The player from Bulgaria has been blocked after an attempt to withdraw her winnings to someone else's payment method. We rejected the complaint because the player breached multiple rules of online gambling. Not only two people were using one account, but two accounts were created using the same personal details, and the same payment method was used to deposit to both accounts.
Pledoo Casino - Player's account has been blocked.
Amount: 700 лв
Pledoo Casino
Safety Index:HighSafety Index
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Case closed
Our verdict
Unjustified complaint
REJECTED
Case summary
1 year ago
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1 year ago
Translation
On 25.02.23 I purchased a paysafecard from easypay. On the same date, I made a deposit at the Pledoo casino using the paysafecard payment method. The deposit was worth $50 and I benefited from a bonus of 100% of the deposit amount. With a $50 deposit and a $50 bonus, I had to wager a total of $3,500 to meet the bonus conditions and be able to withdraw any winnings.
After about 3 hours of play I was able to roll over the bonus and had a withdrawal amount of $430. Since my account was not verified, I submitted the necessary documents. After they verified my account, I requested a withdrawal of $430. The method I could use to withdraw was Skrill and I used it. The casino automatically assigned the withdrawal to the email address that my account was created with!
They had verified all my documents but refused the withdrawal and I got a message saying I need to verify Skrill.
I have sent a screenshot of the Skrill account that the withdrawal is claimed on, but it is in my fiance's name.
I then declined the withdrawal and contacted live chat to ask them how to request a withdrawal to Neteller. They replied that I need to make a minimum deposit and then I can request a withdrawal.
I made a deposit with Neteller and requested a withdrawal to my account. I then sent a screenshot to the security department with my Neteller account details.
Shortly after, I received an email from the security department and was told that my account had been blocked and the money confiscated for fraud. Also that they refund my $60 worth of deposits to my Neteller account.
I wrote them an email that I have a Notarized general power of attorney from the person who owns the Skrill account. They answered me back and asked me what it was. And shortly after that, they asked for the Notarial Power of Attorney.
I have sent a photo of the paysafecard I personally purchased and a photo of the Notarized power of attorney. The casino replied that they would review the documents within 48 hours.
Consequently, I received a response from Pledoo that the earnings have been forfeited and the account remains blocked.
I will present all necessary documents as well as screenshots with the security department and live chat.
PS
Before creating this Pledoo account, I had an account registered with my Skrill. Pledoo account was closed because live chat told me that to change the currency they have to close the current one and create a new one.
Please help against this fraudulent casino.
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1 year ago
Dear evgeniqsk1,
Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem. Unfortunately, the vast majority of casinos prohibit players from using someone else's payment methods. Please allow me to ask you a few questions, so I can understand the whole situation completely. Do I understand correctly that the deposit method belongs to you, but the withdrawal method belongs to your fiance?
Could you please forward all the relevant communication between you and the casino to kristina.s@casino.guru? Alternatively, you can post it here.
I hope we will be able to help you to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you very much in advance for your reply.
Best regards,
Kristina
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1 year ago
Translation
Hi Kristina and thanks for the quick reply.
I couldn't make a credit/debit card deposit because there was a problem. I bought a paysafecard which I loaded onto my fiance's account. I didn't know paysafecard was registered after buying from a store. I also didn't know that by requesting a withdrawal via Skrill it would be directly ordered to the registered email address in Pledoo.
So paysafecard and Skrill are in my fiance's name. Also he deleted his Skrill account which was not even activated.
And regardless of everything, I sent the casino a Notarized General Power of Attorney. But they rejected it
I have emailed all the screenshots with the correspondence with live chat and the security department, the power of attorney and the paysafecard I purchased.
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1 year ago
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Today I received the new notarized power of attorney.
As the casino wanted, it says that I get full access to the Skrill account that caused the withdrawal to be denied. It also says I have rights over all electronic wallets like Skrill, Neteller and Paysafecard.
I have sent photos to the casino and now I will send them to Kristina as well.
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1 year ago
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Thanks for Pledoo taking the trouble to give a comprehensive answer.
And let me now summarize and complete the missing facts.
Nikolay has created an account but has requested that it be closed. No deposits have been made or any bonuses used from this account.
Nikolay created the account because he was redirected by an invalid BetitAll casino link.
And let me continue in response to Pledoo's second submission
I tried to make a credit card deposit. But the system did not allow me to make this deposit. Due to the limited number of deposit methods for Bulgaria, I chose to deposit with the Paysafecard payment method.
As I don't have a personal account I entered the voucher numbers into my fiance's account. Also to say that this is my first deposit with Paysafe payment method. After purchasing these vouchers I expected to simply enter the numbers into the merchant's site.
In conclusion:
Pledoo failed to mention that my old account which was created before 02/25/2023. Was deleted from live chat (at my request) to change currency. This was my personal Skrill account.
They also failed to mention that before the 3/1/23 power of attorney was sent to them, another power of attorney was sent. It says that I have the right to perform the necessary actions before banks and other financial institutions.
And last but not least:
In the Skrill and Paysafecard accounts that are registered under a different name, actions have been initiated to change the holder, namely me.
