The player from Germany had requested a permanent account closure at Winolot due to gambling addiction on May 19, 2024, but the account remained active. After relapsing and losing a significant amount of money, the player demanded a refund due to the casino's inaction. The Complaints Team found that while the player had not submitted the self-exclusion request specifying the reason on the correct email, the casino support was aware of the gambling issue and failed to act appropriately. The account was reopened despite the player's request for permanent closure, leading to the conclusion that the situation could have been handled better. The case was closed as 'unresolved,' and it was noted that WinOlot Casino was not licensed, affecting its safety index.
WinOlot Casino - Player’s account closure request has been ignored.
Black points: 1081
Amount: €2,000
WinOlot Casino
Safety Index:LowFailed self-exclusion
UNRESOLVED
Case summary
Hello,
On May 19, 2024, I requested a permanent closure of my account at Winolot. The request was sent to support@winolot.com.
On May 25, 2024, I received a response from this email address asking for the reason for the closure. I replied a few hours later, stating gambling addiction.
My account is still accessible and nothing has been done. I relapsed and lost a significant amount of money. I am now demanding a refund, as my request has not been addressed to this day.
Dear Tuffelkoenig,
Thank you very much for submitting this complaint. I'm sorry to hear about your problem.
Have you received any reply to the email from May 24, in which you informed the casino about your gambling addiction?
Could you please forward me the emails in the original format? My email address is veronika.l@casino.guru.
Before you requested to be self-excluded, did you pass the full KYC verification?
I hope we will be able to help you resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Best regards
Veronika
Hello Veronika,
the emails were sent to you in their original format.
I have not received a response to my reply "Gambling Addiction" dated May 24, 2024, stating the reason for the account closure. The account has not been blocked and is still freely accessible.
I had already completed the KYC verification at the time of the request.
Thank you very much, Tuffelkoenig, for providing all the necessary information. I will now transfer your complaint to my colleague Jozef (jozef.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.
Dear Tuffelkoenig,
I truly appreciate you sharing your experiences with the Casino Guru team. We will now proceed to reach out to the casino.
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 Jozef,
According to our established procedures, if a customer would like to self-exclude themselves from the site, they need to contact us via customercare@winolot.com.
Moreover, the email should clearly state the reason behind the request, and until recently we have not received properly formatted mail from the player.
Once we have received an email with the proper information, the exclusion process has started and the account was successfully excluded as per our standard procedures.
Note that in order to finalize the process, technical time is needed due to the fact that each request is being handled manually and undergoes various different compliance checks.
With that being said, the request for self-exclusion was handled within the timeframe specified in our terms.
Regards,
WinOlot Casino Team
Dear WinOlot Casino team,
Based on the communication evidence provided by the player, it appears he has been in contact with your support team and indicated gambling addiction as the reason. Has the player received clear and valid information on how to proceed with closing his account? You can forward relevant evidence to my email address mentioned below.
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 Jozef,
As mentioned in our initial communication, a valid self-exclusion request should be sent to customercare@winolot.com and must include the reason for the request. Our support team initially responded to the player, directing him to the appropriate email with clear instructions. The player did reach out to the relevant department, but his request lacked the specific reason for the closure. Consequently, the department responded a few hours later, asking for this information to ensure proper action could be taken, but the player did not reply.
After further communication from the player, we once again provided instructions on how to correctly submit the request. Following this, the account was successfully excluded, and the player received confirmation of the exclusion.
Regards,
WinOlot Casino Team
Then I assume that the WinOlot Casino has provided appropriate evidence for the statements it made. I strongly doubt this, because the entire statement is incorrect from start to finish. Player protection is being trampled on.
Kind regards
Dear WinOlot Casino team,
Did the player receive the same information when they informed you about their gambling problem via your support@winolot.com email?
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 Jozef,
On the 27th of May 2024, our support team responded to the player via email, directing him to the appropriate department and providing the Terms & Conditions detailing the process for submitting an exclusion request. The player then contacted the specified team at customercare@winolot.com, but unfortunately, his message did not include a reason for the request. As a result, the department promptly replied within a few hours, requesting additional information. However, the player did not respond or engage in any further communication until he reached out to us again in July 2024. This can also be confirmed by the e-mails to which the player has access.
