WinDetta Casino - Player’s winnings were confiscated after account closure.

Dear Casino Guru Team,

I am writing to request your assistance in retrieving the €1300 that I am owed from Windetta Casino after my account was closed. 

My brief and tumultuous relationship with Windetta Casino began on May 14. I accepted their welcome deposit bonuses. After a few smaller deposits, I made significant ones totaling about €5000. Initially, I was unlucky, but eventually, I ended up with a positive balance. The next day, I was made a VIP and assigned a personal manager. I was able to withdraw €3000 in the following week.

Last month, Windetta hosted a tournament called "May's Treasures", in which I participated. I was extremely unlucky and lost thousands of euros while trying to secure first place. Eventually, on May 28, on the slot game "Book of Dead," I managed to 'double up' my winnings, achieving a multiplier of above 1700x (closer to 1800x, conservatively estimating €850 in winnings) at a €0.5 bet size. At this point, I got disconnected, but I was not worried because Play'n Go slots retain game states for up to 90 days. A few hours later, I restarted the game to finish the round, but the round was gone, and the winnings were not credited. I wrote to my VIP manager, who informed me that the issue was forwarded to the relevant department and that they would get back to me as soon as possible. However, I have not received any updates. Additionally, they removed the game from the site, as it now shows a "404 The requested URL was not found on this server" error message. 

(I have a strong hunch that the issue lies with either the provider or Windetta Casino assigning me a different 'player id' when I restarted the game. The unfinished game belongs to the previous 'player id', so I could not access it with my new 'player id'. I base this on my observation that after I relaunched the game, my tournament leaderboard progress was also reset to 0, as if I had not participated before.)

Windetta has a unique rakeback system where you receive a small percentage (0.3%) of each of your bets in a token called WIND. These tokens can either be exchanged for real money at $0.004 per token or "held" for a period (8 hours/1 day/3 days) to earn more tokens based on the casino's profit.

On May 30, a few hours after I successfully withdrawn all of my remaining balance from my account, I attempted to log in to start a new token holding session but received an error message stating "User is disabled because of gambling addiction". I am not a gambling addict and did not request my account to be disabled. I wrote to my VIP manager to clarify the situation and get my account unblocked. I did not receive a reply, but an hour later, I received an email from Windetta Support Service informing me that my account was closed by the decision of the administration, citing their Terms and Conditions (https://windetta.com/en/page/terms-and-conditions):

"14.5. Windetta reserves the right to close your account at any time and terminate the Terms of Use. (...) We shall, as soon as reasonably practicable following a request by You, refund the balance of Your Account."

While they have the right to close my account, I believe their decision was unreasonable and unjust.

In my reply, I acknowledged their decision but mentioned that they still owe me €1300 (€850 for the missing winnings and €450 for the approximately 125,000 WIND tokens on my account). I did not receive a response. They resent the same message, to which I replied similarly, but again, no reply was received.

On June 7, I sent another letter to both my former VIP manager and the support team, but have not received any response.

I have no other option but to seek your help in retrieving the €1300 I am owed. I also believe my account should be reopened; however, I have very little hope for that happening.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Best regards,

Mannfred

Dear Mannfred,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem. Could you please forward any supporting evidence, such as screenshots or videos, possibly your game history in Excel format with the exact time of your big win that was not credited to your balance along with any relevant communication to veronika.l@casino.guru?

Meanwhile, please check our article explaining "How slot machines are programmed" https://casino.guru/how-slot-machines-work-math#how-are-slot-machines-programmed and maybe it’ll help to understand how servers communicate with players and what issues might occur on the way.

Please understand that without any supporting evidence, we can’t proceed further with this case as it would be close to impossible to confront the casino.

Moreover, please bear in mind that the casino is entitled to close a player's account at any time and for any reason, as long as the player's balance is paid out. If the balance in your account was zero at the time of the account closure, we suggest choosing a different platform to play on.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Best regards,

Veronika

Dear Veronika,

Thank you for taking the case.

I have sent you all the relevant communication, including all attachments, between me and the casino, as well as all my supporting evidence. I have no access to my game history in Excel format or otherwise since my account is blocked, and I am still unable to log in.

I have just realized that Play'n Go slots also have a built-in game history feature that shows the results of the last 100 spins or so, even if they were made in a different gaming session. I verified this on a different casino.

I have checked the article and still believe there was no problem with the slot or the communication between me and the provider or between the provider and the casino, as I was able to play a lot without any issue. I still think a different 'player_id' was assigned to my account the second time I started the game, and that is why I could not access my unfinished game.

If my belief is correct, starting the slot 'Book of Dead' on Windetta from my account would show a (nearly) empty built-in game history, which would not be in sync with my game history recorded on Windetta's website. This would prove that on the provider's side, my account is treated as different from the account that started the yet unfinished round. Unfortunately, as my account is blocked, I am unable to check this. I believe someone with access to my account could easily check this, perhaps someone from either the provider or Windetta.

This assumes they are actively investigating the issue, which I am not sure about.

Regarding the rakeback WIND tokens, I have sent you the link to the website that allows you to see inside my (and every other player's, since this information is public) WIND wallet. The site does not show which wallet belongs to which player, so proving without any doubt that this wallet belongs to me is only possible by logging into my account and checking from there. However, you can still see that there has been no activity (starting a 'hold' session or making any bets) on it since my account was blocked. Also, the first bet ever made on the account happened at the same time I registered at the site, further strengthening my claim. This wallet contains about 125,000 WIND tokens, which worth $0.004 apiece, in total about €450.

