PokerStars Casino - Player with self-exclusion issue lost deposit.

I sent an email to the casino on 10.08.2020, requesting for the closure of my gaming account due to a gambling problem. However, the casino allowed me to open a new gaming account a few weeks ago, even though they were aware of my gambling issue. I lost a total of 87 euros and I inquired from the casino as to why they let me play. The casino blocked me and refused to discuss the matter or refund my money. They greedily exploited my gambling problem just to make more money.

Dear Hygeboy,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem.

• Before we contact the casino and ask for their standpoint, could you please forward emails or screenshots showing that you have sent a request for a self-exclusion? My email address is petronela.k@casino.guru.
• Did you specify in that request for how long you wish your account to be suspended and the reason why?

I hope we will be able to help you to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your reply.

Best regards,

Petronela

I sent a screenshot of the message to your email. I asked for the account to be permanently closed due to a gambling problem.

A few weeks ago I asked if I could open the account again, pokerstars replied that it was possible, as long as I just make a new account. The account verification process also went through.

Pokerstars does not agree to pay the money back.

Thank you, Hygeboy, for the clarification and for forwarding supporting evidence.

• Am I correct in understanding that you had an account with PokerStars in 2020 when you submitted a self-exclusion request due to a gambling problem?
• When you recently created your new account, did you utilize any of the email addresses associated with your initial self-exclusion request?
• If you previously held an account, have there been any changes to your personal details since then?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yes, there was an account and I couldn't log in anymore after self-locking. I asked the chat if I can open an account. I got a reply that I can't get the old account, but I can open a new one. I opened a new account with another email address, which was in the original closing message. The address information has changed, but the other information has not.

An update on the situation, enough that mga started investigating my case.

• Am I correct in understanding that a new household address and a new email address were utilized to establish a new account?
• Have you retained any communication from the casino where they informed you that reopening your previous account is not possible and suggested opening a new one?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yes, my residential address has changed since the account was closed. As far as I remember, I used a different email address, but I have also indicated that email in the closing message.

Yes, there is a screen shot that was advised to open a new account. I didn't realize to take a screenshot when I asked if I could send the conversation to my email. He replied that he can have a chat conversation if necessary.

Two days ago, pokerstars approached by e-mail and said that they could not find any account information. I answered all possible contact information, but nothing was answered. Yesterday I asked if my case had progressed, and there was no answer to that either.

I apologize, but I'm not entirely clear if you have a saved screenshot of the conversation where you were instructed to open a new account. Could you please clarify?

I sent you an email. It advises that I can open a new account.

I noticed that I first announced my gambling addiction sometime in 2015/2016, after which I was allowed to open an account.

Screenshot from the player:

Thank you very much, Hygeboy, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Branislav (branislav.b@casino.guru) who will be at your assistance. I wish you the best of luck and hope to see your problem being resolved to your satisfaction in the near future.  

Hello, Hygeboy,

I am sorry to hear about your experience. I will contact the casino and try my best to resolve the issue as soon as possible. However, I can see several discrepancies between your claims and the details provided to Petronela, or at least those screenshots/documents do not prove completely everything you claim.

• Although you allegedly contacted the casino via live chat regarding your first self-excluded account, on the screenshot of the live chat conversation, there are only a few last messages, where you mentioned your email address stated in your email with the self-exclusion request in 2020, but only in the very last message, while it is not clear what were you talking about with the casino before
• You took a screenshot of the casino's message about the impossibility of providing you with the live chat transcript, but although it would have been enough if you had scrolled up in the conversation and made more screenshots, you have or you provided us only with the one with only the last few messages, which does not make sense at all; it could also mean that the casino was not aware of your gambling addiction/self-exclusion, as you claimed
• It is a bit strange you did not ask about possible solutions, but you rather referred to the casino's responsible gambling policy and directly requested a refund of your lost deposits
• You submitted the complaint with a specific email address, but it is not clear from which account or how you contacted the casino via live chat, and it is not clear which email address was registered with your first self-excluded account; you asked the casino to send you the transcript to a different email address

Now I would like to invite PokerStars Casino's representative to join this conversation and participate in the resolution of this complaint.

Dear PokerStars Casino team,

Could you please provide us with an explanation of the player's situation in more detail? How it was? How was the player able to register with a new account at the casino despite being permanently self-excluded?

If we are talking about a breach of the casino's Terms and Conditions, is the casino able to substantiate its claims and decision with relevant evidence? Should the player expect a refund of his deposit(s)?

Can you share with me the complete live chat conversation with the player? (Please, see the last messages from the live chat session in the screenshot above posted by my colleague Petronela)

It is possible to share the data directly here, with your reply, or by sending them to my email address (branislav.b@casino.guru).

Thank you in advance for providing the information.

If I remember correctly, I may have been allowed to play in 2021 as well.

I hope pokersrars could compile my transfer history!

Hello Hygeboy,

Thanks for reaching out and for providing more information about your previous account.

We can confirm that the matter is being reviewed by the relevant department. Once they find your original account and the reason why you may have created it, they will contact you via email with a detailed explanation and a resolution.

Please keep an eye for your inbox.

Your patience is highly appreciated.

Kind regards

PokerStars Casino

Thanks for the answer. I have already given all the information related to the previous accounts on 21.11. I hope you can resolve my issue soon.

Hey,

Dear casino guru. Thanks for help. Pokerstars paid the 87 euros I lost and that's it! So you can close the case as solved.

What great news!

Thank you, Hygeboy, for confirmation and for using the Casino Guru complaint resolution centre. I am very glad you have received your funds. As the issue has been successfully resolved, I will now mark your complaint as 'resolved' in our system. Although I sincerely hope it will not happen, 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.

Thank you, PokerStars Casino Team, for your help and cooperation!

Best regards,

Branislav, Casino.guru