Casino vs GAMSTOP

RichyJ75

Has been a very naughty boy ...
PABnonaccred
Joined
Apr 3, 2015
Location
Kent
I have no shame in admitting that on 26th April I signed up to GAMSTOP to take a break from gambling. Why? Well, I see gambling like a box of chocolates - lovely temptation to partake of every day, very enjoyable but is not good for health/wealth if such a regular enjoyment! I was more a fun size mars bar person instead of going all out on the king size version!

I queried myself a few times whether I have a problem with gambling, but knowing I wasn't gambling to excess and getting into debt and was able to withdraw winnings without feeling the need to play to the last penny and lose, I reassured myself it was under control. Then I had a big win and thought it was a good time to take a break for 6 months, enjoy the money and avoid temptation of playing with bigger bets now I had surplus funds.

So, I registered with GAMSTOP. As I had various casino accounts scattered about, this seemed a great tool to do a blanket sweep and remove all temptations.

GAMSTOP advised me that all casino accounts from participating sites would be excluded within 24 hours of registration. As registration involves verifying your request via personal details on your credit file, I knew everything was correct and sorted. Besides, each casino account I opened had exactly the same registration details - e-mail address, telephone numbers, address, name, etc. I tried logging in to a couple of accounts the following day and hey presto, they were blocked and GAMSTOP appears to work!

Anyway, a week after registering at GAMSTOP I had an e-mail come through from Videoslots about some battles. I thought spam would stop once excluded, so tried logging in to Videoslots and my account was open and operational. My first thought was that Videoslots weren't participating at GAMSTOP (especially since the GAMSTOP logo isn't shown on their home page), so with some spare time on my hands I made a few deposits and lost, but easily passed the £500 limit to qualify for the freeroll battles as well as building up some casino race winnings and weekend booster funds. It was at this point curiosity got the better of me and I checked whether they do participate by sending a message to VS support. I received a quick reply only to be told they do participate and have now blocked my account. I queried why my account was open to receive deposits given I had registered a week ago, but they still have not replied adequately, only telling me my query has been passed to someone else. So they were more than happy in taking deposits, then blocking me from cash back, freeroll battles and casino race winnings! Makes me wonder whether any potential withdrawal would have been paid as well or simply confiscated ......

I found out that Marathon Bet don't currently participate at GAMSTOP, so play there with small infrequent deposits (£10 every few days) which tides me over as I do find slots fun, so the the slogan 'When the fun stops, Stop' doesn't really apply to me!

I thought I would find out what other accounts were open/operational and not participating. Great to see the blanket sweep blocking the accounts (especially as that should stop most spam), but stumbled across my account at GoWild which was open late last night/early hours of this morning. As I had been good recently, thought I would have a little session but it didn't go too well! It didn't bother me too much as I knew my luck of late would run out.

After my session I revisit the GAMSTOP website (still curious about the VS scenario) and found a menu option in the bottom right hand side of the page which contains all participating companies. To my surprise, GoWild was on there, despite me just playing there. So I fired off a quick but polite message to them asking if my account was ok to be open given the registration at GAMSTOP.

Then I was surprised by the bullshit which came my way!

They replied at 9.41am saying my details are not on the GAMSTOP database and that I am not self excluded there. They then say that per their social responsibility commitment, they are self excluding me for the maximum of 5 years - no reason why as I had not suggested I was a problem gambler in any way, shape or form.

I received a further e-mail from them at 10.28am saying that they have now received details from GAMSTOP and that is the reason I am now self excluded with them. Supposedly I was ok to deposit and play just 9 hours previous because they hadn't been notified of my exclusion which was registered 2 weeks previously!!!

Sorry, but this is complete bullshit!!! If they blocked my account further to being notified by GAMSTOP between 9.42am and 10.27am to exclude me, why did they do it for 5 years and not the 6 months I requested? And again they went on suggesting my details didn't tally up, which is totally crap!

So, does GAMSTOP work? Well, the idea is good, but clearly they are having teething problems and the service cannot be relied up. Especially if casinos are open to abusing the situation and accepting deposits, then miraculously being told about the exclusion at GAMSTOP and removing funds and paid up bonuses!

Sorry for the waffle. Think I might just have to stick with the chocolate instead!
 
Richy if your doing this , you really should do self exclusion for 5 years buddy, email every casino do everything you can to confirm accounts lock down , ive just self excluded from loads not so much gambling or funds but the way online is going , i did self exclusion for max 5 years as i know i shan't be returning to any of those casino in the future. if they want to stick it data base then thats fine with me )

I do wish you all the best though & hope gamstop sorts it crap out )
 
Richy if your doing this , you really should do self exclusion for 5 years buddy, email every casino do everything you can to confirm accounts lock down , ive just self excluded from loads not so much gambling or funds but the way online is going , i did self exclusion for max 5 years as i know i shan't be returning to any of those casino in the future. if they want to stick it data base then thats fine with me )

I do wish you all the best though & hope gamstop sorts it crap out )

I do get the impression that the gambling industry is in a bit of turmoil with so many changes, but in my eyes it could be heading in the right direction once it's sorted and settled. I like the idea of GAMSTOP, but would prefer an option to keep one account open with a fixed deposit limit just to remove temptation, but still carry on doing something I enjoy. Also, the UKGC stepped in and helped me out when I had an issue with a casino group and I did eventually get paid via the UKGC stepping in.

