This is a heads up for UK players.
Beware the UKGC is a sham regulator and only has the pretense of protecting players.
If you are defrauded, not paid or ripped off in any way they will not help you.
They will not even contact or investigate the operator.
This is from speaking directly to them on the phone.
Their official line, "We cannot deal with individual complaints"
When I asked what other type of complaint there was they could not answer.
I asked them to send me details by email of why they could not respond to my complaint and repeat what they told me on the telephone.
They said they would but I received no email. I sent a reminder email and no response.
The UKGC come under the Department of Culture Media and Sport of the UK government so I contacted them and even though they are duty bound to respond I have received no reply from various emails.
I have now taken this up with my MP who thus far has also been blanked.
There is something very rotten in the UK market and it seems UK players have been thrown to the wolves in order for the government get their share of the flesh (profits)
There are some very serious issues here, not least the conflict of interests within the UKGC as they are funded by those they supposedly regulate.
Further, the government profit from this enterprise and so also have a conflict of interests in that proper regulation may eat into those profits.
If you want an audit on all your gaming with a software provider you have played under a UKGC license forget it, the software company will ignore you and the UKGC will tell you they can't tell them to give you one. The upshot is that you have no way of having your stats independently analyzed to ensure the games are fair or functioning as advertised.
The UKGC do not perform software checks.
The only software check is performed when the game is first introduced to ensure it functions within the guidelines - thereafter there are no repeat checks or spot checks so absolutely nothing to ensure you are playing that version unaltered.
Further, other checks required such as RNG, audits etc are all third party and the UKGC has no role there either.
What does any of that mean for players?
It means that you could theoretically play a game of coin toss and lose a thousand rounds in a row and the UKGC would not investigate.
It means that a casino can refuse to pay for some nefarious reason and the UKGC will not investigate. They actually state on their website they cannot pursue funds or payments for players.
It means that if you pester them enough they will tell you to take the dispute to ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) which really sums things up because they are saying "We are just the regulatory body, if you want something done you need to go to a 3rd party who act outside our regulations"
You see under UKGC regulations remote casinos need to have an ADR in place. (Just a way of washing their hands of disputes)
But of course should the Casino just ignore your requests for an ADR then you need the UKGC to inform you of their ADR details so that you can initiate them yourself but of course the UKGC just can't be bothered with that either. (Trust me I've been there, done that)
This sums up just how Wild West the industry is and players are wide open to being ripped off in all manner of ways and have very little if any protection - just the pretense of protection and regulation.
If a Casino wants to cheat its players, essentially there is little to stop them other than bad rep.
That is where Casinomeister and other watchdog sites come in.
I don't know Brian but it seems to me he is a smart businessman. I doubt this site could thrive the way it has without him having some scruples.
Ultimately websites such as this do more to regulate gaming and protect players than the British or American governments and without undermining the role of watchdog websites that is shameful.
I will continue to push for transparency at the very minimum because UK players need to know the reality is very different from the perception when it comes to UK regulation.
Beware the UKGC is a sham regulator and only has the pretense of protecting players.
If you are defrauded, not paid or ripped off in any way they will not help you.
They will not even contact or investigate the operator.
This is from speaking directly to them on the phone.
Their official line, "We cannot deal with individual complaints"
When I asked what other type of complaint there was they could not answer.
I asked them to send me details by email of why they could not respond to my complaint and repeat what they told me on the telephone.
They said they would but I received no email. I sent a reminder email and no response.
The UKGC come under the Department of Culture Media and Sport of the UK government so I contacted them and even though they are duty bound to respond I have received no reply from various emails.
I have now taken this up with my MP who thus far has also been blanked.
There is something very rotten in the UK market and it seems UK players have been thrown to the wolves in order for the government get their share of the flesh (profits)
There are some very serious issues here, not least the conflict of interests within the UKGC as they are funded by those they supposedly regulate.
Further, the government profit from this enterprise and so also have a conflict of interests in that proper regulation may eat into those profits.
If you want an audit on all your gaming with a software provider you have played under a UKGC license forget it, the software company will ignore you and the UKGC will tell you they can't tell them to give you one. The upshot is that you have no way of having your stats independently analyzed to ensure the games are fair or functioning as advertised.
The UKGC do not perform software checks.
The only software check is performed when the game is first introduced to ensure it functions within the guidelines - thereafter there are no repeat checks or spot checks so absolutely nothing to ensure you are playing that version unaltered.
Further, other checks required such as RNG, audits etc are all third party and the UKGC has no role there either.
What does any of that mean for players?
It means that you could theoretically play a game of coin toss and lose a thousand rounds in a row and the UKGC would not investigate.
It means that a casino can refuse to pay for some nefarious reason and the UKGC will not investigate. They actually state on their website they cannot pursue funds or payments for players.
It means that if you pester them enough they will tell you to take the dispute to ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) which really sums things up because they are saying "We are just the regulatory body, if you want something done you need to go to a 3rd party who act outside our regulations"
You see under UKGC regulations remote casinos need to have an ADR in place. (Just a way of washing their hands of disputes)
But of course should the Casino just ignore your requests for an ADR then you need the UKGC to inform you of their ADR details so that you can initiate them yourself but of course the UKGC just can't be bothered with that either. (Trust me I've been there, done that)
This sums up just how Wild West the industry is and players are wide open to being ripped off in all manner of ways and have very little if any protection - just the pretense of protection and regulation.
If a Casino wants to cheat its players, essentially there is little to stop them other than bad rep.
That is where Casinomeister and other watchdog sites come in.
I don't know Brian but it seems to me he is a smart businessman. I doubt this site could thrive the way it has without him having some scruples.
Ultimately websites such as this do more to regulate gaming and protect players than the British or American governments and without undermining the role of watchdog websites that is shameful.
I will continue to push for transparency at the very minimum because UK players need to know the reality is very different from the perception when it comes to UK regulation.
