Sportbet.one Casino - Player's self-exclusion request was not granted.

Hi,

I initially opened an account with sportbet.one and then deposited and wagered. I had relapsed from my gambling addiction. I then tried to contact them and explained my addiction and tried to self exclude. They said I needed to self exclude in setting but takes 5 days (I found this strange as normally it would block the account immediately). I followed instructions and then several days later was able to log in and spend a lot more money. I pleaded with them on live chat to block my account and they wouldn't and said I'd need to do it via settings. I then said I had but it wasn't working, I was then told by them their site wasn't working properly and that's why it didn't work and to try again. Meanwhile I spent hundreds in the mean time and I feel this is down to sportbet.one as they wouldn't block my account and their website was at fault for their self exclusion not working and them not protecting vulnerable customers even when they'd been told several times over I've a gambling addiction.

They then offered me a bonus to resolve the issue about their self exclusion not working, how immoral and wrong is this to offer someone who is struggling with a gambling addiction and making it clear to them that this is the case.

Dear Stokesbomb,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience with Sportbet.one Casino.

Please allow me to ask you a few questions regarding the timeline, so I can better understand the situation. 

• Could you please advise when was the first time you informed the casino about your gambling problem?
• When did you initiate the self-exclusion process, and when did you subsequently deposit in the casino?
• Please send me the first email you sent to the casino in which you requested account closure due to gambling problems, and how the casino responded. My email is tomas@casino.guru

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,

Tomas

Hi Tomas,

I've sent you emails that I have and the chat logs that I still have in my inbox. I've requested from the website further emails and chat logs previously sent but they ignore my requests but I have enough evidence from the logs and emails I do have.

The self exclusion process was initiated in May when they got hacked, but they took no responsibility for this and even when they were made aware of my addiction, relapse and how it was harming me, they still allowed me to gamble right through for several months, with me constantly asking them to block the account and falling victim to my addiction and being able to sign straight back in.

First notified them of the addiction in May, and was able to continue depositing. I've lost thousands of £ due to them. I've every transaction saved as it was via moonpay or via coinbase so there's a history of transactions. They have continued to refuse to send me the history of transactions with them.

Any help in this matter is much appreciated.

Thanks for your messages.

Do you have your earlier conversations from May 2023 saved?

When were your deposits in the casino made?

Hi Tomas,

They haven't provided me the may ones when requested. It was may when their website.got hacked though and that's when I first informed them but have informed them several times since, including the ones in the emails I forwarded you on. I've asked them to provide me with more but still getting no response.

Thank you very much, Stokesbomb, for providing the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Jozef (jozef.k@casino.guru) who will be at your service. I wish you the best of luck and hope the problem will be resolved to your satisfaction in the near future.  

Thanks Tomas. I've forwarded Jozef my latest live chats from this company. I also cc him into an email last week and still havent had any responses from the company. They are continuing to let me play and I've sent the evidence in chat form to Tomas this morning. This website is so immoral and I've spent upwards of 3000 with them now and find it so difficult to stop.

Dear Stokesbomb,

I absolutely appreciate that you shared your experiences with the Casino Guru team. We will now try to get in touch with the casino.

Dear Sportbet.one Casino team,

thank you for your cooperation. Please, could you tell us more about this standard procedure? Is it true that the player could reverse it during this period of 5 days?

For an unspecified self-exclusion, it is acceptable. However, if the team is aware that the player has gambling problems, 5 days is too long of a period and the process should not be reversible. A player with a gambling problem is a serious issue, and they should not be required to go through paperwork for it. We believe that informing the casino team is a sufficient and crucial step. Once the casino team is aware of this information, it should be taken very seriously.

Dear Jozef,

For an unspecified self-exclusion, a reverse is possible during the following 5-day period. In case, a player sends us any kind of proof about his gaming addiction, our staff closes the account immediately.

Dear Sportbet.one Casino team,

Can you specify what you consider as proof of having a gambling problem?

Why it is not enough to just inform you about this serious issue? We believe that informing the casino team is a sufficient and crucial step. Is there any way you can reevaluate your position?