I would probably evaluate my circumstances in 6 months with a view to extending it, depending on what horror or praise stories crop up on here!

I think that's the problem with me - I enjoy online slots, I am happy to withdraw even if making a small profit and equally fine with making a loss (if it was lost fairly!). I know I probably play too much, but not to a limit where it causes problems. I told my family I gamble, but they feel comfortable with how I manage it. But deep down I know it can become a problem which is why I am more than happy utilising responsible gaming tools, especially as I have gone on tilt in the past and know how bad it is to lose control. It feels weird getting a big win as it does cross your mind to get right back on it with bigger stakes, which is why I wanted to step away from it and remove temptations.

But SE for 5 years does sound a long time to me!
 
I'd like to think these were teething problems as it has just been rolled out, problem with that is the subject matter doesn't really leave margin for error :eek2:

Not much use to anyone if one can register but still deposit willy nilly.

What's to say this isn't a ploy to catch winning players out and deny them money based on being with 'Gamstop'. More like Shamstop at present.

Yes I'm cynical but it keeps me in tip top condition :D
 
It's only fair to quote replies from the casinos, received in the last hour:

Videoslots:

Regarding your queries about GamStop, please note that there were some technical issues that didn't originate from our side. When the issue was fixed and we were fully integrated, your account got self-excluded from our site 2018-05-03 19:34:56 GMT.
We would also like to point out that we blocked your account once you contacted us, for us to do a full investigation on your claim. Your account is now also under the GamStop exclusion and will stay so for the time that you have chosen.


GoWild:

In order for me to address your concerns I first need to explain to you how GAMSTOP works with the operator.

Every time you login in to our website your details are sent to GAMSTOP. GAMSTOP then cross references your details with their database and returns an answer which indicates if they have a self-excluded customer matching the details they hold. We have no control whatsoever on the response we receive from GAMSTOP. In your case we received a negative response from GAMSTOP (not self-excluded) until today, when we received a positive response for the first time.

If you would like to receive more information on this subject, including why GAMSTOP did not send your details after 24H to us you should contact them, as this is GAMSTOP protocol.

Regarding the self-exclusion period applied to your account. As we explained in our previous email, we take responsible gambling very seriously. We consider it part of our social responsibility when self-excluding players, to leave nothing open to chance and in order to protect them as much as possible, we self-exclude for the maximum term possible, 5 years.
 
@RichyJ75 It seems odd the it is down to you to contact gamstop directly to get further details of the problem. I assume you will do this? If so, definitely interested in what they have to say. I wonder how geared up they are for providing technical support to gamblers directly. My guess is not very. My suspicion is the casino are palming you off.
 
@RichyJ75 It seems odd the it is down to you to contact gamstop directly to get further details of the problem. I assume you will do this? If so, definitely interested in what they have to say. I wonder how geared up they are for providing technical support to gamblers directly. My guess is not very. My suspicion is the casino are palming you off.

Yes, I have just forwarded the e-mail from GoWild to GamStop. Naturally if there is a problem with integration, false notifications, etc it needs to be addressed. Yes, I lost but it was my choice to play. I feel sorry for someone with a gambling problem who may have seen it as an outlet and played a fair bit when they should not have been allowed to and then lost without any comeback.

It all seems a little like 'pass the blame' for a service that should be helping problem gamblers. Whose fault is it if it goes wrong - the player, the casino or GamStop? Or are each to blame jointly?

I will post up a response when received.
 
RichyJ75, I feel you pain bro :cool:

I'm also going to create in few days a new thread about how things is going with SE and GamStop. How casinos trying to safe money and ars just to avoid any refunds. There will be a list of accredited casinos here & not listed here and how they acted in such situations.
 
I believe this isn't going to be compulsory for all UKGC sites until the new year? This is why some may have implemented liaison with the list already and some haven't.

The UKGC told me today that by the end of this year GamStop will be obligatory for all casinos operating in the UK, otherwise their licencees will be suspended.
 
This service would be an absolute god-send, if it works that is.

I'm hoping they'll iron out these rather glaring faults in time, because if everyone falls under one umbrella with this scheme then it will save a lot of hassle of manually SEing left right and centre.

Of course one would need to know if taking a couple of months' break would have any repercussions when resuming gambling after. I think everyone could use this feature, provided all casinos acknowledge the request without hiccups.....
 
It will also be very interesting to see just how many people do SE through GamStop .... will give a real snap shot of the true nature of problem gambling in the UK...

which personally I feel is much higher than anyone will admit to.
 
