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I love to get letters and e-mail from people who have had terrific experiences online. Whether it’s news of the monumental jackpot they hit on their birthday or just some simple feedback about how wonderful they think a particular site is, it’s always nice to hear from content players.
Unfortunately, not everyone has a happy tale to tell about their online gaming experiences, and a fair share of the letters I receive are from players reporting their misery or looking for some advice about how to handle an unexpected problem. Since I’m always eager to help players in need, below are the solutions to some of the unfortunate problems posed in recent letters.
Problem #1: Opps…I made a mistake.
Mistakes happen. Even veteran gamblers are not immune to error, especially when it comes to online casinos. Recently, I received a letter from an angry online player (let’s call them the Smiths) whose wife had entered a slots tournament at a reputable site. During play, she opted to leave her original machine to try her luck at another identical slot. Unfortunately, the new machine apparently wasn’t operating as part of the tournament (although they claimed all such slots were listed as part of the tournament) and before she new it a small chunk of her bankroll—and not her tournament chips—had been eaten up. So who’s at fault?
Generally speaking, the player is ultimately responsible for any errors in play that result in a loss. But in this particular case it appears that the player did not violate any of the tournament’s regulations. According to the players “The rules and instructions for the tournament said nothing about the tournament limiting the player to one particular…slot; in fact, it clearly implied that all of the…machines were in it.” In such a situation, the players do have a case against the casino.
Solution: Contact the casino manager and fully explain the situation in a calm and rational manner. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll get your money back—each site has its own policy regarding such circumstances—customers whose track record is free of similar unfortunate errors or complaints will receive some level of satisfaction, especially if they’re a good client that the site wants to keep. Now in the case above, this is exactly what the “Smiths” did, and they reported that the casino manager agreed to “look into that matter.” Unfortunately, as of this writing, the “Smiths” have yet to see any refund, and the manager has failed to respond to subsequent e-mails. I have personally contacted the casino hoping to help resolve this situation.
Problem #2: Where’s my bonus?
Online casinos offer plenty of cash incentives to bring players onboard. Match deposits, sign-up bonuses, and new player bonuses are just a few of the bankroll-boosting schemes offered to players willing to take a shot with a new site. But while these promotions can be quite lucrative—often doubling or tripling one’s stack right off the bat—most new players fail to realize that the are not without their limitations. Indeed, I routinely receive letters from players who have deposited money into a real player account with a casino—after being promised a huge bonus—only to be unable to use or withdraw the free cash. In short, they feel that they have been the victims of false advertising and want to know if there is anything they can do to get their promised funds.
Unfortunately,in most cases such as this, players fail to realize that the casino has done nothing beyond the scope of its promotional policy. All sites that offer special promotions or bonuses spell out precisely what minimum requirements must be met before a player is entitled to the cash. (And if they don’t—be very, very suspicious.) These rules generally include disclaimers such as:
- The bonus is a one-time promotion, available only to new (first-time) players on their initial deposit
- Players must meet minimum wager requirements. (Some are minimal, requiring players to wager five or ten times the bonus before that cash is available. Others run 25 times, 35 times or more the size of the bonus, requiring players to wager thousands of dollars before they are eligible to pick up that bonus.)
- The wager requirements are NOT met by all games. (Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, and Sic-Bo are among the most common games excluded.)
Solution: Always be sure to read the fine print or promotional disclaimers about any promotion before you rush headlong into playing. If a site offers you a $100 deposit bonus, but requires you to wager 25 times the value of the bonus, that’s a total of $2,500 that must first be wagered before you can cashout the bonus. If you have no intention of playing that much, you may want to re-think how valuable that specific promotion really is to you and find a site with a less restrictive policy.
Problem #3: I won but they refuse to pay me
Although this problem is considerably rarer then it used to be, occasionally I come across horror stories of players who claim to have hit a major (or even minor) jackpot at an online casino, only to suffer the heartbreak and frustration of never getting paid. In many of these cases, the site originally apologizes and claims that the money is “on its way” (when it really isn’t) and then proceeds to ignore the player’s emails, hoping that the offended party will eventually just give up and go away.
While reputable sites are more than happy to pay their big winners—getting plenty of publicity that increases their membership—illicit or “scam sites” have no intention of paying their players a cent or even refunding the original deposit money. Their only goal, in fact, is to take as much money from unsuspecting gamblers as they can, as quickly as they can. Because of such sites, players should approach new casinos with extreme skepticism and always do a thorough check of the site’s history (via magazines, gambling portals and player forums) before depositing any money.
Solution: Sadly, there is often very little you can do if you’ve fallen victim to an illicit site. You can try contacting groups like eCOGRA (if the site is a member) or web watchdogs who may be able to intervene on your behalf. I also try to step in and offer assistance where I can, so readers are always welcome to send me an e-mail explaining their situation at editor@casino.com . Regardless of the outcome, however, be sure to post your experiences online in forums and gambling portals to help prevent other players from suffering the same fate.
Except for during extreme circumstances—such as the “refusal to pay” scenario above—most online casinos are fairly easy to work with. They want their players to be confident, comfortable and satisfied, because they know that the same convenience that brought you to their door could just as easily bring you elsewhere. With that in mind, never be afraid to pay a visit to a site’s customer service department if you happen to run into a bit of trouble. If the site is reputable and your claim is legitimate, chances are you’ll leave happy.
If you’ve been scammed
If you have fallen prey to what you believe is an online casino scam, take the following steps:
- Contact the casino manager immediately.
- If they’re unresponsive or unwilling to resolve the issue, close your account.
- If you used a credit or debit card or direct deposit via your bank, call the institution immediately and inform them that you may be the victim of an Internet fraud.
- Contact online gambling watchdog sites, gambling magazines, or other organizations that may intervene on your behalf.
- Do not respond to any future e-mail offers or promotions from the site.
Post your experiences anywhere you can to help other players.
J. Phillip Vogel is an expert in online gambling topics and the editor TheOPN.com His next book, Internet Gambling: How to Win Big Online is now available at Amazon.com.
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