Of course, we hope this never happens, and that you can just skip this particular post. But disputes do come up (normally about bonus terms and conditions in our view, when we are talking online casinos). But here at onlinecasinoking.com we have been asked this question a number of times now- so as is our usual custom, if enough people ask, we write a piece on it.
The main compalints we get, are generally around withdrawing winnings. We spend quite a bit of time here making sure that we ONLY feature casinos on this site that play very fair in this respect, but like anywhere, there are rogues about, and even the good guys can be slow sometimes. If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of not being able to withdraw your winnings, and you feel you have met the terms and conditions of the site (wagering restrictions for example), then who do you complain to? What is your best course of action?
Make sure you have all the records.
Before you do anything, make sure you have all the evidence saved- so write down the dates, and details of your casino complaint- when you signed up, desposited, played, how much you bet, how much you won, on which games etc. You should be able to get this off the casino, but best if you can get it off the logs in the control panel (a useful feature to look out for when choosing an online casino is the ability to see all of your transactions and play details at a glance. Save the records). Take screen shots of as many pages as you need to (your casino account page for example). There are details of how to take a screenshot here– the best way in Windows is to hit the PrtScn button and then open up “Paint”, create a new image and paste in in. We also use www.getpaint.net.
The main reason why some (rogue) casinos delay paying you winnings, is that they hope to tempt you back in to play your winnings in the casino. They know that as long as you are playing, there is a chance of them winning their money back. Remember this! If you have asked for your money within the agreed time, and they are stalling, don´t play there any more. It only incentivise them to drag things out further. There are plenty of other “online casinos in the sea”. Any decent casino will just pay out when you have requested, and they´ll take the money out of your account as soon as you have requested it. There should be no funny tricks or shenanigans going on.
Online casinos need new customers, and they want their existing customers to come back, so make it clear that you like the games and will probably play there again but you want to test out their withdrawal speed. Even better, tell them you are very active on the message boards and that you are writing reviews of casinos.
Make Sure You Fully Understand the “Legalese” or T´s and C´s
You should really read the terms and conditions before you deposit money. If you haven´t- make sure you fully understand the legal text (especially the wagering requirements). Print the T´s and C´s out. If you don´t understand then, ask a friend who you think will, or take it down to the Citizens Advice Bureau and get them to take a look. A common gripe is not being able to withdraw bonus money after you think you have bet the required amount of times to meet the wagering requirements (say it’s 20x bonus + deposit for example). Check the T’s and C’s. Do they restrict play on certain games, blackjack for example? You’ll need to add up all of your bets by game and apply any contribution percentages that they have applied. Slots bets generally contribute 100% to the wagering requirements. If you play video poker, blackjack, roulette, or baccarat you will probably have to apply a contribution factor, and those bets may not count at all. You can check the wagering requirements here at OCK on the casino reviews section before you play.
Always Try To Go Up The Chain
The phrase “Can I talk to Your Manager” comes to mind here. Try and talk to the most senior person you can at the company to discuss your grievance. Throw in a few names of boards, bodies you are thinking of speaking to (see below). No one wants mud being thrown around.
It goes without saying that you should only do this if your casino complaint is genuine. If you are a bonus scammer- forget it. The casinos will have you sussed out in no time.
Ask a Third Party:
If you are getting nowhere on your own, then its time to ask for some help. There are various forums that will help players in disputes (our favourite is Casinomeister: Bryan Bailey has been helping players out for many years and “naming and shaming” dodgy operators).
If this doesn´t help you, you can start to work your way down this list below (which we´ll call the DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 1 list)
DEFCON 2 and then….DEFCON 1: The nuclear option.
If you have tried all of these options, and still got nowhere, it´s time to go for the nuclear option (bear in mind, it´s always better to come to an agreement with the original casino). If you get to this level, make sure you have your facts straight and all the records as it´s your word against theirs).
Gibraltar Complaints
Malta (EU) Player Support
Alderney (Channel Islands) Player Complaints.
Well, we hope you never have to use the information on this page. But if you do need to use it, we hope it´s been useful. And good luck with it.
