first deposit as a pretext to invalidate any future winnings.

This experience has left me feeling that the site's use of complicated or obscure bonus terms to confiscate winnings is a predatory practice and I would like to hightlight some points:

Clarity and fairness of terms: Bonus terms should be clear and easily understandable. Applying a rule about maximum bet size retrospectively or inconsistently can be seen as unfair. It's crucial that players are fully informed about the rules and that these rules are applied consistently.

Retroactive enforcement: The application of the maximum bet rule to previous deposits, especially when these were lost and not cashed out, seems particularly contentious. This could be perceived as a way to invalidate future winnings based on past actions, which were not contested at the time they occurred.

Repeated deposits and knowledge of breach: If the site allowed me to make multiple deposits and claim bonuses after allegedly breaching the rule, without informing me of the breach, this could be seen as misleading. This practice might suggest an intent to accept deposits without the intention of paying out my winnings.

Predatory practices: The use of complicated or obscure bonus terms to confiscate winnings can be considered a predatory practice. It takes advantage of players' lack of understanding or awareness of the terms, potentially leading to situations where it is almost impossible to win and cash out using a bonus.

Legal and ethical considerations: The approach I described might raise legal questions, depending on the jurisdiction and its gambling regulations. While not necessarily criminal, it certainly raises ethical concerns about fair play and transparency.

I would greatly appreciate your help to ensure they honor my winnings Thank you in advance for your support and advice.

Dear mazziccas, 

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience. I checked the bonus T&Cs and I found this:

Please note that a player can bet a maximum of $5.00 on a given round or spin while a bonus is active or 10% of their balance, whichever is lower. Betting a larger proportion of one’s balance on a single round or game can lead to the voiding of this particular bonus and winnings and voiding of subsequent bonuses and winnings. Repeated abuse can lead to account termination and confiscation of balances.

Our position is closely explained in Fair Gambling Codex. The max bet rule is, in fact, an industry standard, just as the fact that a casino has the right to seize the player's winnings from bonus play after breaking this rule. We prefer not to go against industry standards by penalizing casinos that use the maximum bet rule against players from time to time. 

However, if you feel like you have been accused mistakenly, feel free to forward me your game history together with a link to the specific bonus that you redeemed and played. My email address is veronika.l@casino.guru. 

If there is any other relevant communication between you and the casino, please send it as well. 

Thank you in advance for your reply. 

Best regards, 

Veronika

Dear Veronika,

Thank you for your response and the opportunity to address this matter further. I understand that the max bet rule is an industry standard and that casinos often reserve the right to seize winnings if this rule is breached during bonus play. However, my concern lies in the application and communication of these rules.

In my case, I believe the rule was applied retrospectively and inconsistently.

During the instances where I supposedly breached the max bet rule, I had already lost the money, and there were no winnings to cash out. Furthermore, the casino continued to accept my deposits (13) and offer bonuses without any indication of a rule breach, which leads me to believe that I was not in violation at the time.

I will gather my game history and the details of the specific bonus I redeemed and played, as well as any relevant communication between myself and the casino. You can expect to receive these documents shortly, which I hope will help clarify the situation.

Thank you again for your attention to this issue.

Dear Veronika,

I am writing to follow up on our previous correspondence and to share with you the betting history of my previous deposits, which I believe will shed further light on the concerns I've raised. (I also sent you an email)

As you will see from the history I've just shared with you, my betting pattern remained consistent and within the terms set by the casino, except for the last 10 bets (over 1000) when my balance was nearing zero. This is the point at which the supposed breach occurred.

This practice, particularly when applied retrospectively and selectively, strikes me as not just unfair, but as a predatory behavior that targets and exploits the natural gameplay patterns of players, especially when their balance is running low. It's not just about the recent incident but indicates a pattern that might have been in practice since my first deposit. This significantly undermines the trust and fairness that should be foundational in a player-casino relationship.

I am compelled to state unequivocally that this is not merely about a singular incident or a misunderstanding of terms. If this retrospective application of rules has been a consistent practice from my first deposit, it represents a deeply concerning pattern that goes against the principles of fair play and transparency.

As a dedicated customer, I find this treatment unacceptable and urge a thorough reconsideration of your policy and its application. It is imperative to uphold a standard of fairness and trust, ensuring that players like myself, who choose this casino in the expectation of a fair and equitable gaming experience, are not subjected to such predatory tactics.

I look forward to a prompt and constructive response, addressing these serious concerns.

Thank you for your emails. Can you please clarify the exact date when you won €4600 with bonus money? Was it after the incidents on November 24 and 25? Also, do I understand correctly that the casino confiscated your winnings because you had breached the maximum bet rule in the past? Additionally, I just want to confirm that during the gameplay where you won €4600, you did not violate the maximum bet rule, is that correct?

Hi Veronika,

Thank you for your follow-up questions. To clarify, the exact date when I won €4600 with bonus money was on November 26 after the incidents on November 24 and 25. This winning occurred on a separate, later deposit where I strictly adhered to all the casino's terms, includ.ing the maximum bet rule.

Yes, your understanding is correct. The casino confiscated my winnings citing that I had breached the maximum bet rule in the past. However, it's important to note that during the gameplay in which I won the €4600, I did not violate the maximum bet rule or any other terms set by the casino. This win was under a deposit fully compliant with all their conditions.

However, I want to emphasize a crucial point: according to their interpretation of the rule, my very first breach would have occurred on my very first deposit, which dates back to June 1st, 2023. Following this first breach, the casino not only continued to accept my deposits paired with bonuses (18 in total) but also kept sending me deposit bonus promotions. This ongoing acceptance and promotion of bonuses after the supposed first breach is a significant concern in my case.

I appreciate your effort in understanding the nuances of my case.

Best regards,

Thank you very much, mazziccas, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Peter (peter.m@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.

Hi mazziccas,

I have reviewed your case and understand the situation. Allow me to reach out to the casino and make every effort to assist you. I would like to invite Lupin Casino to join the conversation and contribute to the resolution of this complaint.

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 mazziccas,

I have tried to contact the casino repeatedly but had no success. I'm afraid there is not much that can be achieved without cooperation from its side. Since the casino operates without a valid license and doesn't refer to any ADR service, there is no gaming authority to turn to. I will mark the complaint as "unresolved" in our system. I understand this isn't a satisfactory solution to your issue. However, the decrease in the rating caused by unresolved complaints could help to change the casino's approach. If the casino decides to react, we will reopen the complaint and you will be notified by email. I am sorry we could not be of more help on this occasion.

Best regards,

Peter