The player from Germany, who had self-excluded himself from the Dama N.V network due to gambling problems, managed to create an account at Playfina.com, also part of the same network, and deposited a total of €1352. He regarded this as a severe violation of responsible gaming practices by Playfina and requested a refund. The Complaints Team reviewed the case and explained that the casino operated under an Antillephone NV license, which did not enforce network-wide self-exclusions. The player's request for a refund was denied as the casino had followed its specific self-exclusion procedures, and no further action was taken.
Playfina Casino - Self-excluded player able to deposit in the casino.
Amount: €1,352
Playfina Casino
Safety Index:HighSafety Index
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8.8
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Case closed
Our verdict
Unjustified complaint
REJECTED
Case summary
6 months ago
Sensitive attachment
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7 months ago
Translation
Hello everyone,
I am completely self-barred from the Dama NV network due to serious gambling problems. Here is the proof - see picture from the Syndicate Casino.
Syndicate Casino : Copyright © 2024 Syndicate Сasino is owned and operated by Dama NV . which is incorporated under the laws of Curacao with company registration number 152125 and having its registered address at Scharlooweg 39, Willemstad, Curaçao. I am completely self-banned from the Dama NV network due to massive gambling problems. Here is the proof of that too. Syndicate Casino : Copyright © 2024 Syndicate Сasino is owned and operated by Dama NV which is incorporated under the laws of Curacao with company registration number 152125 and having its registered address at Scharlooweg 39, Willemstad, Curaçao.
I am now creating an account on Playfina.com Playfina: Copyright © 2024 www.playfina.com is owned and operated by Dama NV , a company registered and incorporated under the laws of Curaçao with registration number 152125 and registered address Scharlooweg 39, Willemstad, Curaçao and was able to make deposits. This should never have happened , as a player with a gambling problem I did everything I could to protect myself. The network knew about my addiction, I have already been banned from countless other casinos by the Dama.NV network ON ITS OWN . This is a gross violation of Responsible Gaming on the part of Playfina.
The self-exclusion obviously took place before the deposits were made. The casino can of course confirm this here. I expect a prompt refund of the stakes.
A total of €1,352 was deposited.
It is HUGEly important that these protective measures work. Here it didn't work at all.
Especially for players like me with a gambling problem, the only way to protect myself is self-exclusion. Why did Payfina simply ignore this?
VG
Benjamin A***
Edited by a Casino Guru admin
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7 months ago
Dear ChewChew,
Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem. I have checked the Responsible Gambling section, and this is what I found:
You may also contact our support team at support@playfina.com and inform us about your decision to stop gambling at the Website for a definite or indefinite period of time. We will take all measures to block your access to your account and make sure that you receive no promotional materials. If you are self excluded from the casino you won't be able to log into your account and order withdrawal of any balance you have left. Once self-excluded, please reach out to our support team at support@playfina.com in order to initiate withdrawal of remaining balance. Our support team will contact you within a reasonable timeframe with information on the withdrawal and will assist you with it. Please note that active self-exclusion does not make you exempt from verification procedure if it's required by the casino to process funds. The funds remaining on balance will be paid according to the casino limits.
Unfortunately, there’s not written that all your accounts in other casinos of the same owner will be blocked or self-excluded automatically. Please understand that if you self-exclude yourself from one casino it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are protected on all the other associated websites.
Could you please advise if you have requested a self-exclusion from Playfina Casino directly? Do you currently have access to your casino account?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Kristina
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7 months ago
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First to your questions:
I was automatically blocked at Playfina, but it was way too late . (After my deposits)
That shouldn't have happened, the automatic blocking should have taken effect immediately. I no longer have access to my account. What's more, there was still €7 in my account when it was automatically blocked. You just kept that money too.
My answer:
In Curacao, online gambling operators are required by Curacao eGaming to implement responsible gaming procedures, including self-exclusion policies. Operators must comply with these policies and ensure that they correctly handle self-exclusion requests by suspending service to a self-excluded user for at least six months. This will be determined under the terms agreed between Curacao eGaming and the licensed operators ( https://www.curacao-egaming.com/public-and-players/ ) ( https://casinoguru-en.com/licensing-authorities/curacao-license ).
While Curaçao eGaming does offer a self-exclusion process, it is up to the individual operator to effectively implement this system and ensure that it functions correctly. The responsibility for executing and monitoring self-exclusion rests with the operator who interacts directly with players. Therefore, Playfina may have had to put in place its own process for detecting and dealing with self-exclusions.
