Stake Casino - Player’s attempts to close their account have been overlooked.

Hello, 

I have a very serious problem with gambling. I have been self excluded from nearly every online gaming websites and am currently in the process of being self excluded from all local casinos since March 2021. I unfortunately fell back into gaming when I was able to make a Stake.com account and deposit without any restrictions. 

On around Sept. 12, 2021 I requested for my account to be CLOSED and DELETED. I do not have the exact date due to the support chat only saying it was 6 weeks ago versus showing the precise date. Instead of Stake immediately deleting my account after me begging for them to delete it, they insisted I must go through a 24 hour cool down period. I made it very clear that I did not want my account to go through a cool down period due to my gambling addiction. 

After the 24 hour cool down period, I never received the email they promised to send to confirm that I wanted my account to be deleted. Once the 24 hour period ended, my account was back to normal with absolutely no restrictions and no limits. 

Due to this I managed to deposit $45,924.77 without any restrictions after I’ve made it very clear that I wanted my account to be closed. 

Instead of Stake.com closing my account and taking my gambling addiction serious, they did the complete opposite. They started to give me ridiculous bonuses to keep me playing. Stake would credit my account $70 a day in free play plus a $100 weekly bonuses. They would also give me a monthly bonus. They completely knew what they were doing. As a problem gambler, they knew that if they gave me opportunities that I could not pass up on, it would encourage me to keep depositing even though I made it very clear multiple times I wanted my account to be deleted. 

3 weeks ago I messaged Stake again asking for my account to be deleted, but instead of them deleting my account, they made me go through the 24 hour cool down period again. What’s even more horrifying is that after asking for my account to be deleted, they started to ramp up how many bonuses they would give me to keep me playing.

I request the following transactions to be refunded: 

2:40 AM 9/13/2021 - $3107.91

2:52 AM 9/13/2021 - $1135.08

9:10 AM 9/13/2021 - $4465.65

9:19AM 9/13/2021 - $3925.54

9:20AM 9/13/2021 - $1119.11

9:31 AM 9/13/2021 - $1457.23

11:55 AM 9/13/2021 - $1998.51

2:31 AM 9/20/2021 - $2267.21

8:36 PM 9/20/2021 - $2513.60

11:33 PM 9/20/2021 - $242.72

1:43 AM 9/21/2021 - $2439.03

2:02 AM 9/21/2021 - $2558.14

2:08 AM 9/21/2021 - $3496.77

2:24 AM 9/21/2021 - $3373.76

3:13 AM 10/7/2021 - $2306.23

3:30 AM 10/7/2021 - $2763.32

3:37 AM 10/7/2021 - $4027.95

3:49 AM 10/7/2021 - $5033.33

I DID follow the instructions do the activate the self-exclusion on the 12th. (stake.com can verify that)

I DID NOT receive an activate exclusion email after the cool-down period of 24 hours (that they insist of having). I have attached a screenshot of all of my emails I’ve ever received from Stake.com

A few days later I logged in and all restrictions on my account were gone and I didn’t have any limits.

3 weeks ago I asked for my account to be deleted AGAIN, but they continued to make me go through the 24 hour cool down period. I’ve made it very clear that I don’t want to go through a cool down period, I just want my account deleted because I cannot control my gambling addiction. I’ve lost far more than I can afford and it is very clear in my transaction history that things are out of control. 

Instead of Stake deleting my account, they enticed my to continue playing by giving me $70 FREE every single day. Instead of deleting my account like I’ve asked so many times, they tried to prey on my gambling addiction and give me a benefit that would continue fueling my addiction. As a gambling addict, it is very hard to say no to an incentive like this. I’m very confident they knew exactly what they were doing.

Every time I’ve asked for an ACCOUNT DELETION, they tell me to go through the cool down period. The cool down period doesn’t even work because after the 24 hours, they never send the email following up to delete the account. 

No where it states that if you want your account permanently closed due to gambling problem, you have to insist of having it closed. I have very clearly insisted that I need my account closed, yet they’ve done nothing.

I’ve tried delete my account again and it puts me through the cool down period. It is impossible for me to close my account. Instead of closing my account they just keep giving me daily bonuses, weekly bonuses and monthly bonuses to pry on my addiction. 

Note , it seems like other have the problem that they don't receive the automatic self exclusion email after 24 hours https://forum.stake.com/topic/44766-i-never-receive-the-auto-exclusion-mail/

In whatever way the casino decides to implement responsible gaming , this have obviously failed for stake.com.

