Hi folks,
A week or two ago I read about a 100% $1,000 max bonus being offered on Winward Casino. That sounded pretty good, and a site I read indicated that while people sometimes experienced delayed cashouts, everyone eventually got paid. They seemed to be a pretty established casino. A quick check of Casinomeister's lists of dodgy casinos revealed nothing. I should probably have scoped the forums first as there are a few previous threads about problems with Winward, but anyway...
I duly bought in for my $1,000, but when I logged into my account, I had only been given a $250 bonus. I emailed support and also one other address which I found on the website as being associated with bonuses. There was dead silence. I decided this was not a site I wanted to play at, and checked the
This sounded fine, since I didn't have any "winnings", having not played a single game of anything at the site. I duly submitted a withdrawal request for the amount of my original deposit. When the withdrawal was processed I received this:
I replied with:
This has been met with 48 hours of silence.
The bonus has now been removed from my account and I unfortunately have no proof that I was originally given only a $250 bonus. If you hit the terms and conditions link above, you'll note that even though the ad on the left says $500 max deposit now, the terms and conditions still indicate a $1,000 maximum, which is proof that they are changing their story from day to day.
What's my play here? I can simply play out the wagering requirements, but it's pretty annoying given there's no guarantee they will cash me out even then. Or, I can dig my heels in and insist that they cash out my deposit. Is this a severe enough problem to pitch a bitch? Advice of experienced casino-handlers appreciated.
Cheers
Chris
A week or two ago I read about a 100% $1,000 max bonus being offered on Winward Casino. That sounded pretty good, and a site I read indicated that while people sometimes experienced delayed cashouts, everyone eventually got paid. They seemed to be a pretty established casino. A quick check of Casinomeister's lists of dodgy casinos revealed nothing. I should probably have scoped the forums first as there are a few previous threads about problems with Winward, but anyway...
I duly bought in for my $1,000, but when I logged into my account, I had only been given a $250 bonus. I emailed support and also one other address which I found on the website as being associated with bonuses. There was dead silence. I decided this was not a site I wanted to play at, and checked the
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to see whether I could withdraw. I read this:Players must wager at least 12 times the amount of their deposit in order to cash out any winnings. Also the bonus money must be wagered the same amount of times as the deposit in order to be able to cash out. The bonus will also kick in once you spend 95% of your deposit. Players who attempt to cash out any winnings prior to having met the wagering requirements will have the bonus canceled and the withdrawal request declined, this process cannot be undone.
This sounded fine, since I didn't have any "winnings", having not played a single game of anything at the site. I duly submitted a withdrawal request for the amount of my original deposit. When the withdrawal was processed I received this:
Dear Chris,
Please note that your withdrawal request has been declined due to the fact that as per our rules on the website, before we process a withdrawal request customers must meet wagering criteria, for more information on this topic please visit this link:
Bonus Rules
Your withdrawal request has been sent back to your Winward Casino account and will be processed the following Monday if meet this criteria.
Thank you,
Winward Casino
Accounting Department
I replied with:
Hi,
First of all, at the point I bought in, your site was advertising a 100% match bonus to $1,000. I notice that has now changed to $500. But in any case, I didn't receive either a $1,000 or $500 bonus. I got a $250 bonus. I emailed support and a couple of other people about this and all my emails were ignored. Given this misrepresentation, I decided I did not want to play at Winward and therefore cashed out my deposit without placing any bets. I did not attempt to cash out the bonus money.
Your bonus terms and conditions does not say that I am required to complete the wagering requirements before requesting a withdrawal of my original deposit. From the terms:
" Players must wager at least 12 times the amount of their deposit in order to cash out any winnings.... Players who attempt to cash out any winnings prior to having met the wagering requirements will have the bonus canceled and the withdrawal request declined..."
I'm not attempting to cash out winnings. How could I have winnings, given I haven't played any games? I'm just cashing out my initial deposit. I don't want any bonus and I don't want to play at Winward. I would simply like my money refunded.
Please respond with an assurance that I will be able to cash out my original deposit this coming Monday.
Thanks
Chris Vinall
This has been met with 48 hours of silence.
The bonus has now been removed from my account and I unfortunately have no proof that I was originally given only a $250 bonus. If you hit the terms and conditions link above, you'll note that even though the ad on the left says $500 max deposit now, the terms and conditions still indicate a $1,000 maximum, which is proof that they are changing their story from day to day.
What's my play here? I can simply play out the wagering requirements, but it's pretty annoying given there's no guarantee they will cash me out even then. Or, I can dig my heels in and insist that they cash out my deposit. Is this a severe enough problem to pitch a bitch? Advice of experienced casino-handlers appreciated.
Cheers
Chris