Kind Regards,
WinOlot Casino Team
Dear Tuffelkoenig,
if these statements are true and correct, I am afraid you are not eligible for full compensation. May I kindly ask you to confirm it?
Hello Joseph,
I noticed afterwards that customercare@winolot.com after my second request of 27 May to customercare@winolot.com to close the account on the same day with the identical answer that I received from support@winolot.com had received.
I did not reply there, but only support@winolot.com on 24.05.2024 with "gambling addiction" and assumed that this would be enough, since support@winolot.com yes, the exact reply email came and I was also asked for the reason. Unfortunately, that was a misconception and nothing happened. I did not know at that time that the extra contact address ( customercare@winolot.com ) takes care of these concerns and the address support@winolot.com does nothing here. I assumed that this was just another support address.
For me, the casino failed in the sense that my reason for gambling addiction was not addressed to the appropriate address ( customercare@winolot.com ) was not passed on internally, but waited until I was directly customercare@winolot.com answer. This is about protecting players who have developed a gambling addiction and are therefore exposed to enormous risks. The fact that there has to be a reason for the closure is ridiculous. The casino is not really making an effort to pay attention to player protection. An indication of this is that I received an advertising email on July 30, 2024 during my blocking period and also that the blocking only lasts for 30 days, although I always insisted on a permanent block.
PS: My account is now freely accessible to me again. A new request for PERMANENT blocking was made a few days ago.
Dear WinOlot Casino team,
As you can see, the situation is quite chaotic. The player informed your support team about their gambling problem and responded to one of your emails, though not the preferred one. However, the fact remains that your team was notified about the gambling issue, which should have been properly processed.
While I believe the player bears some responsibility for completing the process through the correct email, your support team should be appropriately trained to ensure that any information regarding a gambling problem results in the immediate and permanent closure of the account, or that such information is forwarded to the relevant department.
I am not suggesting that the player deserves a full refund, but I do believe they should receive at least partial compensation, given that you were informed about their gambling addiction. Additionally, I consider it a significant issue that the player's account was only closed for 30 days, especially since you are now fully aware of the situation thanks to this complaint. I do not understand why the account is still accessible.
Could you please permanently close the player's account as soon as possible and possibly reach out to the player to find a fair compromise?
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 Jozef,
Please be informed that the player's account status has been adjusted accordingly, and the player has already received confirmation.
Regarding the self-exclusion request, while our support team is trained to handle a variety of player inquiries, such as those related to gameplay or payment issues, self-exclusion is a particularly sensitive matter. We have a dedicated team of specialists who handle these requests. The support team correctly redirected the player to this specialized group. However, the player’s self-exclusion request was not submitted correctly, so our team requested further clarification on the same day, just a few hours after the initial contact. The player did not respond or reach out via live chat for assistance until July 2024. All our actions have been in strict accordance with the publicly available terms and conditions, which the player agreed to upon registration.
Kind regards,
WinOlot Casino Team
Dear Tuffelkoenig,
Thank you for staying with me throughout the entire process. As you can see, the casino team has made their decision, and they are not open to reevaluation. Based on all the communications I have seen and the casino's position on the matter, I believe this situation could have been handled better, and your account should have been permanently closed a long time ago.
It is evident that the support team was fully aware of your gambling problem, and you requested account closure multiple times. I believe the casino team should have acted accordingly. While I do not believe you are eligible for a full refund, as you should have directly mentioned your gambling problem to customercare@winolot.com, I also recognize that you clearly mentioned it to the casino support on their classic support email. Information should flow more effectively between departments, and there is definitely room for improvement. You did everything you could, and simply not informing them of the reason through a second email address should not have impacted the outcome. Additionally, the fact that your account was reopened despite awareness of this complaint is very concerning. Please let me know if you encounter any further difficulties with this casino.
Concluding the information above I am forced to close this case as 'unresolved'. Please note that this complaint will have an impact on their safety index on our website. Be aware that the WinOlot Casino is not licensed and has a low safety index on our site.
Best regards, Jozef