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1 year ago
Hello again!
The security department was confused by the fact that N*****i's account was registered to the same phone number and used the same password as Evgeniya's.
Regarding your documents sent by you; the answer was given in the previous letter.
As mentioned above - we are willing to come forward and solve this matter without any further escalation.
Let's just wait for Casinoguru decision and input.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Pledoo Team
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1 year ago
Hello everyone,
Thank you both for your replies and for your patience while I was reviewing this case.
evgeniqsk1, please understand that the vast majority of casinos consider using someone else's payment methods as a serious breach of AML rules.
I have checked the terms and conditions I found the rule the casino is referring to in regard to using payment methods that do not belong directly to the player:
4.6. The Customer shall only use payment methods that are issued lawfully and belong to the Customer.
Furthermore, please check our Fair Gambling Codex for Players:
"Payments
For deposits and withdrawals, you should only use bank accounts and credit cards held in your own name. If you don't do this, you might get into trouble when trying to make a withdrawal. This rule is mostly in place to prevent credit card misuse and also because of international anti-money-laundering regulations."
Please understand that this rule has been breached and it clearly says that the name of the person who owns the casino account must match the name of the payment method owner, which, unfortunately, it doesn't. Some exceptions might be allowed by casinos when depositing or withdrawing funds using a joint card if this possibility is communicated beforehand. Technically it is very difficult to check who’s the owner of the payment method at the depositing stage. This is usually checked during account verification, which is usually done when a withdrawal is requested. Therefore, it is a player’s responsibility to use allowed payment methods only.
If you haven’t received approval from the casino allowing you to use a third-party payment method, there’s not much we can do for you and this issue alone is enough for us to reject this complaint.
However, the casino also detected two accounts created (deleted or not) with identical credentials which is another serious breach of the General T&Cs, not to mention that the same payment method was used by both accounts which led us to believe that the casino truly acted in compliance with their T&Cs.
I can only recommend that you avoid situations like this by using a payment method issued in your own name and please, always create accounts with your own personal information, otherwise it raises strong suspicion of duplicate accounts made by one person.
I am sorry, but after gathering all the available information, I am afraid that we cannot proceed further with this complaint. Please, let me know if there is anything else I could help you with, or if I have overlooked something, otherwise, I will be forced to close this complaint.
Thank you very much in advance for your reply and understanding.
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1 year ago
Translation
Hello again.
I want to ask you to read my arguments and evidence that I have collected.
Let's clarify first about the AML rules.
The casino prohibits the use of foreign payment and deposit methods to prevent possible fraud or money laundering.
Money laundering can be divided into three steps:
1. Depositing illegal funds into the financial system
2. Transactions designed to conceal the illicit origin of funds, known as "layering"
3. Using laundered funds to acquire real estate, financial instruments or commercial investments.
The KYC process aims to stop such schemes at the first deposit window.
Therefore, the word "may" is written and used repeatedly in the Pledoo rules regarding account duplication, deposits and withdrawals.
2.1
(You may open only one account. If You open another account Pledoo may void all bets made from this duplicate account.)
3.2
(If the Customer notices that multiple accounts have been created, it is the Customers responsibility to immediately inform Pledoo about it. Any other accounts which You open with us, or which are beneficially owned by You in relation to the Services shall be "Duplicate Accounts ". We may close any Duplicate Account (but shall not be obliged to do so). Pledoo reserves the right to decide if multiple accounts have been registered, opened or created with no misconduct and is a result of an error. If Pledoo should have reasonable grounds to believe any fraud has been committed or transacted, we reserve the right to block the account and confiscate any funds therein.)
3.4 under point 2
(If our security department can't fully verify clients' account and/or have reasonable suspicions that fraudulent activity is at play, clients' winnings can be voided and account blocked.)
16.3
(If we consider the violation of the rules as an attempt to cheat the casino, Pledoo may confiscate all winnings and deposits without refund.)
Therefore, it is my understanding from everything written that Pledoo may take action to block an account or confiscate funds. But this is not mandatory and at their discretion they approve or block.
This means that they perform actions that are always in their favor!
Let's move on.
Regarding Rule 4.6 of Pledoo namely:
The Customer shall only use payment methods that are issued legally and belong to the Customer.
No one mentioned that on 26.02.2023 a Notarized power of attorney was sent, in which it was written:
To carry out on my behalf and at my expense all necessary actions regarding:
Representation before individuals and legal entities, state registers and institutions, banks and other financial institutions.
This Notarized Power of Attorney was not accepted by Pledoo. Another one was requested which says that the Skrill account holder gives me rights over this account. Therefore, I received one and sent it on 03/01/2023. But it was also not accepted because it came into force on 01.03.2023 and during the deposit I did not have the right to perform these actions.
In your code section payments it says:
This rule is mainly in place to prevent misuse of credit cards and also due to international regulations against money laundering.'
So where Casino Guru and Pledoo have you seen fraud or money laundering?
- FRAUD - is introducing and/or maintaining a delusion in someone with selfish motives. Fraud is a crime against property.