Dear Jozef,

as a decentralized platform, we cannot prevent a player from creating new accounts (after we self-exclude someone, this player can create 1000 more accounts in 1 day). A lot of players try to take advantage and after losing some amount of funds start trying to claim a refund with a reason of gambling addiction. Another type of player likes to impulsively request self-exclusion after losing a big bet and in a matter of hour they start to open numerous support chats and ask to reopen the account... and that's a never-ending story.

That's why our top management created this 5-day rule so impulsive players could reopen their accounts. For immediate closure of the account, we ask for any proof of a gambling problem (it could be anything related, like a medicine prescription, a doctor's appointment, or past visits, etc.)

We understand the importance of blocking players with gambling addiction however it doesn't make much sense in decentralized platforms like Sportbet.one (centralized companies have all the player's documents so a second account cannot be created with the same documents). We keep only email addresses and players have the freedom to create any number they want.

Dear Sportbet.one Casino,

please, could you respond to the player's last comment? Is it true that the player waited those 5 days but the account was reopened?

For immediate closure of the account, we ask for any proof of a gambling problem (it could be anything related, like a medicine prescription, a doctor's appointment, or past visits, etc.).

I don't believe it's necessary to request such a document. There is no medication for problem gambling, and sharing the document from a doctor's appointment is private. It is not standard to request it. The player clearly expressed experiencing a gambling problem and requested self-exclusion. It would be best if you acted as soon as you receive such information, but we accept a 3-day delay, not to reconsider, but to allow you to close the account. Acknowledging a gambling problem is a difficult and serious step to take. Providing you with such information is sufficient. Please, could you reevaluate your position or is it final?

I highly recommend improving your self-exclusion process, as it is not standard in gambling. Whether you are centralized or not, when offering gambling and a player informs you about such an issue, you should take appropriate action.

Hi Sportbet,

This is my main issue.. I explained my addiction issues, your system didn't work with self exclusion even after waiting 5 days. Your colleagues acknowledged this. I pleaded to block my account and yous willingly allowed me to keep spending my wages and loans taken out to fund my addiction.

Below is just one email showing what yous did even though at this stage yous had several months of being fully aware I was mentally struggling and there's emails showing yous this as well as live chats begging for help.

Hi,

The customer success department has decided to award you a one-time No Deposit Bonus of $1000, taking into account your activity on the platform and the software error with the self-exclusion feature. To receive the bonus, you just need to log in to your wallet on the website and a new EOS account will be generated for you. This is because your previous account was deleted at your request.

In the future, you will be able to receive 20% cashback in the form of a No Deposit Bonus every Friday, as you have already been informed about earlier.

Sincerely,

Karin

Due to all this I requested a refund because yous have failed to protect me as a vulnerable customer and it was due to your system failure, as well as being ignored on live chat and emails. This was for my account aaronstokes1990@outlook.com, as well as my other accounts I was instructed to open to receive a bonus with a new wallet.

I've also seen on trustpilot that others commented and yous responded that your antifraud system picks up on more accounts made by the same person, so this should be used to protect vulnerable gamblers who yous are profiting from and not just people trying to benefit from your bonuses.

Thanks,

Aaron

Dear Stokesbomb,

I mentioned above that our website is probably not the best option for you. Please stop creating numerous new accounts with bonuses for new players - it's against our rules. We understand that you're trying to take advantage of our decentralization and No KYC features by abusing our bonus system.

That's not gonna work.

Hi,

Can you please answer the other question and respond to emails?? Karin Russell was the one that told me to create a new account.

Yous still haven't provided a refund for your self exclusion system failing, and yous offering me bonuses due to exclusion failing instead of protecting a known compulsive gambler.

I've sent yous proof of addiction also, again it's been ignored. I've cc casino guru into all email correspondence now so they can see what yous are doing.

Yous still haven't responded to the below;

•

Stokesbomb

Visitor

2 DAYS AGO

Hi Sportbet,

This is my main issue.. I explained my addiction issues, your system didn't work with self exclusion even after waiting 5 days. Your colleagues acknowledged this. I pleaded to block my account and yous willingly allowed me to keep spending my wages and loans taken out to fund my addiction.

