I am a UK resident and have been signed up to gamstop since December 2021, I signed up to mystake casino in 2022 using the same credentials I used to sign up with gamstop and have been playing on their site ever since. I have learnt that they are not a UK site since, and my registration with gamstop did not register with them because they did not carry out a KYC prior to my first deposit which it clearly states on their website they are required to do so before any transaction. With this being the case.. I strongly believe this is unethical and they have not followed their safer gambling guidelines as required. I also believe it is illegal for them to take money from a UK player as they do not have a UK license. I have been in contact with the casino with this matter via email and I will send over the emails now. Their response essentially denied any responsibility on their behalf and solely blamed me the costumer.

Dear Aaronbuss77777,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem. I’m sure that you are aware of the geolocation of GAMSTOP operation:

"GAMSTOP lets you put controls in place to help restrict your online gambling activities.

Sign up for the service and you will be prevented from using gambling websites and apps run by companies licensed in Great Britain, for a period of your choosing."

Since you have chosen a casino with a Curacao license, it will be very difficult to resolve this case to your satisfaction. Please could you clarify, if you have informed MyStake Casino about your gambling problem before placing a deposit? If yes, please forward the relevant communication to [email protected]

Thank you very much in advance.

Best regards,

Tomas

Hi Tomas. Unfortunately I did not make mystake aware of the problem before depositing. My gambling addiction was completely off the rails.

I did not feel the need to tell them until I told them I was on gamstop after depositing thousands. However, I do have a screen recording of my chat with them where they clearly state they do not accept players who are signed up to gamstop, at which point they banned my account. With that being the case I believe any money I deposited whilst being on gamstop should be refunded!

And with the KYC they state in their terms and conditions they carry out prior to transactions, they would have known this. My main claim is the fact that they have illegally taken my money as they do not have a U.K. license. I believe this claim is more than enough? Many thanks, Aaron.

I am truly sorry, but the UKCG license is amongst the minority of licenses that task online casinos to check the identity of players before depositing.

Since MyStake Casino is licensed under Cura?ao eGaming the casino is not part of the Gamstop scheme and therefore will need to be contacted and informed about your gambling issues in order to protect you from gambling.

According to our article http://www.kpvfaw.com/licensing-authorities/curacao-license :

Self-Exclusion

There is no way to self-exclude from all Curacao licensed casinos at once. You must self-exclude at each casino individually. Cura?ao e-Gaming seems to be the only one of the four authorities that specifies a procedure, which is to request exclusion via a form on the license validator page:

If you find yourself in a situation where the casino has a different license other than a UKGC license, your Gamstop registration will not work to protect you.

I would advise you to request a self-exclusion due to gambling problems in online casinos where you have an open account as soon as possible.

Please let me know if there is any information I overlooked otherwise I'll be forced to reject your complaint.

I’m completely aware of the fact my gamstop wasn’t going to protect me on this site. It is quite literally advertised as a non gamstop site… Hence why I decided to play here in the first place.

You have overlooked the part where somebody from mystake casino in the live chat banned my account purely for the fact I was signed up to gamstop, as they "don’t accept players who are signed up to gamstop" so with this being the case I am absolutely owed the money I spent with them whilst I was signed up to gamstop. I have been punished for their negligence and failure to carry out their safer gambling tools advertised on their website! A KYC absolutely shows whether a player is signed up to gamstop and they say on their terms and conditions that before any financial transaction they carry one out. But that clearly isn’t the case

And you’ve also overlooked the fact that them taking money from an English customer is a violation of section 33 in the gambling act 2005. They don’t have a UK license so it’s illegal for them to take money from an English customer!

I fully understand your plight, however, our hands are tied on these occasions.

Unfortunately, we do not deal with complaints related to licensing regulations and policies, and therefore cannot ask the casino for a refund on your behalf, based on the fact they accepted an English customer.

The casino, licensed outside of UKGC has its own responsible gambling options, which you can take advantage of. If you fail to do so, you won't be protected.

https://mystake.com/en/static/terms/selfexclusion

"Self-exclusion

In case the situation is more serious, the Player may request the self-exclusion for an extended period. You shall contact our customer support team via email and request the self-exclusion for a period of between 6 months and 5 years. In case the User does not specify the period for the self-exclusion, the Account will be closed for 6 months.

It can be difficult to determine whether a person’s gambling has become problematic though. If you have gambling-related issues, please mention it while closing the account, so our staff will act responsibly. "

My speculation is that after you informed the casino support about an active Gamstop registration, that indicates having gambling issues. If you are unsure about the status of your account, Please contact casino support to ascertain whether your account is blocked due to this reason.

Please let me know if there is anything else, otherwise, we'll close your complaint.

Dear Aaronbuss77777,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.

Unfortunately, the player has not responded to our messages and questions. Consequently, we are unable to investigate further and have no choice but to reject this complaint.

The player can reopen this complaint at any time.