Play24Bet Casino - Player wishes her deposit to be refunded.

I looked up new casinos May 2020 (bored during lockdown) . I found this one which looked quite good . Unfortunately wish I hadn’t . I did not notice that they are not licensed by the UK and deposited 550 Euros here. I contacted them about this, requesting a refund of my deposits. Have never heard from them again. I did not realise they were not UKGC licensed until I checked my back statement and it had not been processed by them as a gambling transaction! So proceeded to check the bottom of their page. Very dodgy! Contacted a week ago and have heard nothing back. Was hoping you could please help me in pursuit of my deposits.

Dear Joanne,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem. Please understand, that UKGC license is necessary only for those casinos which want to operate on UK market (targeting the UK) but if the casino does not target the UK market with their commercials (do not offer GBP currency, bonuses for UK players, etc.) and their license authority allows it, they can accept UK players, they are just not protected by UKGC.

Here is an example, that could help you better understand our standpoint:

You are from the UK, and in the UK people drive on the left side of the road - that's the law. In my country, people drive on the right side of the road. But we are not building special roads for UK citizens because their laws say people should drive on the left side of the road.

And the same principle is applied for the UKGC license - you are working on the UK market, you need to follow the UK law. But if you come to play in Curaçao licensed casino (by your free will and they are not targeting the UK market), you need to follow Curaçao laws.

Unfortunately, in this case, we are not able to help you and  you have no right for refund of your deposits. I can only recommend you to do better research next time and play only in the casinos licensed by UKGC. Please let me know, if there is anything else, I could do for you regarding this case, otherwise, I will be forced to reject your complaint. Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Kristina

Hi Kristina,

Thanks so much . This is, however, very different from what is quoted on the UK Gambling Commission website:

Remote casino operating licence

Regardless of where you are based in the world, you need a licence from us if:

you are providing facilities for gambling to consumers in Great Britain online (or through any other means of remote communication)

any part of your remote gambling equipment is based in Great Britain

As they are providing services in Great Britain, would this not apply? Two casinos I played with emailed and said they have left the UK market and no longer offering service to UK players. Not sure if I’m allowed to name them but will in next message if I am.

Also strange they are not responding to emails and disguise what their transactions appear as on people’s bank statements?

Really appreciate your help.

joanne

Joanne, thank you for your quick reply! I've already mentioned our standpoint in my previous message. You can play from the UK in offshore casinos and it is okay as long as the casino pays out your winnings. The casino needs license in case it is targeting players form the UK (by its commercials or some special bonuses only for UK players).

But I would like to know one important thing, which is if you played with your deposit or not. We will be able to try to help you receive it back only if your money is still in your casino account (or you have some balance left). Please let me know, so we can continue resolving your problem accordingly.

Hi no, unfortunately not Kristina. I have emailed them continually trying to get a copy of my gameplay. They are not responding at all. I lost 550 euros within 20 minutes playing 2.50 per spin on slots. So there gameplay doesn’t seem fair . It’s ok if you can’t help xx I appreciate you taking the time you have xx

I apologize, Joanne, but we cannot continue resolving this case under these circumstances and I have to reject your complaint. In case you lost money fairly, no casino (not even those licensed by UKGC), would give back your deposits. I really hope you understand our standpoint and in case you have no balance left, there is, unfortunately, nothing we can do.

The only thing I can do for you is to recommend you properly checking out the casino before you create an account. If you prefer playing in casinos licensed by UKGC, feel free to check out our list of recommended casinos here:

https://casino.guru/top-online-casinos#tab=RECOMMENDED

Sorry we were not able to help you with this one, but please, do not hesitate to contact us in the future, if you run into any issues with this or any other casino. We are here to help.