The casinos operating under the same corporate network as Dama NV should be able to share self-exclusion information between their different platforms to ensure responsible gaming. I therefore consider Playfina's failure to recognize and respect my already existing self-exclusion in other partner casinos to be a violation of internal network policies and of the responsible gaming principles promoted by Curaçao eGaming.
I therefore ask you to agree to a refund in this case.
Otherwise, I will be forced to file a formal complaint with Curaçao eGaming to request an audit of Playfina's compliance with the license conditions.
Thank you
Best regards
Benjamin A***
Edited by a Casino Guru admin
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7 months ago
Thank you for your reply, ChewChew. Please understand that if you self-exclude yourself from one somehow related casino it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are protected on all the other associated websites. Three out of four Curacao sub-licenses do not enforce group self-exclusions like, for example, MGA-licensed casinos do, and we cannot penalize them for it. Nor are we in a position to force the casino to refund your deposits under these circumstances.
This is actually the correct article as the casino has an Antilephone and not an eGaming sub-license (they are not the same):
Self-Exclusion
There is currently no way to self-exclude from all Curacao licensed casinos at once. You must self-exclude at each casino individually. Although Antillephone N.V. licensed casinos must offer players the opportnuity to self-exclude, there does not appear to be a specific procedure in place so the only options are to check the casino's website or to contact the casino operator and ask them for instructions.
Even in the article you posted here, we state clearly that only eGaming is capable of such self-exclusion:
Self-Exclusion
There is no way to self-exclude from all Curacao licensed casinos at once. You must self-exclude at each casino individually. Curaçao e-Gaming seems to be the only one of the four authorities that specifies a procedure, which is to request exclusion via a form on the license validator page:
As long as your account has already been closed and you didn't inform this specific casino about your gambling problem before depositing, we don't think you are entitled to a refund. Thank you for your understanding.
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7 months ago
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Dear ChewChew,
Thank you for your feedback! We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you had with gambling. Our website is designed solely for entertainment and pleasure. We know that not all players can control their gambling habits, so we treat such cases with utmost responsibility and care. Also, our website is licensed and provides all the necessary conditions for help and game control. In the "Responsible Gaming" section you will find all the necessary information about the "Personal Limits" feature and how it works, and, if necessary, in the same "External Help" section you will find links to all third-party resources that can provide the necessary advice and assistance. Our technical support team promptly responds to player inquiries and takes all necessary measures to help those who have difficulties while gambling.
It is very important to us to ensure responsible gaming on our website and to only provide a positive experience. We have carefully reviewed the information relating to your complaint and would like to try to clear up any misunderstandings and investigate the situation further.
From our side, we can determine that your account was closed due to gambling addiction after you informed the casino about your gambling problems.
As a responsible operator, we have escalated the matter to the relevant team and after your message in chat on May 8, 2024, 08:46 (TZ UTC), no more deposits were made.
Considering the above information, we can conclude that Playfina Casino has no financial obligations towards you.
We would also like to point out that Playfina operates under the legal entity Dama NV, which is licensed by Antillephone NV, so the requirements of the eGaming license do not apply to us.
For this reason, a refund of the amount you requested cannot be processed. The €7.21 currently in your balance will be refunded. Since you made the deposit via CoinsPaid, we ask you to provide a crypto wallet address and the currency of that wallet for withdrawal, as well as a photo of your ID and a document for address verification to our technical support chat or to our email support@playfina.com Our technical support team has already sent you an email with all the detailed information about the refund of €7.21.
Best regards,
Playfina Casino
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7 months ago
Dear ChewChew,
We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.
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7 months ago
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Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for your feedback and for explaining the details of your license terms. However, I must insist that my request for a refund of my deposits of €1,352 is justified and supported by the applicable laws and regulations.
As a German citizen, I am subject to German law, in particular the State Treaty on Gambling. According to Section 6 Paragraph 3 of the State Treaty on Gambling, providers of gambling are obliged to implement effective measures to protect players and, in particular, to deny access to further gaming offers to players who show signs of excessive gaming behavior or who have registered in self-exclusion networks.
The fact that I was already banned from your network and that this information should be accessible to you suggests a clear breach of these obligations. While I understand that different licenses may have different requirements, I argue that ethical obligations to player protection should be universal, especially when players specifically ask for protection.
