The player from Costa Rica had been dealing with an extended verification procedure at stake.com, despite having submitted several documents to prove his identity. After depositing 1.837 btc a year prior, he had managed to increase this to 4.02 btc, but couldn't access these funds due to the unresolved verification. The player had experienced difficulties with the casino's 4-level verification process, particularly at level 3, which required proof of address. After lengthy correspondence and with the help of the Complaints Team, the casino finally verified the player's documents and removed the restrictions on his account. The player confirmed the resolution of his issue, as he had been able to withdraw most of his funds and continue gambling on the site.
Stake Casino - Player's withdrawal is delayed due to failed KYC.
Amount: 4 BTC
Stake Casino
Safety Index:Above averageCase closed
RESOLVED
Case summary
Hi there!
I have had a 76 reply e-mail chain with stake.com to try and verify my identity at their site.
I deposited 1.837 btc on the site a year ago and was able to run it up to 4.02 btc. Since then I have not been able to meet their KYC standards despite delivering various documents to prove my identity.
I provided a bank reference letter, a proof of tenancy letter (notarized), a cable bill and also an energy bill. I am seeking help in any way possible.
Looks like I have a max of 5 attachments, I hope to upload the rest if this complaint gets approved and hopefully we can get this resolved so I can go back to betting on their site (my favorite bitcoin site by far)
AD
Hello vikesbaby,
Thank you very much for submitting your complaint and I'm really sorry to hear about your issue with Stake Casino. Please allow me to ask you a few more question before we would move forward.
Could you please advise since when exactly is the verification process ongoing? Which documents have been already approved and which ones not? When was the last time you spoke to the casino and what was it about?
Is your casino account currently still open and active? Did you play anything since the verification is ongoing?
Looking forward to your answer.
Regards,
Nick
Hi there!
Thank you for taking the time to review my situation.
The account is still open and accessible. But no sports bets or casino bets can be made. Withdrawals are also unavailable.
The account has been like this since October 2022 but I have been actively trying to do the KYC since April 2023.
Stake has 4 levels of verification. 1st level is simply filling out their personal information chart. 2nd level is ID verification with pictures of passport with or without selfie. 3rd is the proof of address. 4th is proof of wealth
I am currently stuck on level 3. For level 2 I had to send and re-send pictures of my passport, take selfies with the passport, had to take off my glasses, I had to add pieces of paper listing my account name and date etc. But I finally had it verified after about 6 different uploads.
Here is the level 3 information:
https://help.stake.com/en/articles/5328375-acceptable-documents-for-proof-of-address
"Please note that the compliance team reserves the rights to request any document they might need.
You can use one of the following documents to verify your address:
Utility bill ( electricity, water, gas or rent bill )
Bank or credit card statement (in some cases bank statement cannot be used)
Council tax, municipality bill or government tax letter
An official letter from your employer or educational institution confirming your address stamped and signed
Tenancy agreement
Bank reference letter - A bank reference letter should be just an informative letter with some of your and bank information. This letter should be in English and must meet the following requirements:
Shows full contact of bank
Shows your full name and address
Shows date of account issuing and type of account
Shows date of issuing of the letter"
What I was able to provide from that list was:
-Tenancy letter (It was actually notarized) to prove that I am renting the house where I live in
-Bank reference letter where the bank confirms my address and that I have an active account with them
What I was able to provide that is not on the list of official:
-Cable bill
-Phone bill
-An energy bill that is named to the owner of the house I am renting (this is somewhat typical in CR and other countries to have the utilities to be billed to the actual owner and not the renter). A copy of the payment for that bill was also provided, even a scanned ID of the owner.
As you can see the site does state they have the right to ask whatever document they may need. I understand the importance of KYC with all the underage gambling going on but I feel as though I have done enough to verify my identity in this case. I just want to go back to gambling on their site and have access to my funds.
I can send over the documents I have provided and also put the 76 email chain in a text file to give you an even better insight on the situation. Just let me know where/how to direct them to you.
Thanks for taking the time
AD
Hello vikesbaby,
Please forward any additional e-mail communication or evidence to nikolas.b@casino.guru. Could you also please clarify which documents are problematic to verify? Did the casino specify what is wrong with them or what should be provided differently?
Hi!
I sent an email but one of the files is 19MB, let me know if you received the email correctly. If not I will send the files separately.
The energy bill has been a problem to verify since it is named under owner of the house I am renting (this is somewhat typical in CR and other countries to have the utilities to be billed to the actual owner and not the renter). A copy of the payment for that bill was also provided, even a scanned ID of the owner.
The casino has ignored the legitimacy of the tenancy letter and bank reference letter. They have preferred to stall and ask for more and more documents. Their terms allow them to do so but I feel as though they are operating in bad faith and that I have provided enough to verify my identity.
All the betting on the account has been done from my laptop at my home. There is no suspicious betting activity on my account.
Thank you vikesbaby for all the information provided so far. I will now forward your complaint to my colleague Tomas (tomas.k@casino.guru) who will be assisting you from now on.
Wish you best luck resolving it.
Regards,
Nick
Hi vikesbaby,
I've just reviewed your case and am very sorry that you came across such an issue. In order to help you resolve the problem, I will contact the casino.
