MyStake Casino - Player claims casino failed to protect vulnerable person.

FAILURE TO PROTECT AVULNERABLE PERSON

I was allowed to lose £7287GBP with no relevant intervention by (MY STAKE CASINO), including enquiries into where the money was coming from.

In addition; multiple deposits in short period of time,chasing losses and betting through the night.

In summary, I’ve shown many traits of an acute gambling disorder and (MY STAKE CASINO) did nothing to protect a vulnerable person.all the money was lost within a 24hr period the bulk of which being within a few hours,I believe the casino to have failed on many levels,failing KYC,AML.

I've reached out several times to the customer service team/compliance team,issuing a formal complaint letter but have been unsuccessful in trying to reach an amicable solution.

Dear Clintgl,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m truly sorry to hear about the challenges you’ve encountered.

At Casino.Guru, we are staunch advocates of responsible gambling practices, and we firmly believe that casinos must adhere to high standards to ensure the well-being of their players. The details you’ve shared highlight a troubling pattern of high-frequency deposits over a relatively short period. While we understand your concern about the casino not intervening or conducting affordability checks, our ability to assist players with financial restitution is limited to specific scenarios. In cases where a player formally requests self-exclusion due to gambling addiction and the casino fails to act, we investigate to ensure accountability. However, situations where red flags, such as high deposits, are not acted upon fall into a grey area that often depends on the casino's policies and licensing authority.

We absolutely share your perspective that gambling operators should take proactive steps when such patterns emerge, and we believe this to be an essential aspect of responsible gambling protocols. However, enforcing these standards falls under the jurisdiction of regulatory bodies or the relevant licensing authorities.

• Therefore, could you please specify if you requested to be self-excluded from the casino due to gambling addiction before you placed your deposits?

I hope we will be able to help you resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Best regards,

Veronika

Hi thankyou for your response,as it was my first time gambling with(MY STAKE CASINO)I don't believe i was obliged to disclose my gambling disorder,however I do believe that (MY STAKE CASINO)have to follow strict set of rules set out by in this case the Curaçao Gaming Control Board.(see below) screen grab from there website.

"Elevating the Curaçao Gaming Industry"

Welcome to the website of the Curaçao Gaming Control Board. We are the regulator for the Curaçao land-based casino industry, the licensing authority for all lotteries, charity bingo, charity bon ku ne and the licensing authority and supervisor for online gaming.

FOR VISITING THE ONLINE GAMING PORTAL OF THE GCB, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

For the latest information on the expiry of the master licenses, please click here.

For the reopening of the online gaming portal as of July 15, 2024, please click here.

For the latest guidelines on the deadline of March 31, 2024 to register and apply for an online gaming license under the existing law, you can click here.

For the latest online gaming license application submission guidelines, you can click here.

 

The GCB is also the supervisor for the Curaçao gaming industry for compliance with legislation and regulation regarding anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/ CFT).

Latest publications on AML/ CFT: 

 Anti-Money Laundering Supervisory Authorities formalize their collaboration    

Amendment to the National Ordinance on Identification when rendering Services (PB 2017, no. 92) and the National Ordinance on the Reporting of Unusual Transactions (PB 2017, no. 99) as of May 16, 2024

AML/ CFT/ CPF - regulations for landbased and online casinos

The Gaming Control Board strives to protect the interest of the public and the integrity and stability of the Curaçao gaming industry, by ensuring that all gaming is conducted honestly, responsibly, competitively and free from criminal and corruptive elements, thereby elevating the Curaçao gaming industry.

As an online gaming company they are legally bound to follow strict rules set out in this case by Curaçao Gaming Control Board.

I believe that my case is very straightforward and does not fall into any (grey areas)

In summary.

I was allowed to log on to the (MY STAKE CASINO) without providing or being asked for any form of identification,therefore(MY STAKE CASINO)where not able to ascertain my age.(which then falls into criminal law.)

Also furthermore being able to deposit a large amount of money in a short period of time again with no requests for proof of funds therefore in breach of(AML/CFT) as clearly set out by there own governing body.

Regards

Clint

Hi in addition to my last email I've just attached a pdf of Regulations for the combating of Money Laundering,

the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

Applicable for Curaçao casinos and providers of other online games.

The amendment of the NOIS was adopted on May 2, 2024 by Parliament. As of the date that will be mentioned

in the National Gazette, CDD has to be completed when players engage in financial transactions equal to or

above NAf. 4,000.