Below is just one email showing what yous did even though at this stage yous had several months of being fully aware I was mentally struggling and there's emails showing yous this as well as live chats begging for help.

Hi,

The customer success department has decided to award you a one-time No Deposit Bonus of $1000, taking into account your activity on the platform and the software error with the self-exclusion feature. To receive the bonus, you just need to log in to your wallet on the website and a new EOS account will be generated for you. This is because your previous account was deleted at your request.

In the future, you will be able to receive 20% cashback in the form of a No Deposit Bonus every Friday, as you have already been informed about earlier.

Sincerely,

Karin

Due to all this I requested a refund because yous have failed to protect me as a vulnerable customer and it was due to your system failure, as well as being ignored on live chat and emails. This was for my account aaronstokes1990@outlook.com, as well as my other accounts I was instructed to open to receive a bonus with a new wallet.

I've also seen on trustpilot that others commented and yous responded that your antifraud system picks up on more accounts made by the same person, so this should be used to protect vulnerable gamblers who yous are profiting from and not just people trying to benefit from your bonuses.

Dear Stokesbomb,

It is completely beyond me how many accounts and names you have and all your email addresses. We can't stop you from doing what you want. I'm asking you to stop creating new accounts with new player bonuses because I can't stop you from doing that.

All I can assure you is that by your actions you are breaking our rules and there will be no refunds under any circumstances.

Your strategy is to hunt for bonuses and in case of failure, create topics on sites and forums about your addiction, to return the money and do the same thing again. It won't work with our site, no matter how much you want it to.

Hi,

Again, I was TOLD by your representative Karin to create a new account. Would you like me to resend her email to you?

Yous have broke your own rules, as yous have a self exclusion system that doesn't work. Yous are also the ones that offered me bonuses to continue to play with yous even though yous were fully aware I have a gambling addiction and had issues with your site.

My strategy? This is ridiculous, I've told yous I have an addiction, I've supplied evidence of treatment as well as active things I've done to battle the addiction since 2019.

Your company has made harmful mistakes towards me being a vulnerable player and yous are accepting no responsibility for (A) your self exclusion system not working in May (B) 100s of attempts to self exclude via email and live chat ignored by yourselves and (C) offering me bonuses and instructing me to create a new account to receive them due to yous acknowledging yous didn't protect a vulnerable gambler with an addiction.

I really don't see how yous can argue in any way shape or form. It's quite simple, I asked for exclusion, was told to do it on settings and wait 5 days, I was able to sign in 7 days later because your system didn't work, that's YOUR fault.

Since then I was given a bonus to play because your system didn't work for exclusion and INSTRUCTED to create a new account. Again that's YOUR fault and extremely immoral given yous are fully aware I'm struggling with addiction.

Now yous are blaming me for creating a new account, even though YOUS instructed me to do so. You are saying you don't know how many accounts I have so how can you accuse me of having all these accounts if you don't know?

Honestly, I've never in my life had an experience like this where a company is so badly ran from top to bottom. There's zero accountability, and zero responsibility or empathy shown towards the vulnerable in society. All yous have done is prey upon me and the evidence is right there throughout everything.

I really hope justice is to be had as this is totally unacceptable.

Casino Guru, I'd be intrigued to hear your thoughts on the latest developments and any further advice for me to take this case further as it's disgusting how this company has treated me and no doubt other vulnerable people.

Dear Sportbet.one Casino,

I think you missed my last comment as the player was reacted right after. May I kindly ask you to respond to all of it?

please, could you respond to the player's last comment? Is it true that the player waited those 5 days but the account was reopened?

For immediate closure of the account, we ask for any proof of a gambling problem (it could be anything related, like a medicine prescription, a doctor's appointment, or past visits, etc.).

I don't believe it's necessary to request such a document. There is no medication for problem gambling, and sharing the document from a doctor's appointment is private. It is not standard to request it. The player clearly expressed experiencing a gambling problem and requested self-exclusion. It would be best if you acted as soon as you receive such information, but we accept a 3-day delay, not to reconsider, but to allow you to close the account. Acknowledging a gambling problem is a difficult and serious step to take. Providing you with such information is sufficient. Please, could you reevaluate your position or is it final?

