Bonus Issues at Youwager Casino

[WLVRYN]

A few nights ago, I deposited $300 for the 100% bonus up to $300 at Youwager casino. The wager requirement is $15K for the bonus, and any games are allowed. The T&C's for the bonus are totally silent as to how yo actually get the bonus, but they say: "The bonus is given in a separate account called BONUS PLAY. The customer must play in the BONUS PLAY account in order to achieve the rollover. Playing in the normal, CASH GAMES, does not count towards rollover. When the rollover requirement is reached, all funds in the BONUS PLAY account are converted into cash and can be used in the casino or sportsbook". Here's a link to the full T&C's if you want to read them: YouWager.com | Online Wagering: Sportsbook • Casino • Poker

After I deposited, I noticed that the only option I had to play was Cash Games. I opened a live chat session to tell them that I was confused about how I got the bonus and that I wanted to play blackjack in the casino. The CS person basically said, "Go ahead and play" (I dont have a screen shot of this chat session, however I have screen shots of the next chat session, which confirms what was said). I assumed (wrongly of course) that I was ready to play. I wagered over $15K on blackjack and ended up winning $200 (excluding the bonus).

When I tried to check my balance to see if my $300 had been added, it wasnt. I again opened live chat to ask where my bonus was, the CS person told me that I was never granted one because I didnt ask for it. I told her (a) there's nothing on the website that says I have to "ask" for the bonus to be granted, and (b) that I had been in live chat with her (the same person) a few hours earlier telling her that I didnt understand how the bonus was granted and that I wanted to play blackjack. Not only are the T&C's unclear (32Red clearly says not to wager until you receive the bonus), but I was in chat andtold them I wanted the bonus to play in the casino.

She reiterated that I had to ask for the bonus, and instead she would grant me the bonus now. I was relieved because I thought that I was going to get screwed on the bonus that I had clearly earned. Instead, she just granted me the initial bonus because now I had "asked" for it. I still had to wager another $15K to get the bonus! I told her that this was not acceptable, and that she needed to credit my account with the bonus to my cash account. Obviously I had no luck convincing her, and she suggested I contact back later to chat with a manager.

I just tried again today with a manager and was told the same thing. I could either withdraw my deposit and winnings and forfeit the bonus, or I could wager through the bonus again.

I understand that I never wagered my "BONUS PLAY" as stated in the T&C's, but I did wager more than $15K of my own money. Further, considering that the T&C's are not clear, and that live chat told me to go ahead and play after I questioned about getting the casino bonus, I think this is a pretty BS way to treat a customer (especially over $300). I have screenshots of the last two chat sessions if anyone is interested in seeing the exact exchanges as well (I dont like to do this type of thing over the phone if possible so I have a record of what was said), so I havent called them.

I wanted to post this to see other people's opinions before I PAB (Please dont tell me not to take bonuses at casinos). Thanks for reading.

[winbig]

Don't take a bonus!!!!

lol, kidding.

Go ahead and PAB. It doesn't look like they're going to change their mind. And as you said, there's nothing in the terms that says you have to ask for it. You're in the right here.

You wagered $15k of your own money. That's clearly not bonus abuse by any means.

[happygobrokey]

i just about signed up there the other day. number 1 on their t&c was the likes of "all deposits and bonuses must remain in the players account for at least 30 days."

i asked cs if indeed i could not get back any funds for 30 days and she said "your entire deposit and one half of the bonus funds must stay in the account for at least 30 days before being cashed out and they must be rolled over 4.5 times."

i said "so if i come out with 700 (300 dep +300 bonus +100 legit winnings) after the 15k wr, i can only get 250 right away, and i must wager 450x4.5=2025 a month later to get the rest?" she said "correct sir"

i said now what if i lose the entire bonus and some of my own money clearing the 15k, i have to leave whatever's left in there for a month and roll it over to get it back?" she said "correct sir"

i said "i think i'll pass as that's the lamest deal i ever heard" she "good day sir"

rolling over your own money plus half the bonus again (30 days later) is not anywhere in the t&c that i could see, and quite ridiculous if you ask me.

take all steps to avoid these guys imho.

