Working Your Way Around Disputes With Online Casinos
Many online casino players who have spent a significant amount of time gambling must have experienced its withdrawal symptoms, not the problems related to compulsive gambling, but online casinos not allowing players to withdraw their winnings.
Players are often attracted by bonuses and promos that the online casinos offer like the lottery online bonus offer. Most of the time, they are legitimate and a good way to have an additional amount to your winnings. The problems arise when players don’t read the terms associated with the bonuses and this can lead to disputes. Let’s talk about some of the common disputes and the tips to solve them.
Disputes at Online Casinos
Bonus Disputes
Most of these withdrawal disputes are associated with bonuses as bonuses have these rigid wagering requirements that are needed to be fulfilled in order to make cash withdrawals.
There is a high chance for you to end up getting a much smaller amount of money than expected or estimated after the casino makes the claim that the wagering requirements have not been fulfilled.
Terms and Conditions
The varying terms and conditions don’t help either. The betting requirements aren’t even the same across different casino games, let alone online casinos. Different games contribute to the betting requirements differently. The terms may place even more rigid requirements based on what country you belong to.
Sticky Bonuses
Some bonuses are sticky or non-cashable. You should look for “this bonus is for play purposes only and cannot be withdrawn” in the terms and conditions to keep an eye on the bonus requirements.
If you play with sticky bonuses, you will be able to withdraw your winnings but won’t be able to withdraw the bonus amount making it “sticky” as it’s stuck at the online casino. It is very important to know which bonuses you play before you accept it.
Lack of Clarity
The bonus terms can be a bit confusing to some players, and they can easily end up misunderstanding the wagering requirements. This is also one of the reasons that result in many bonus related disputes in online casinos.
Tips to Solve the Disputes
Read the Terms and Conditions
Most players blindly accept the terms and conditions of the casinos when signing up or when choosing bonuses, and that is exactly what isn’t advisable. Knowing the terms and conditions of the online casino, you’re playing at, will help you avoid most of the problems listed above as they are directly related to it.
It is recommended that all players, novice and experienced players alike, should go through the whole document, especially the sections related to bonuses. You can also contact customer support if you need more clarity. You can always quit or skip a casino online whose terms and conditions don’t seem fair.
Play at eCOGRA Approved Sites
In 2009, eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) released a report showcasing bonus related dispute statistics. These stats showed most of the disputes were resolved in favor of the casinos, but the stats were significantly better for the online casino sites approved by eCOGRA.
Seek the Help of Adjudication Services Online
If you are having a hard time resolving a dispute with the casino’s customer support service and constantly following up is leading you nowhere, seek help from a third party, from betting adjudicators online. Most betting adjudicators resolve the disputes in favor of the players. It’s usually the licensors of online casinos who handle disputes of such sort.
Make sure you document all of your grievances with detailed information of events and associated transactions and send it to the licensor. For further information, you can refer to websites associated with eCOGRA’s services for dispute resolution and seek more help from watchdog casino forums online.