I have consciously and out of necessity excluded myself from your network to protect myself from the consequences of my gambling addiction. The possibility of creating a new account with Playfina and depositing money should not have been available under any circumstances.
If we cannot reach an agreement on this matter, I will be forced to take legal action and consult with a lawyer to protect my interests. This would not only be in my best interest, but would also serve as a precedent for respecting players' rights and casino operators' obligations.
I therefore ask you again to re-examine my situation and arrange a full refund of my deposits. Should this not be possible, I will not hesitate to pursue further legal action.
Best regards,
Benjamin A***
Edited by a Casino Guru admin
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6 months ago
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Dear ChewChew,
Thank you for your reply! We are a licensed casino and strictly adhere to the current regulations. In addition, we take our responsibility towards players who may have difficulties with gambling very seriously and our website is equipped with all the necessary measures for responsible gaming and support when needed.
We would like to reiterate that Playfina operates under the legal entity Dama NV, which holds a license from Antillephone NV, so the eGaming license requirements do not apply to us and we do not have a common player database to resolve such issues.
We have taken all necessary measures as soon as you reported the issue. Therefore, in view of the above, the requested refund cannot be processed.
Best regards,
Playfina Casino
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6 months ago
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Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for your feedback and reconfirmation of your license conditions. I understand that Playfina operates under the license of Antillephone NV. However, I underline that as a German citizen operating from a German IP address, my gaming behavior is regulated according to the German State Treaty on Gambling.
The State Treaty on Gambling (Section 6, Paragraphs 3 and 4) stipulates that providers must implement effective measures for the early detection of gambling addiction. These explicitly include the detection of conspicuous gaming behavior and the automatic blocking or at least restriction of player access. The State Treaty also requires providers to ensure that a player cannot register for multiple offers and deposit money if a block has been placed. This logically means that a network such as Dama NV, which operates over 100 casinos, must maintain a central blocking file in order to effectively meet these legal requirements.
It is unreasonable for an individual player, especially one who has recognized gambling problems, and not in the spirit of player protection, to have to manually exclude themselves in each of the more than 100 casinos. This practice would reduce the meaning and purpose of player protection to absurdity and is not in line with the spirit of German law, which puts the well-being of the player first.
I therefore ask you again to reconsider the case and to consider not only the legal requirements but also the ethical aspects of player protection. If we cannot reach an agreement on neutral ground, I will be forced to take legal action. Failure to protect vulnerable players is a serious matter that can also have legal consequences, both under German gambling law and potentially under EU law.
Best regards,
Benjamin A***
Edited by a Casino Guru admin
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6 months ago
Translation
Dear ChewChew,
Thank you for your reply! We would like to emphasize that the requirements of the license under which Playfina operates do not oblige us to check player ban lists from external organizations. If a player is interested in any kind of self-exclusion, he should inform the representatives of our casino.
Furthermore, we would like to inform you that according to the "WHO CAN PLAY" section of our Terms and Conditions, which you agreed to upon registration, "It is the player's sole responsibility to enquire about the existing gambling laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdiction before placing bets on the Website. It is solely your responsibility to enquire and ensure that by participating in the Games you do not breach any laws applicable to you. Depositing real money and playing for real money is subject to the laws of your jurisdiction and it is your sole responsibility to comply with the regulations of your jurisdiction." So it is your personal responsibility to enquire about the gambling laws and regulations of your jurisdiction.
Considering the above, we would like to emphasize once again that as soon as you informed our casino representatives about the existing problem, your account was immediately blocked and no further deposits were made on our site. Also, we would like to emphasize that our website provides all the necessary conditions for monitoring gaming activity and provides external help for advice and support. All the necessary information on this topic can be found in the Responsible Gaming section: https://playfina.com/en/responsible-gambling.
Best regards,
Playfina Casino
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6 months ago
Hello everyone,
Thank you both for your replies.
ChewChew, I believe the casino explained clearly their standpoint regarding the situation. I am afraid that we agree with everything that has been mentioned here, and as per my previous explanation, we don't think you are entitled to a refund.
Unfortunately, there is not much we can do under these circumstances and we can't proceed with this complaint. If you disagree with our opinion, you can always contact the licensing authority, but I don't think their opinion will differ.
Due to the aforementioned reasons, this complaint will now be rejected. Thank you for your understanding, I am sorry we could not be of more help on this occasion. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you run into any issues with this or any other casino in the future.