[ace4suited]

when it comes to "abusing" bonuses or as it really is exploiting bonuses i personally feel theat there is an element of buyer beware about it.

If the clauses are ambigious that is a clear fault dont get me wrong but I think they are probably within their rights to require you to make the playthrough.

Their logs would suggest that you are not the sort of business to them that they want to support.

That said there are hints beneath this of poor customer service (the interim chat conversation you have no record of and unsympathetic follow up) and unneccisarily ambigious terms and conditions and some of the other information that comes to light suggests that these dudes are best avoided.

Where as i am willing to give casinos a small amount of leway regarding ambigious terms this all builds up to being enough to suggest that given there are loads of casinos out there these ones are best avoided by anyone wanting to cash out at some point without worrying about ambigious requirements being met so thanks for bringing this to light.

That said you clearly do not have good grounds for complaint on this so I would say you should either make the playthrough and get the bonus or talk them into removing the bonus so you can avoid them and take your business elsewhere 15K is a lot of wagering for smallish profits.

[soflat]

From the T&Cs it seems clear that you must have the bonus before play counts towards the WR. I don't know how the chat session went, but with these T&Cs I would have wanted to actually see the bonus money somewhere in my account before I started to play.

[happygobrokey]

op probably has 300 bonus funds in the bonus account, which is only accessible through the bonus play tab or some such. i haven't been to the site, but as i understand you play down the 300 in the bonus play account until it is all lost or wr is met, then finish out wr with own funds if necessary and endure the 30-day rollover cashout exercise following the wr.

as op wagered the 15k in the real money account, therein arises the issue, but in any event, the case should be heard wrt those bets being counted toward wr. sounds like the shaft though. perhaps plead for a low rollover (4.5 as per cashout terms anyway) to make the bonus funds into cash to mitigate the damage caused by the error? i'd like to see how this one pans out and how cs rates from youwager.

[WLVRYN]

I PAB'ed a week or two ago, but havent heard anything from Bryan. Nothing new from my last post, when CS totally stonewalled me. I do have $300 sitting in my bonus account, which has been untouched since they added it after I finished the WR. If Bryan can't help, then I'll just withdraw what I had, because there's no way I would give them any more business.

When I deposited, I fired up the live chat and told the CS that I wasnt sure how to get my bonus and that I wanted to play BJ (since they have a bonus for the sportsbook). She told me "Ok, then go ahead and play". So I did, and here I sit in the situation described above. I'll concede the T&C's did say that you have to play with the bonus money first, but your deposit is segregated from the bonus, so I thought she had set me up with the bonus when I started playing. I've played at enough casinos that I should have known better, but the thing that ticks me off is the CS knew exactly what I was asking for and IMHO was extremely misleading in her reply (and acknowledged that to me in the second chat).

The way they have their bonus system set up (not documented at all, and even when you ask for it you dont get it!) is terrible and I'm afraid will lead to many others being in the same situation. If I lose my PAB, so be it, but I'd like to inform others about their shadiness and misleading terms.

[happygobrokey]

they didn't give you 300 in the bonus account pre-wr with which to use toward the wr?

[WLVRYN]

No, I got nothing in my bonus account when I deposited. Its not like there were two tabs to choose between bonus play and money play. There was only one tab to pick, and me being unfamiliar with the software didnt realize there should be two tabs. You have to "ask" live support to add your bonus (even though it says nowhere on the site to do that), and then that second tab shows up. I thought that I had "asked" for it in my first chat session, but apparently wasnt clear enough, and the CS on chat told me to go ahead and play, so I did. It wasnt until the second chat after I finished the WR that they actually added the bonus because now I had "asked" for it (and then the second tab showed up).

[happygobrokey]

these guys are sketchy! i'm so tempted to do it though, i'm down on a couple signups in a row and need a tasty one to catch up with. hating variance right now, and for circa the last month. monthlies ubernext week!

wlvryn what was your bet size when playing? since you didn't bust over 15k wagers i may want to consider betting the same as you.