I'd like to invite Stake Casino to join this conversation and participate in the investigation.
Can you please provide us with any reasons for the delay in the completion of the KYC procedure?
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Regards,
Tomas
We would like to ask the casino to reply to this complaint. We are extending the timer by 7 days. If the casino fails to respond in the set time frame, we will close the complaint as ‘unresolved’ which may negatively affect its rating.
Dear, Sir.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you’ve experienced during the verification process. We want to emphasize our commitment to upholding a secure and compliant environment for all our players. Our verification process involves multiple steps to safeguard the integrity of our platform and we understand your frustration and concerns regarding the documentation requirements.
We acknowledge the uniqueness of the identification documentation requirements for different countries and in light of your situation, we kindly ask that you reach out to complaints@stake.com to continue with your verification process. Ensure to provide them with any information they may request from you.
If you have any further concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to assist you every step of the way. We appreciate your cooperation thus far.
Best regards,
Thank you for the response. I will contact you tomorrow to start the process to the email address you provided.
I will make sure to keep this thread going with updates from my conversation with Stake. I need the Casino Guru people as a third party overlooking the case the verification process stalls again.
I believe Casino Guru is the person that needs to respond to this thread to keep it alive
Thank you both for your cooperation.
Dear Stake Casino,
Can you please provide us with an update on the verification process? Thank you.
Kind regards,
Tomas
Dear Sir,
We refer to your additional complaint on AskGamblers and reiterate our response below:
As you may know, Stake is a regulated casino and applies with all the applicable regulations. These include verification procedures which need to be followed.
We have provided you with means to proceed with the process and it is unfortunate that these have not yet been followed. At this stage, the restrictions on your account will be reviewed once level 3 is approved by the relevant team, this is inline with the information provided to you.
As such and due to the delay, the verification link has expired. Please attend to emailing complaints@stake.com again and they will proceed to send you an updated verification link for your convenience.
Kind regards,
Thank you for sending a new verification link.
But before we proceed the moderator (Casino Guru) has to be made aware of any sudden changes in your demands for the verification process of my account.
Unfortunately the verification process has not gotten off to a great start. Seems as though Stake.com insinuated in their first response that they "may" be asking for Level 4 verification as well as Level 3 to unlock the account:
"Once the above is complete and verified, we will correspond with the relevant team to confirm what material is required for level 3 and level 4 verification."
This goes against what I was previously informed various times via e-mail (see file attached)
I gave them a chance to clarify their statement but I received an even more vague response:
"At this stage, we confirm that the restrictions on your account will be reviewed by the relevant team once level 3 verification is uploaded and confirmed."
Originally there was an understanding with your staff that a verified Level 1, 2 and 3 would mean my account would be functional again. At that point my identity and residency would be verified. What else is there to verify?
If you are somehow worried about my activity/presence on the site after Level #3 is verified we can agree upon withdrawing the funds and closing the account.
If you deem this to be an amicable solution please let Casino Guru and myself know asap so we can get started
Dear vikesbaby,
To move forward with resolving this case, I kindly request you complete the verification procedure requested by the casino. It is essential to follow this procedure to ensure that we can proceed further.
Please let me know once you have completed level 3 so that we can determine the next steps.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Tomas
I have completed the initial Veriff verification process I was asked to do.
Waiting on further instructions from the Stake team to attack level 3
Thanks for your confirmation, vikesbaby.
Dear Stake Casino,
Can you please update us on the Level 3 verification status?
Kind regards,
Tomas
Dear all,
We have provided the User with further instructions in relation to level 3 verification, however no document has been uploaded at this stage.
Once updated, we will be able to review the uploaded verification material.
Kind regards,
Dear vikesbaby,
Can you please provide the casino with the requested documents in order to proceed with Level 3 verification?
Kindly let us know once you do so. Thank you.
Kind regards,
Tomas
Sure thing.
Just sent my recently signed tenancy agreement. I even added my newest phone and cable bills.
I should hear back from Stake within 72 hours
Thanks for your confirmation, vikesbaby.
Dear Stake Casino,
Can you please update us on the Level 3 verification status?
Kind regards,
Tomas
Dear all,
The User has sent this information through an alternative channel, we have advised the User upload this information in accordance with the verification procedures to ensure that it reaches the appropriate team. We will be able to provide an update once complete and the verification team is able to review the same.
Kind regards,
Dear vikesbaby,
Can you please upload the requested documents in accordance with the verification procedures?
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Tomas
Re-uploaded in the format request by the security team (PDF with photographs of the document on separate pages)
Dear Sir,
Thank you for reuploading the content in the requested format. We confirm this has now been verified and your account restrictions have been removed.
If you have any further questions or issues, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Hi Casino Guru,
wanted to confirm that the account has been unfrozen. I was able to withdraw most of the funds and left some on there to gamble a bit.
Thank you for taking the time to look at the case. Let me know if you need anything else for me to have this case filed as resolved
Dear vikesbaby,
I'm glad to hear that your issue has been resolved successfully. I will now mark the complaint as 'resolved' in our system.
Thank you for your cooperation, and please do not hesitate to contact our Complaint Resolution Center if you run into any issues with this or any other casino in the future. We are here to help.
Best regards,
Tomas