Dear justinanon,

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

Could you please forward all the emails or screenshots showing that you have sent requests for your account’s closure? My email address is petronela.k@casino.guru. Did you specify in those requests for how long you wish your account to be closed and clearly stated the reason why?

I have checked the general terms and conditions on the website, and this is what I found https://stake.com/policies/self-exclusion:

„If you feel you are no longer able to control your gambling or gamble safely, we offer you the option to self-exclude from betting with us. To begin the cooling off period as outlined below, please visit your account preferences.

To self-exclude means to stop betting or gambling for a set time. Self-exclusion can be temporary or permanent.

By requesting one of our self-exclusion time periods on offer you agree to the following terms and conditions, which will be effective from the minute you receive a confirmation email of your chosen self-exclusion, this email will be sent to the email address used to register your account only and will display the date of self-exclusion completion.

Requests made via our Chat function will not be actioned. However, a customer support agent will direct you to our customer support email service.

On receipt of an email request for account closure, the requested account and any linked accounts will be placed on our first stage, 24-hr cooling off period which will disable your account or accounts, allowing no gambling activity. Once this time has passed; while your account or accounts remain closed, a customer support agent will inform you of the 1-week, 1-month, 6-months and permanent self-exclusions available. There will be no variation of these time periods. To proceed with this process, we will require an email response. If we do not receive a response within a further 24-hrs, your account will be reopened and confirmed by email.

If after reviewing our self-exclusion options you decide you would like to proceed with a permanent self-exclusion, you will be required to set an exclusion period when prompted. On occasion, we might decide to place an account on a short self-exclusion period if we believe it to be needed and or beneficial to the customer. This will be communicated by email; the above terms and conditions will apply.

When you request, or we deem it necessary, to add a self-exclusion, all remaining funds left in your account will be returned to you manually."

Could you please confirm that you have set the self-exclusion inside your account as described in the terms and conditions and advised by the live chat?

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

Hey Petronela,

Thank you for such a quick response. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in this complaint and have the dates incorrect. In this complaint I stated that I requested a self-exclusion on Sept. 12, 2021, but upon further review I've realized I self-excluded my account on August 29, 2021.

I submitted another complaint to adjust for this error. How should we proceed?

But to answer your questions here are my answers:

-I made it very clear that I wanted my account to be permanently deleted. I didn't realize there was another option. I was always under the impression that if you deleted your account, it would be forever.

-I CONFIRM that I set self-exclusion inside my account described by in the terms and conditions advised by the live chat. I can also CONFIRM that my account was successfully self-excluded after following those steps. BUT I can also CONFIRM that I never received the email asking to confirm my permanent ban like they said they would.

-I will email you all of the screenshots regarding my account closure right now.

Thank you!

Justin

Additional comments from the player:

"Hello, 

I previously sent a complaint about this same matter, but had incorrect information. I was mistaken. I thought I requested for self-exclusion on 9/12/21, but have realized it was actually 8/29/21.

I have a very serious problem with gambling. I have been self excluded from nearly every online gaming websites and am currently in the process of being self excluded from all local casinos since March 2021. I unfortunately fell back into gaming when I was able to make a Stake.com account and deposit without any restrictions. 

On around August 29, 2021 I requested for my account to be CLOSED and DELETED. I do not have the exact date due to the support chat only saying it was 6 weeks ago versus showing the precise date. Instead of Stake immediately deleting my account after me begging for them to delete it, they insisted I must go through a 24 hour cool down period. I made it very clear that I did not want my account to go through a cool down period due to my gambling addiction. 

After the 24 hour cool down period, I never received the email they promised to send to confirm that I wanted my account to be deleted. Once the 24 hour period ended, my account was back to normal with absolutely no restrictions and no limits. 

Due to this I managed to deposit $76,100.80 without any restrictions after I’ve made it very clear that I wanted my account to be closed. 

Instead of Stake.com closing my account and taking my gambling addiction serious, they did the complete opposite. They started to give me ridiculous bonuses to keep me playing. Stake would credit my account $70 a day in free play plus a $100 weekly bonuses. They would also give me a monthly bonus of around $150. They completely knew what they were doing. As a problem gambler, they knew that if they gave me opportunities that I could not pass up on, it would encourage me to keep depositing even though I made it very clear multiple times I wanted my account to be deleted. 

3 weeks ago I messaged Stake again asking for my account to be deleted, but instead of them deleting my account, they made me go through the 24 hour cool down period again. What’s even more horrifying is that after asking for my account to be deleted, they started to ramp up how many bonuses they would give me to keep me playing.