III.3 Timing of CDD Measures

A casino provides services to a customer allowing for the wagering of a stake with monetary value in

a game of chance. They do business with customers that are individuals and who act in their own

name and on their own behalf. In doing so they open an account for their customers or the player

becomes a member of the player club. This is considered to be indicative of a relationship that is

expected to have an element of duration and is therefore considered a business relationship

between the casino and its customer. For casinos, verification of identity has to be conducted when

engaging in financial transactions equal to or in excess of NAf. 4,000. This implies that all CDD

measures must have been conducted at the time the threshold is reached. However, casinos are

required to apply a minimum level of CDD measures prior to reaching the threshold. Thus,

simultaneously with the opening of an account, casinos are to identify the customer by collecting the

minimum personal details, being: name and surname, permanent residential address and date of

birth (set as the minimum applicable in case of low risk business relationships) and conduct the

sanctions screening. The threshold is to be calculated on a daily basis taking into account all deposits

and withdrawals made by the player since the establishment of the business relationship, including

any peer-to-peer transfers. Once the threshold is reached, casinos have to conduct PEP status

screening and carry out a customer risk assessment and meet their remaining CDD obligations as

indicated in paragraph III.2 above.

Carrying out CDD as early as possible can limit situations in which a casino receives contaminated

funds. For land-based casinos it is therefore advisable to carry out CDD when establishing a business

relation and not to wait until the threshold is reached.

In carrying out the CDD measures, customers may be allowed to continue using their gaming

account while the casino obtains any necessary information from the customer concerned. However

If the Naf. 4,000 threshold is reached, the player cannot deposit funds into the account or withdraw

funds from the account.

Besides that, if the requested information and documentation is not received within 30 days from

the moment the Naf. 4,000 threshold was met in order for the casino to complete CDD, the casino

has to terminate the relationship with the player and report the transaction to the FIU.

III.4 Enhanced Due Diligence

A risk-based approach should be taken, so more thorough checks should be undertaken for higher

risk customers. The Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) measures should be consistent with the risks

identified. In particular, they should increase the degree and nature of monitoring of the business

relationship, in order to determine whether those transactions or activities appear unusual.

Enhanced Due Diligence has to be conducted where the risks of money laundering or terrorist

financing are higher. This concerns for example:

 Residents of higher risk geographic areas;

 Political Exposed Persons (PEP’s);

 Products or transactions that might favor anonymity;

 New products and new business practices, including new delivery mechanism, and the use of

new or developing technologies for both new and pre-existing products.

In Addition (MY STAKE CASINO)clearly states the 4000 (MAX DEPOSIT)in there your account section when logged in. unless they can provide evidence that shows that (MY STAKE CASINO)carried out CDD then they are clearly in breach.

I was allowed to deposit almost 4x the regulatory amount.£7287GBP to be exact.

As stated above this was passed in parliament May 2nd 2024.

Regards

Clint

I have attached a document signed and embossed by the managing director of the Curaçao gaming control board.this document is official and any online gaming providers Operating from Curaçao are bound to fully comply as of September 1st 2024 at the latest non compliance after this date run the risk of heavy fines and worst case lose there gaming license altogether.

I suggest it is now down to (MY STAKE CASINO)to back up there claims that they have acted within these new regulations as this document supercede any terms and conditions they may or may not believe authentic.

Hope this information helps you expedite this case more quickly.

I would also like to say thankyou for your help.

Regards

Clint

Dear Clintgl,

Thank you for reaching out and for providing such a detailed account of your experience. We understand how important it is for players to feel confident that casinos adhere to regulatory requirements, especially those regarding responsible gambling and compliance with anti-money laundering measures.

We appreciate the additional documents and references to Curaçao regulations, as they highlight the significance of customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD) procedures in ensuring the safety and integrity of the gaming environment.

Your case raises important concerns about Curaçao's regulations, particularly regarding customer identification and thresholds for conducting due diligence. While your argument appears well-founded based on the information provided, it’s essential to note that Casino Guru’s role is to mediate disputes involving breaches of the casino’s published terms and conditions or demonstrable unfair treatment.

If you haven’t already, you may consider filing a formal complaint with the casino’s designated Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body. They are obligated to act as an impartial party in resolving disputes and may have more authority to request internal compliance documentation.

As Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) is mentioned in your correspondence, you can raise your concerns directly with them. Highlight the lack of age verification, breaches of deposit thresholds, and absence of affordability checks as outlined in their AML/CFT guidelines.

As mediators, we cannot directly enforce regulatory obligations. Unfortunately, without direct evidence of a breach of the casino’s publicly stated terms or specific unfair treatment, we are unable to take further action in this matter.

We recommend that you continue to pursue this with the relevant regulatory and dispute resolution bodies.

We appreciate you bringing these issues to our attention, and we sincerely hope that you achieve a satisfactory resolution. This complaint will now be closed. However, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you encounter further issues with this or any other casino in the future.

Thank you for your understanding, and we’re sorry we couldn’t assist you further on this occasion.

Best regards,

Veronika