It will also be very interesting to see just how many people do SE through GamStop .... will give a real snap shot of the true nature of problem gambling in the UK...

which personally I feel is much higher than anyone will admit to.
Even non problem gamblers could make use of it though, so if it does what they claim it does then it could be a very useful tool.

I'd much rather impulsively SE using this knowing I've done a good thing, than always maintain self- discipline :p

I really hope this takes off and gives even casual players a reprieve :cool:
 
Even non problem gamblers could make use of it though, so if it does what they claim it does then it could be a very useful tool.

I'd much rather impulsively SE using this knowing I've done a good thing, than always maintain self- discipline :p

I really hope this takes off and gives even casual players a reprieve :cool:


I agree however the risk is you do the nation wide SE and some casinos will stick you with a 5 year SE or longer. And I dont think anyone will really know until storys surface of players thinking they are doing a 6 month sabbatical from the degenerate vice only to find themselves locked out for much longer periods. But it is a great development which will be used by 1000s I rekon.
 
@RichyJ75 I hadn't even considered the implication of what to do about your deposits. But assume SE via gamstop equates to regular SE (which it should) - then the expectation is you get your money back. Is this something you would be likely to pursue? I can understand why you might not want to.
 
@RichyJ75 I hadn't even considered the implication of what to do about your deposits. But assume SE via gamstop equates to regular SE (which it should) - then the expectation is you get your money back. Is this something you would be likely to pursue? I can understand why you might not want to.

Well, the way I see it is:

1) Yes, the accounts should have been blocked from 26th April if the GamStop service worked like they said it would, namely all accounts blocked within 24 hours of signing up. A self exclusion agreement was set up and as such, the casino could have used that as grounds to confiscate any winnings if I had some.

however,

2) I deposited without knowing/checking if the casino had signed up to GamStop and perhaps I should have checked first. I played and lost so need to take it on the chin. I am an adult and responsible for my own actions!

So, bottom line is that if the casino would have confiscated any withdrawal, then I should get deposits back out of principal. But would the casino admit to this? Bit cheesed off as it seems I will now miss out on 2 weeks worth of freeroll battles, weekend booster and casino race winnings at Videoslots though.

Would be good to get some feedback from the reps on this!
 
Quick update.

GoWild's response:

  1. Regarding the self-exclusion you have made in GAMSTOP database. We have integrated successfully with GAMSTOP from the first day of their launch on the 25.04.2018. As we indicated in our previous email, once integrated, we send them the players details when they register or login. GAMESTOP then sends us either a positive (the player is registered), or negative (the player isn’t registered) response back. In your case, your details were sent and we received a negative response each time, until the last time, when we received a positive response for the first time.
  1. Regarding the self-exclusion we applied on your account. Please understand that once a customer register’s in GAMSTOP, it is incumbent upon us to respect and understand his wish to self-exclude himself from all gambling sites, and where appropriate and for their own wellbeing apply self-exclusion from our side for the length of time we feel is the safest from the customers perspective.
  1. Your question regarding the withdrawal is harder to answer as it’s a hypothetical situation, but theoretically if you played and won while we had no indication of any issues, we would pay any withdrawal to you as we do with all of our players.

I am waiting for a reply from GamStop as to why it took two weeks for a positive response to be sent to GoWild given the vast majority of other sites dealt with it within a few hours and since nothing changed in the two weeks, why did it suddenly change my status in a 47 minute period between their e-mails? Their second point is strange - they exclude me for 5 years without knowing my circumstances or why I opted to take a break upon my request for a 6 month period. The third point is contentious - so a casino which is prepared to pay regardless as long as there are no issues at the point of playing with them? I find this dubious given issues are normally found afterwards when requesting a withdrawal!

Videoslot's response (Tami seems a very nice support agent and very polite!):

Thank you for your reply and for the well-constructed feedback/queries, they are important as the subject/function is clearly a delicate one.

We will check for further information for you as currently we were only made aware of the fact that there were some difficulties. As the whole setup is fairly new, it's difficult for us to pinpoint direct and quick answers for you here from the Support and this can cause some slight delays in our answering time.



Apologies if it feels like I am wasting everyone's time on this, but I really see GamStop as a very good tool - as long as it works! Feedback on experiences like this I think should be addressed, especially since not everyone would be happy to trial it given the implications! However, I am happy, content and will be drinking a cold pint on our brand new decking attached to our fully paid up static caravan which the majority of it was paid for via casino wins!
 
Hi all,

It is important that the details that you have at GAMSTOP is what you have at your casino account. It is important that 4 of 5 criteria matches for the account the be self excluded and you need to attempt to login to be self excluded.

We ran our whole UK database against GAMSTOP recently to make sure that everyone that have used their services got excluded and also to make sure that the self excluded accounts gets removed from our emailing list with promotions.


Please feel free to contact me if there are any questions.

Br,

Daniel
 

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