[email protected]

Hello 

I would like to submit this email as the thris step in your complaint handling process. 

I was playing on you site (Casino Lab) Saturday September 26th 2020 and I was at approx 5000.00 in winnings when I attempted to cash out. The site would not alllow me to withdrawal and since I have never won before I decided to call and find out why.The reason I called was the online chat function was not loading it would just time out.After speaking with your customer service department I was advised that since I was playing with bonus money I still needed to wager approximately $6000 before any of the winnings with actually be available for withdrawal.I specifically asked "so I can just continue to play the same game and keep waging the maximum $20", The agent said yes ma'am. Then we continue to make some jokes as I said typically I don't wage more than $.20 cents. At that time I think it would've been appropriate for the agent to advise the terms and conditions since he knew I was playing the maximum of $20. I played in good faith and I actually thought I won. Your system allowed me to withdrawal So I was very surprised to receive an email stating my winnings have been Forfeited (see attachment A).Your system could have declined my attempt to withdrawal as it did when I attempted to withdrawal the $5000.And to make matters even worse when I explain to your customer service department that I spent money I had set aside for my mortgage since I thought I won due to the misleading system allowing me to withdrawal 1550.00 .They then replied with an email stating I had a gambling problem please (see attachment B).

I am hoping you guys will do the right thing and honour my winnings as this has become very stressful and I've turned such an exciting time into such a nightmare. Covid has hit the world right now and it would be really nice for such a large company as Casino Lab to do the right thing and make the exception since the customer in good faith called Customer Service and follow the instructions given. I really hope you take ownership for the info provide by Customer Service and your system allowing me to withdrawal. 

Attach A :

Attached B

Re: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Your-rights/Concern-about-a-gambling-business.aspx

 File #659-09976

Sent from my iPhone

Dear Rachel,

Thank you very much submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem. I have checked bonus terms and conditions, and this is what I found https://www.casinolab.com/en/promotions/welcomeoffer:

"The maximum individual stake allowed when using a bonus (until wagering requirements are met) is:

Slots and Video Slots - $5 per bet.

Any other game - $30 per bet.

Failure to follow this may result in forfeiting any winnings."

Could you please advise which games you’ve been playing?

We would like to see casinos implementing systems that would prevent players from placing higher than allowed bets, but, unfortunately, this is not a standard practice yet. You were not stopped or blocked when you decided to increase your bet, and, as a result, you breached the maximum bet rule.

If you are aware of placing higher bets then the allowed ones, sadly, there is not much we can do to support your case at this time. I would strongly recommend reading all the T&Cs carefully before you start playing to avoid any misunderstandings in the future. Casinos try to design their bonuses to be as attractive as possible, but the rules must always be followed.

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Best regards,

Petronela

I find this very misleading that a casino would use term and cond clause as a final decision. First off their system would not allow me to cash out when I still need wager more funds. However they did allow me to withdrawal the 1550 which lead me to believe I won. If I was not Entitled to these funds then the system should've never allowed me to withdraw I should've got a message that said due to the terms and conditions this is not a valid withdrawal. Since the system allowed me to withdraw I believe they should honour.

The game I was playing was Reactoonz

Thank you very much, Rachel, for your reply. As you stated yourself, cash out option becomes available after completing wagering requirements however, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your withdrawal is confirmed and will be processed. All the requested withdrawals are being checked manually and if you have redeemed any promotional offer, the entire bonus session is audited for any terms of use violations.

Since you were playing a slot game (not a table or any live one) your maximum bet should have not been higher than $5. However, you admitted betting as much as $20. There’s an important principle that says, "ignorance of the law is no excuse". It means that you can’t defend your actions by arguing you didn’t know they were illegal or forbidden, even if you honestly did not realize you were breaking the rules. Please, understand that breaching terms led to confiscating the bonus winnings and it is an irreversible process.

Let me know if there is any additional information that I have overlooked, otherwise, I’m afraid I will be forced to reject your complaint. Thank you in advance for your reply and understanding.

I disagree and It's Unfortunate that casino guru will defend this sort of behavior. However more importantly I do have other agencies that actually agree with me.It's a shame that casino lab is going to ruin it for so many other casinos when it comes to Canadian Customers. It's also come to my attention that Casino Lab should not even be operating in my side of town And I will do whatever it takes to ensure Canadians don't spend money with them.

I believe that we have analyzed and explained your complaint correctly. Unfortunately, after gathering all the necessary information we ended up rejecting this complaint us unjustified. Sorry we were not able to help you with this one, but please, do not hesitate to contact us in the future, if you run into any issues with any other casino. We are here to help.