Regarding the account closure, I am aware they have the right to close any account at any time without any reason, as stated in the Terms and Conditions. Although I believe this treatment is unfair, unreasonable, and unjust, I have acknowledged and accepted their decision. My issue lies with them not investigating the issue of the missing €850, not communicating with me, and not paying out what is owed to me.

Thank you in advance for your help in retrieving my funds.

Best regards,

Manfred

Thank you for your email. Although you have provided a lot of documents, I will need your gaming history in Excel format. There might have been a technical error that caused your bets not to be deducted from your account, so we have to check if your bets were successfully accepted.

You don't need to access your account to do this. To obtain your history in Excel format, please send an email to the casino customer support with your personal details and the date range for the requested history. You may add me as a CC in the email.

Thank you for your understanding.

Three days ago, I sent a request for my gaming history to Windetta support and CC'd you in the email. I have yet to receive a reply. Based on my recent experiences with them, I do not expect to hear back. Nonetheless, I will update you as soon as I receive any response from them, if ever.

Dear Mannfred,

We will enter into discussions to clarify and resolve the issue at hand. We have received your inquiry regarding your request and conducted a thorough analysis of your betting history. We identified a round that might be problematic. Indeed, in the slot Book of Dead by PlaynGo, you have an unfinished round dated 2024-05-28 00:05:20 UTC.

Unfortunately, the provider has not yet responded to our request for details about this round. However, we are currently escalating this request and expect to receive a response from the provider soon.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that, considering all the details, we have reconsidered the decision to close your account. Your account is now open, and you can access it at any time.

We apologize for any inconvenience and misunderstanding this may have caused.

Sincerely,

Windetta Casino Risk Department.

Thank you very much, Mannfred, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Michal (michal.k@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 Mannfred,

I'm Michal and I have taken over your complaint. I will proceed with addressing this issue with WinDetta Casino and aim to reach a satisfactory resolution.

Dear WinDetta Casino,

Although we are aware that the game provider's investigation can take up a lot of time, could you please give us any new information regarding the investigation of the unfinished round?

Dear Michal,

We have received a response from the provider regarding the user's situation. Based on the provider's report, the round in Book of Dead game, dated 2024-05-28 at 00:05:20 UTC, has not been played. Based on the fact that the round has not been played, it is not possible to know the potential outcome of the round and the estimated winnings. The provider deemed it necessary to refund the user the amount of the initial bet. 

Dear Mannfred,

The bet amount of 0.5 EUR used in this round has been credited to your casino account. 

For the inconvenience and long waiting time, you have also been given additional compensation. 

Sincerely,

Windetta Casino Risk Department.

Dear WinDetta Team,

I have requested some additional clarification to better understand the whole situation and to explore a potential mutual agreement on resolving this matter.

Dear Michal,

In the process of investigating the user's game round, we made a request to the provider. 

So the user reported that in this round he allegedly won 850 euros, we also sent the information to the provider to clarify the potential winnings. In some cases, if the round was played but not completed, the provider sends the potential amount of winnings for the round. 

In the case of user Mannfred, his round was not played, and it is impossible to know the potential winnings. That is, the 850 euros reported by the user is the winnings he could have received if the round had been played.  

To confirm our arguments, we have previously sent you an email response from the provider informing you that it is not possible to know the potential winnings. 

In summary, we would like to note that in accordance with paragraphs 18. and 19. of our Terms and Conditions, we have conducted a thorough investigation of the player's situation, as a result of which the bet was refunded to the user's account, as well as provided compensation. 

Sincerely,

Windetta Casino Risk Department.

Thank you for your emails with supporting evidence, Windetta Casino team.

Dear Mannfred,

I understand that the responses from the Windetta Casino team may not have met your expectations. However, after reviewing all the information and evidence, I find myself in agreement with the casino team. The game provider has confirmed that the round in question was not played, meaning that the alleged winnings of €850 were only potential, not confirmed. In light of this, the casino team's decision to refund the €0.5 bet size and offer you a bonus for the inconvenience seems appropriate. Additionally, all the WIND tokens have been credited to you, resolving that issue as well. I believe the casino has adequately explained and addressed the situation. Please let me know if you consider your complaint sufficiently addressed or if you require further assistance.

Dear Michal and Windetta Team,

Thank you for taking the time to investigate and address the issue. Although the outcome did not fully meet my expectations, and I am still concerned that significant wins can just disappear, I believe you reviewed all the information and evidence and I respect your conclusion.

Overall, my account was reopened and I received my €450 worth of WIND tokens back, although the missing €850 winnings are gone forever.

I consider the complaint sufficiently addressed. Thank you again to all parties involved for their help and cooperation in resolving the issue.

Sincerely,

Mannfred

Dear Mannfred,

Thank you for the confirmation.

With the complainant's confirmation, we consider this issue sufficiently and successfully addressed/resolved. We will now mark it as "resolved" in our system. I would like to thank both parties for their cooperation. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you encounter any problems with this or any other casino in the future. We are here to help you.

As you know, we do not charge for our services, nor do we accept any gratuities. However, we would appreciate it if you could take a moment to share your experience with our services on Trustpilot https://www.trustpilot.com/evaluate/casino.guru. An honest review and any suggestions you may have to improve our complaint resolution and mediation process would be greatly appreciated. Your feedback could prove helpful to others who are considering contacting us about any online casino-related issues.

Thank you in advance for your time. 

Best regards,

Michal

Casino Guru