I highly recommend improving your self-exclusion process, as it is not standard in gambling. Whether you are centralized or not, when offering gambling and a player informs you about such an issue, you should take appropriate action.

Dear Jozef,

Excuse me for not replying to your last comment. Now I will answer all your questions.

please, could you respond to the player's last comment? Is it true that the player waited those 5 days but the account was reopened?

In general, this situation does not happen, but our platform was not online for a certain period due to a hacker attack. Probably because of this, the user's account was not self-excluded. However, after the user's appeal, the problem was solved. The user account has been self-excluded.

For immediate closure of the account, we ask for any proof of a gambling problem (it could be anything related, like a medicine prescription, a doctor's appointment, or past visits, etc.).

I don't believe it's necessary to request such a document. There is no medication for problem gambling, and sharing the document from a doctor's appointment is private. It is not standard to request it. The player clearly expressed experiencing a gambling problem and requested self-exclusion. It would be best if you acted as soon as you receive such information, but we accept a 3-day delay, not to reconsider, but to allow you to close the account. Acknowledging a gambling problem is a difficult and serious step to take. Providing you with such information is sufficient. Please, could you reevaluate your position or is it final?

I highly recommend improving your self-exclusion process, as it is not standard in gambling. Whether you are centralized or not, when offering gambling and a player informs you about such an issue, you should take appropriate action.

Regarding providing any evidence of problem gambling, we share your opinion. Why did we arrive at the current implementation? Through years of experience, we have observed that most players who ask about closing an account do so impulsively. Because of this, in a very short time, we receive a lot of requests to the mail and live chat, about restoring access. That's why we decided to come up with a cooling-off period for players, after which their decisions will be more weighted.

In general, there are no solutions that will satisfy all parties, but we are happy to listen to your suggestion for organizing the self-exclusion process. After that, we will re-evaluate our approach and get back to you with the result.

Sincerely,

Karin

Hi,

The account didn't get excluded until September, the hack took place and I initially raised this in May. An it only took place in September because I ended up in hospital and had no access to my phone to continue to gamble at this stage.

There is no cool off period. Cool off period prevents a player from playing for the cool off duration. When I tried to self exclude, you can log back in and it just says reactivate account and allows you to log back in immediately and deposit/wager.

The solution for myself would be immediate exclusion when raising I've a problem and not to have things made so difficult. Also offering me bonuses when I've already made yous aware I'm suffering with gambling addiction, only added to my addiction.

I've sent your life chat proof of my ongoing addiction as well as emails which yous have ignored, I honestly don't know what more I could have done.

An I do feel a refund of funds are due to failure to protect me as a vulnerable gambler.

Dear Stokesbomb,

after discussing your issue with the Finance Department, we have reached a joint decision to compensate you 1000 USDT as compensation for the malfunction of our system.

We hope that our solution will suit you and we will be able to close your case. If this works for you, we are waiting for your address of USDT TRC20.

Sincerely,

Karin

Dear Stokesbomb,

as we've found a compromise I'll ask the Finance Department to speed up the process. Also, I ask you to remove negative feedback on other websites (Trustpilot, etc.). Wish you the best!

Sincerely,

Karin

Dear Stokesbomb,

Please, can you confirm the casino statement? Can I consider the case resolved?

Thanks and yes I can confirm they have now sent me the funds, I still feel extremely hard done by as I feel they should be sending the exact amount lost during the period when there was failure of the exclusion which would have been 5X that but due to my level of debt I can't risk receive nothing which is really unfortunate.

Thank you casino guru for helping me with this case as they had ignored my emails for several months until you were onboard. I can only help changes can now be made to help other vulnerable gamblers such as myself.

Dear Stokesbomb,

Thank you for using the Casino Guru complaint resolution center. We are glad to hear that your issue got resolved. We will now mark it as 'resolved' in our system. 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, but I hope you won’t come across a problem like this again.

Best regards, Jozef