- Joined
- Nov 4, 2025
- Location
- Kuopio
Hi everyone.
I want to share a recent experience with OlyBet that exposes a massive loophole in the Estonian gambling license regarding responsible gambling, especially if you are playing from outside Estonia. Estonia has a national block register called HAMPI and casinos must legally block anyone on it. But my situation shows exactly what happens when you ask a casino directly for help without being on that specific list.
In November 2022, I sent OlyBet an email stating clearly that I had a gambling problem and asked them to permanently close my account. I had actually already set a two year temporary block on my account earlier, but I specifically wanted a permanent closure which a player cannot do themselves. They replied in about a minute with an automated template, telling me to log in and set up a block myself which you are not able to do.
I had a temporary break on the account which eventually expired and in June 2024 the account just reopened automatically. No one contacted me to check if it was safe to play despite my written admission of a gambling problem. I ended up losing €8,283.67 net between then and September 2025, which is fully backed by GDPR transaction data. What makes this really hard to swallow is that OlyBet later confirmed in writing they actually considered using their own terms to close my account unilaterally. They knew about my written disclosure and had the contractual power to protect me but chose not to do it.
OlyBet now defends this by saying my case is different because I was not in HAMPI. They argue that only an active national register block creates a strict legal duty to prevent gambling. Getting into HAMPI is a nightmare for foreign players though. The Estonian regulator EMTA recently confirmed to me they do not accept Finnish electronic signatures. If you do not have an Estonian digital ID, your only options are paying a public notary in your home country and mailing physical documents to Tallinn or traveling to Estonia to do it in person.
EMTA also told me that if a player cannot easily use HAMPI, they should contact the casino directly, state their gambling problem and ask for a block. They stated that if the operator continues to allow gambling after a request like that, they can take further action. That directly contradicts what happened here. I contacted OlyBet directly about my problem, yet they left the account in a state where it reopened automatically. A previous EMTA inspector told me earlier that Estonian law does not strictly define how an ordinary account closure has to be handled. I am now waiting for EMTA to clarify if their current advice about direct contact applied in 2022 and what further action actually means in practice.
I am not claiming every lost deposit deserves a refund, but a direct written plea for a permanent closure due to a gambling problem has to mean something. It should not be brushed off just by sending an automated email directing the player back to their account. My advice to players is simple. Never assume an email to customer support gives you any real protection at Estonian licensed casinos. Keep records of everything and figure out how to get on the official HAMPI list if you need to stop. I would like to hear thoughts from other players, casino representatives or compliance staff. Should a direct email about a gambling problem trigger a manual block, or is it fair for a casino to wash its hands of responsibility just because you are not in a national database?
I want to share a recent experience with OlyBet that exposes a massive loophole in the Estonian gambling license regarding responsible gambling, especially if you are playing from outside Estonia. Estonia has a national block register called HAMPI and casinos must legally block anyone on it. But my situation shows exactly what happens when you ask a casino directly for help without being on that specific list.
In November 2022, I sent OlyBet an email stating clearly that I had a gambling problem and asked them to permanently close my account. I had actually already set a two year temporary block on my account earlier, but I specifically wanted a permanent closure which a player cannot do themselves. They replied in about a minute with an automated template, telling me to log in and set up a block myself which you are not able to do.
I had a temporary break on the account which eventually expired and in June 2024 the account just reopened automatically. No one contacted me to check if it was safe to play despite my written admission of a gambling problem. I ended up losing €8,283.67 net between then and September 2025, which is fully backed by GDPR transaction data. What makes this really hard to swallow is that OlyBet later confirmed in writing they actually considered using their own terms to close my account unilaterally. They knew about my written disclosure and had the contractual power to protect me but chose not to do it.
OlyBet now defends this by saying my case is different because I was not in HAMPI. They argue that only an active national register block creates a strict legal duty to prevent gambling. Getting into HAMPI is a nightmare for foreign players though. The Estonian regulator EMTA recently confirmed to me they do not accept Finnish electronic signatures. If you do not have an Estonian digital ID, your only options are paying a public notary in your home country and mailing physical documents to Tallinn or traveling to Estonia to do it in person.
EMTA also told me that if a player cannot easily use HAMPI, they should contact the casino directly, state their gambling problem and ask for a block. They stated that if the operator continues to allow gambling after a request like that, they can take further action. That directly contradicts what happened here. I contacted OlyBet directly about my problem, yet they left the account in a state where it reopened automatically. A previous EMTA inspector told me earlier that Estonian law does not strictly define how an ordinary account closure has to be handled. I am now waiting for EMTA to clarify if their current advice about direct contact applied in 2022 and what further action actually means in practice.
I am not claiming every lost deposit deserves a refund, but a direct written plea for a permanent closure due to a gambling problem has to mean something. It should not be brushed off just by sending an automated email directing the player back to their account. My advice to players is simple. Never assume an email to customer support gives you any real protection at Estonian licensed casinos. Keep records of everything and figure out how to get on the official HAMPI list if you need to stop. I would like to hear thoughts from other players, casino representatives or compliance staff. Should a direct email about a gambling problem trigger a manual block, or is it fair for a casino to wash its hands of responsibility just because you are not in a national database?