- MONEY LAUNDERING is a process in which funds are ostensibly the proceeds of cash receipts or income from other assets, and in which the impression is created that large sums of money obtained from serious crimes, such as drug trafficking or terrorism, are legitimate proceeds of legitimate activity and have a legitimate legal origin. Money laundering is a crime under many jurisdictions and has different definitions. It is a key moment in the functioning of the gray economy.
So I would rule out what you wrote! I have also sent a photo of the Paysafecard I personally purchased.
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1 year ago
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Also let's assume the casino can't verify the account. Or let's assume there are any doubts or concerns. They have the following rule:
3.4 under point 3
In certain cases, the security department reserves the right to request video verification. If a player cannot complete video verification 7 days from the request date, Pledoo reserves the right to block the player account and confiscate winnings. However, the time given for verification can be extended upon request if you have any civil matters to attend in order to receive the required documentation (up to 6 months).
Then the casino could require video verification from both me and my fiance! But if they don't want to do this video check, they have another rule:
4.9
Pledoo reserves the right to pay any requested withdrawal via direct bank transfer if any suspicions of fraud and/or misconduct have been spotted when depositing funds at Pledoo and/or engaging in games and services offered by Pledoo
Therefore, the amount could have been wired to a personal bank account in the name of the Pledoo account holder!
Let's continue with both accounts. You wrote that the casino found 2 accounts with identical credentials. And the same payment method was used by both accounts.
But Pledoo wrote that Nikolay provided his phone number, email and basic KYC information. And nowhere is it mentioned that a deposit was made from this account! Apparently you didn't read what I wrote:
Nikolay has created an account but has requested that it be closed. No deposits have been made or any bonuses used from this account.
Nikolay created the account because he was redirected by an invalid BetitAll casino link.
Neither I nor Nikolai know, or at least we don't remember, with which phone number Nikolai registered. But during registration if the phone numbers match Pledoo should not create an account!
In Pledoo's General Rules it says:
2.1
You may open only one account. If You open another account Pledoo may void all bets made from this duplicate account. You declare that.
I see the word "may" here But that doesn't mean it will void bets! So Pledoo's personal choice again!
3.2
Account must be registered in Customer own, correct, name and personal details and it shall only be issued once for Customer and not duplicated through any other person, family, household, address (postal or IP), email address, Access Device or any environment where Access Devices are shared (eg schools, workplaces, public libraries etc) and/or account in respect of the Services. Creation of the account is solely for personal use, no principal activity on behalf of someone else is allowed at Pledoo. If the Customer notices that multiple accounts have been created, it is the Customer's responsibility to immediately inform Pledoo about it. Any other accounts which You open with us, or which are beneficially owned by You in relation to the Services shall be "Duplicate Accounts". We may close any Duplicate Account (but shall not be obliged to do so). Pledoo reserves the right to decide if multiple accounts have been registered, opened or created with no misconduct and is a result of an error. If Pledoo should have reasonable grounds to believe any fraud has been committed or transacted, we reserve the right to block the account and confiscate any funds therein.
Or in this exact text:
If Pledoo should have reasonable grounds to believe any fraud has been committed or transacted, we reserve the right to block the account and confiscate any funds therein.
They say they reserve the right to block the account. But again this is at their discretion. There is no statement that says the account will be blocked for sure. Therefore, duplicate accounts can also exist!
In conclusion, I want to write:
I disagree with Casino Guru's decision. You have only considered Pledoo's point of view. I also sent evidence of every single action I took. Casino Guru did not ask for any evidence from Pledoo to support what they wrote!
If the casino wishes, it can confirm the identity. It can also verify and prove that the accounts are made by two different people!
No offense to anyone but Casino Guru was faced with a choice whether to uphold the complaint or not. If the appeal was upheld, Pledoo would pay the appealed amount.
Considering only what Pledoo wrote makes me think the case is rigged.
I ask for a review of the complaint and to take into account the evidence I presented. As well as all my arguments that I wrote.
If there is any problem with the translation please let me know. I will translate everything into English. There may be a communication problem due to a wrong translation!
With best wishes
Evgenia K***
Edited by a Casino Guru admin
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1 year ago
Thank you for your input. Although I understand your point of view and your frustration, I must stand behind my previous decision. To top it all off, I would also like to add that I was informed that actually the account was used by your boyfriend for a certain amount of time and then you continued playing. So not only you used a payment method that was not issued in your name without consulting it with the casino first (please note that power of attorney in most cases only allows another person to use the account, but it doesn't make them the legitimate owner), you created accounts using the same personal details, but also two people were using the same account. So basically, there are three serious issues and even if this was divided into three separate complaints, we would reject each of them.
I am sorry, we always try our best to help each player whenever we can, and we always look at each issue from the point of fairness and not only blindly read and stand behind what's written in the casino terms. However, there are some limits even for us and our decision-making, and you breached way too many basic rules of playing in online casinos and we cannot support this behavior. Unfortunately, in certain situations, we have no other choice but to stand on the casino's side and this is one of them. We would really like to help, but it is impossible for us this time.
If you disagree with our decision, you can always try contacting the licensing authority, but I am almost 100% sure that their opinion won't be much different from ours.
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.