I request the following transactions to be refunded: 

1:44 AM 9/5/2021 - $2832.76

4:01 AM 9/5/2021 - $317.49

4:25 AM 9/5/2021 - $818.47

4:34 AM 9/5/2021 - $613.49

2:38 AM 9/6/2021 - $631.78

2:48 AM 9/6/2021 - $1081.03

2:57 AM 9/6/2021 - $992.37

3:13 AM 9/6/2021 - $910.26

3:13 AM 9/6/2021 - $338.05

3:45 AM 9/6/2021 - $158.07

3:58 AM 9/6/2021 - $270.93

4:09 AM 9/6/2021 - $630.85

4:48 AM 9/6/2021 - $911.52

4:54 PM 9/6/2021 - $3625.95

5:04 PM 9/6/2021 - $1499.72

5:54 PM 9/6/2021 - $3650.27

12:21 AM 9/7/2021 - $3845.10

12:39 AM 9/7/2021 - $638.80

2:03 AM 9/9/2021 - $1009.27

2:40 AM 9/13/2021 - $3093.53

2:40 AM 9/13/2021 - $3107.91

2:52 AM 9/13/2021 - $1135.08

9:10 AM 9/13/2021 - $4465.65

9:19AM 9/13/2021 - $3925.54

9:20AM 9/13/2021 - $1119.11

9:31 AM 9/13/2021 - $1457.23

11:55 AM 9/13/2021 - $1998.51

2:31 AM 9/20/2021 - $2267.21

8:36 PM 9/20/2021 - $2513.60

11:33 PM 9/20/2021 - $242.72

1:43 AM 9/21/2021 - $2439.03

2:02 AM 9/21/2021 - $2558.14

2:08 AM 9/21/2021 - $3496.77

2:24 AM 9/21/2021 - $3373.76

3:13 AM 10/7/2021 - $2306.23

3:30 AM 10/7/2021 - $2763.32

3:37 AM 10/7/2021 - $4027.95

3:49 AM 10/7/2021 - $5033.33

=$76,100.80

I DID follow the instructions do the activate the self-exclusion on the 29th. (stake.com can verify that)

I DID NOT receive an activate exclusion email after the cool-down period of 24 hours (that they insist of having). I have attached a screenshot of all of my emails I’ve ever received from Stake.com

A few days later I logged in and all restrictions on my account were gone and I didn’t have any limits. 

Every time I’ve asked for an ACCOUNT DELETION, they tell me to go through the cool down period. The cool down period doesn’t even work because after the 24 hours, they never send the email following up to delete the account. 

No where it states that if you want your account permanently closed due to gambling problem, you have to insist of having it closed. I have very clearly insisted that I need my account closed, yet they’ve done nothing.

I’ve tried delete my account again and it puts me through the cool down period. It is impossible for me to close my account. Instead of closing my account they just keep giving me daily bonuses, weekly bonuses and monthly bonuses to pry on my addiction. 

Note , it seems like other have the problem that they don't receive the automatic self exclusion email after 24 hours https://forum.stake.com/topic/44766-i-never-receive-the-auto-exclusion-mail/

In whatever way the casino decides to implement responsible gaming , this have obviously failed for stake.com."

Thank you very much, justinanon, for your reply and forwarded email. Do I understand correctly that after contacting the live chat you have followed all the necessary steps to set the self-exclusion inside your account but confirming email was never received?

I have created an account and tried to set the self-exclusion:

Right away I received the email:

I confirmed it and went back to my account:

Have you checked your spam folder when requesting the self-exclusion?

I understand. Could you please advise if you have reported this issue to the casino when your account was still accessible after the cooling-off period? Were you able to deposit funds during the cooling-off period?

Hey,

I've tried to delete my account a few weeks after the cool down period.

I have made it very clear that I wanted my account INSTANTLY SELF-EXCLUDED but Stake refused to do so. After my numerous requests to have my account deleted and self-excluded, they started to send me insane bonuses to keep me playing. They took advantage of me knowing that I have a gambling addiction and used that knowledge to keep enticing me to play by giving me ridiculous bonuses.

I made it very clear that I wanted my accounted self-excluded yet they ignored that and started to give me perks to keep playing and depositing fully knowing I have an addiction.

I was not able to deposit during the cool down period.

Could you please forward any relevant communication that has been exchanged between you and the casino after the cooling-off period was over?

Dear justinanon,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to provide the required information in the given time frame, we will reject your complaint.

Unfortunately, we’re rejecting this case because the player hasn’t responded to our messages and questions. Therefore, we’re not able to proceed with further investigation or suggest possible solutions.

The player can reopen this complaint anytime.