In this interview, Head of Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center, Petronela Kontos, shares what it means to run a 30-member team that has published almost 63,000 player complaints and helped return over $57m to players worldwide.
She walks us through response time commitments like the 48-hour publication promise, explains why delayed withdrawals, KYC friction, and self-exclusion disputes dominate their caseload, and shows how fairness, transparency, and soft skills shape every interaction with both players and operators.
The conversation addresses the need for complaint resolution services in the first place, and why Casino Guru runs arguably the world’s best in terms of complaints handled and amounts returned.
Kontos argues that the Complaint Resolution Center is part of the very ethos that Casino Guru stands for, and although the service is free on the player’s end, it brings value to the company.
It helps build trust - players understand that Casino Guru takes fairness seriously and that the team is willing to step up for players’ interests. Kontos remarks that the philosophy behind this has always boiled down to two specific things - transparency and accountability.
Casino Guru maintains a robust reviewing process for its complaints, allowing it to act as an impartial mediator in disputes. Whether it concerns just a few dollars or a larger, more significant sum, the processes in place are the same.
The Complaint Resolution Center and its 30-member team first attempt to collect as much evidence as possible, understand the circumstances, and involve the casino to ensure fairness for players.
The work of the Complaint Resolution Center has had a greater impact on the Casino Guru brand and the values it seeks to advance across the industry, as exemplified by the Fair Gambling Codex, which the service has influenced.
As Kontos explains, when there are terms and conditions that make sense, the Compliant Resolution Center may pass this knowledge along to the Fair Gambling Codex, helping shape a fairer gambling industry for all operators and players.
Kontos remarks that while cases such as the resolution of a $1.9m complaint are a source of pride, the real accomplishment lies in developing the Complaint Resolution Center even further and leveraging the experience acquired over more than six years.
The conversation with Petronela Kontos, Casino Guru’s Head of the Complaint Resolution Center, is well worth watching in its entirety.
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Yes, we can look at it that way. But like many other things, it can be a form of entertainment. Like when you go to the movies or a football game. That's how you should look at it. You pay for the service and have fun. Of course, if you enjoy it and get something out of playing. If the players don't see it that way, then from my point of view, they see it as something where you can easily make money, and that's a problem if someone sees it that way.
Of course, for casinos, it's probably like you said, that players are numbers and the more they spend, the better. In any case, in order to maintain your business, keep it at a high level, and profit from it in the long run, you should be honest. As in any business. I'm not saying that everyone is, but there are casinos and people like that.🙂
When one man's will and his group chooses the path of owning and running casinos, with the mindset of making money on people's back, it's hard to say that it's an humble or honest way to make a living. I think they are forced to be honest. Behind the doors, we are just numbers while they talk numbers. 😛
Yes, in theory, that's how it should be. Of course, casinos don't always comply with such requirements. It can happen that a self-excluded player regains access to their account and other things. Everything has its loopholes, but I believe that honest casinos try to comply as best they can.🙂
Totally makes sense. Was just advancing that making the choice of pressing the self-exclusion button or the choice of not pressing the slot button anymore are pretty similar mindsets to me. I do understand that it must be a different thinking for some people and it's truly good to know that they are supported and given options to help themselves too.
Hi, self-exclusion is basically a responsible gambling tool that allows players to leave the casino and not return because their account will be excluded. This is often requested by players who have a gambling problem or are addicted.
Self-control or discipline is something that you can usually influence and tell yourself that you will not play because, for example, you do not have any money left, and so on. Gambling should only be occasional entertainment and not a daily routine. So when a player wants to self-exclude, it is often because there is a problem. Sometimes it's also on the casino's side if casino did the player wrong, I know that, and then players use it, but I think there are more cases where players have a problem with themselves.
