Withdrawal issue: what do you think?

[NobleR]

Dear fellow gamblers,


I would like to receive some advice regarding a withdrawal request I made at the platinum play casino. At this moment I'm utterly confused. On the 6th of September I visited the casinomeister website to find a good casino to gamble a small amount. I saw the “1500 credits free offer” on the homepage, and with nothing better to do I signed up for the offer. After winning ~99 bonus credits I requested the amount and made a deposit of €20.
With that money I played the Lord of the Rings slot with bets of €3. After some ups and downs I finally won a nice amount (around €750). After dropping €100-€150 I decided to call it a day and withdraw the rest. When I cashed out, it was made clear to me that I would void the rest of my bonus balance (around 79 so I made approx. 250-300 bets of €3). As I already read this in their T&C, I agreed:

1. Your cash balance may be withdrawn from your gaming account at any point. If you request a withdrawal before fulfilling all the play-through requirements of the bonus, you will forfeit your remaining Bonus Balance. Players that request a withdrawal before fulfilling all the play-through requirements of the bonus, may forfeit their cash winnings and remaining Bonus Balance if the casino deems the player to have used the bonus for profit and not to extend their gameplay sessions, or if the player is guilty of irregular play as defined in term 27 below.

After a day or two I receive a mail that my account needs to be verified, and I need to send in copies of my credit cards ending with (****), as I didn't use a credit-card to deposit, I refused to send copies of my credit cards. They agreed and apologized for their mistake. I then send a utility bill and driver's license and after another day I received a mail that my withdrawal was processed. As the money wasn't in my Moneybookers account I logged into my PP account and saw that my balance was reinstated. Again I contacted costumer support and finally they tell me that I didn't sent them a utility bill (or not a correct one: I'm not sure what they mean), and I didn't meet the wagering requirements for my bonus.
Again I reply and refer to their T&C, that I want to withdraw before fulfilling all the play-through requirements. I make a withdrawal and finally I get the response that I have to reverse the withdrawal because otherwise they will void all my winnings, and that it is up to the 'discretion of their security staff' to decide whether or not I can withdraw my winnings, and when.
I simply do not know what to say. It seems to me that they simply don't want to pay, and are hoping that I will lose it all back. Can anyone here give me a sound advice? Do you agree that this is at the very least unethical?


Thanks.

[maxd]

Hello,

The proper procedure for posting complaints here at Casinomeister is found in our FAQ, here: Posting Complaints.

If after you've contacted the casino representative your issue us still unresolved you can consider asking us to look into it for you. This is our Pitch-A-Bitch service, open to all Casinomeister members in good standing, and free of charge. To begin looking into that please read our Pitch-A-Bitch FAQ at http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...?faq=cmfaq_pab

Please read ALL of the PAB FAQ because it is important for you to know what to expect from the process and what we expect from you before, during and after we pursue the issue on your behalf.

Once you've read the FAQ and have determined that you do qualify for our assistance proceed to file the PAB and I'll take it from there.

Until then,
Regards,
Max Drayman
Casinomeister.com, Player Complaints Manager

[vinylweatherman]

Rules for welcome bonuses often differ from those for loyalty offers. One common difference is that this early withdrawal option (with loss of remaining bonus balance) is not applicable for the welcome bonus. This is why CS have told you that you have to complete the WR before making your first withdrawal. This is probably covered in the terms and conditions for the welcome offer.


EDIT

1500 Free Bets - No deposit required - Keep your winnings
The Platinum Play 1500 Free Bets offer is applicable to first time Real players at Platinum Play Online Casino.
On registration of a Real account, players will be eligible to log in to a £1500 Free Bets account which will be allocated with £1500 free credits.
In order to transfer any winnings you need to play through the initial £1500 credits at least once.
Provided that the £1500 has been played through at least once in full, any balance over and above the original £1500 will be considered winnings up to a maximum of £100.
The initial £1500 cannot be transferred from the Free Play account.
A minimum deposit of £20 must be made in the player's Real account before winnings from the €1500 Free Bets account can be transferred to the Bonus balance of your real account.
The Free Play credits must be used within one day of the allocation of credits to the Free Bets account.
Any casino winnings must be claimed within 2 days of the allocation of the credits into the 1500 Free Bets account.
The account will automatically be closed after winnings have been transferred or after 2 days have lapsed. All outstanding credits will be lost on the closure of the account.
All winnings transferred to a Real account will be subject to standard play-through requirements.
In the interest of avoiding any confusion related to the bonus offer, please be certain to read the play-through requirements contained in the Promotional Terms & Conditions.
Please be certain to read the Promotional Terms & Conditions.

If you attempt a withdrawal before fulfilling all the play-through requirements of the welcome bonus, you will forfeit your cash winnings and Bonus Balance.

It seems there IS a special requirement for the welcome bonus. You CAN withdraw early, but you void your WINNINGS, not just your bonus balance.

It could be clearer, as above it says "All winnings transferred to a Real account will be subject to standard play-through requirements.", which could be interpreted that the standard early withdrawal and bonus sacrifice part of "standard play-through requirements" also applies.

Perhaps this would be better:-

All winnings transferred to a Real account will be subject to standard play-through requirements, except that the early withdrawal provision (with forefeit of remaining bonus balance) will not apply.

The add-on line explaining this can then be dropped.