Frustrating experience at Cool Cat Casino (RTG)

[orangeindiana]

Ehhhh so before I went and tried playing at an RTG place, I went and read through several of the threads here (and the accompanying complaints), so I really shouldn't have been surprising when I ran into a problem at one... but still...

I created an account at Cool Cat Casino, which really seemed to have their stuff together... quite a few bonuses, friendly staff, etc. Ended up with one for $75 n/d, which I figured must have a pretty high WR or specific rules. Sure enough, when I put in the code, it had a pretty strict limit to what you could play it on, among those, no blackjack and no pontoon (and the usuals: baccarat, craps, roulette, a few others).

However, since it specifically mentioned blackjack and pontoon and not "blackjack-like games" or other specifics, I went ahead and met the WR on Caribbean 21, ending up with around $250 or so. I wasn't planning on cashing out yet, but I figured I'd ask live help about the bonus and if there were any additional T&C that I was missing. The staffperson reviewed my account and said there seemed to be an error, and asked me to call Bianca (the CM) during office hours, which I did. She told me that I had violated the T&C, and that it should have been common sense in reading the rules that blackjack derivatives were implied. She said she was willing to remove my winnings and reset my account at $75 if I would only play it on slots and keno.

So do I have any grounds for complaining? I should add that both Bianca and the support person I talked to, Judy, were cordial, and Bianca explained the problem was with RTG software not allowing the casino to mark enough "restricted" games. And, if blackjack was banned, it's not a stretch to extend that to related games... but it was frustrating after two or three hours of play to find that out afterwards. Plus, it wasn't listed in the T&C, only in a popup after inputing the code. But ultimately, this was a no deposit bonus, so... it wasn't my money this time around.

Just wanted to see if anybody had anything to say about this.

 

[lanidar]

However, since it specifically mentioned blackjack and pontoon and not "blackjack-like games" or other specifics, I went ahead and met the WR on Caribbean 21, ending up with around $250 or so.

She told me that I had violated the T&C, and that it should have been common sense in reading the rules that blackjack derivatives were implied.

Bianca explained the problem was with RTG software not allowing the casino to mark enough "restricted" games. And, if blackjack was banned, it's not a stretch to extend that to related games

orangeindiana....
I realize that you received a free $75 bonus and decided to take a shot. I have would too.
I also realize that you've read the threads about this casino and the problems players have had. For a free $75 bucks ... why not give it a shot.

The problem with The Virtual Group casinos is that they have that "LOOP HOLE" some where stashed in their T&C's somewhere to screw the players.
That quote regarding RTG being the culprit ... well, knowing Virtual as being liars ... my opinion is that Virtual is full of it. I don't EVER believe a word they say ...EVER!!

It's a shame you wasted so much time playing for no reason at all.
IMO .... It's a cheap lesson you learned. At one time or another most players have to go through a similar learning process.

What ever happened to the $75.00? Did you play slots or Keno?

 

[orangeindiana]

It's a shame you wasted so much time playing for no reason at all.
IMO .... It's a cheap lesson you learned. At one time or another most players have to go through a similar learning process.

Yeah, I figured that's the case. Better to waste two hours than two hundred dollars.

What ever happened to the $75.00? Did you play slots or Keno?

Oh man. Just finished playing Cleopatra -- again, judging by past threads, that seemed the only worthwhile slot -- and ended up with $736.51.

But that leads to another question... judging off what you and others have said, am I going to have a hard time getting this out, especially considering that I haven't made a deposit? Any advice on where I should go from here to make sure I can actually get this returned to me? RTG and Virtual's reps have me a little bit hesitant...

 

[universexf6]

Okay

I must say even if I am drinking beer now but playing Carribean 21 wouldn't be considered a enough criteria for wagering requirements for widely spread any casino where they prohibit "21 games".....But aside from it I think I must openly admit whatever the connection of them with Virtual, Cool Cat is very near the border of rogue since they are VERY VERY VERY ( indefinately continuing ... ) fussy about your winning and even though I ONLY won 500 USD more than I deposited, I had my accounted erased INSTANTLY ( They called me instantly we had a problem ). I remember some GUYS at suuport, they really looked friendly but we must be really careful about them.

 

[Black21Jack]

The following is the free chip rules taken directly from Link Removed ( Old/Invalid)

RULES FOR FREE CHIPS:

If you have previously enjoyed any of our non-deposit free chip offers, you will not be eligible for any successive non-deposit free offers until and unless you have made a real money deposit within three months.

All winnings from free chip offers will only be sent via Neteller.

The free chip must be wagered 20 (twenty) times in order to cash out.

The maximum cash out for the regular customers is twice the amount of Free chip.

The maximum cash out for the VIP/ELITE customers is 5 times the amount of Free chip.

Any win in excess shall be removed from your account upon approval of the withdrawal.

If you make a deposit of $40.00 or more before wagering with the free money, the following rules apply:

You must play the free bonus 10 (ten) times before cashing out.

The free bonus becomes part of the deposit match bonus and is subject to its rules.

Free chip users are not eligible to wager on any of the progressive games. If a player plays a progressive game with a free chip offer, all money generated will be forfeited.

We on occation will reward clients with free chips between deposits. If, however a client continuously requests free chips between deposits so that the total amount of their bonuses surpass the total amount of their deposits made, any win hit even without a bonus match will be limited to 10 times maximum cashout.

According to the above you are only entitled to $150.00, however I believe the Cleopatra slot is a progressive, in which case you have not fulfilled your requirements and any winnings from that game will be forfeited.

Cleopatra's Gold slot is a Realtime Gaming Video Slot.

Cleopatra's Gold Slot Machine
Jackpot: progressive
Reels: five
Paylines: twenty
Max Coins: five
Max Bet: $100
Coin Size: 5 fixed

I could be wrong, but their T&C's as well as their bonus rules are very clear.

 

[lanidar]

Any advice on where I should go from here to make sure I can actually get this returned to me? RTG and Virtual's reps have me a little bit hesitant...

Maybe you should ask the Casinomeister ... just to be on the safe side.
Again ... LOTS of LOOP HOLES. :icon_evil

 

[caruso]

I went ahead and met the WR on Caribbean 21...I figured I'd ask live help about the bonus and if there were any additional T&C that I was missing.

Why in the wrong order? Why didn't you ask first?

The majority of RTG casinos exist for no reason other than entrap the players with their bonus rules. Some RTGs exist ONLY on the basis of their bonuses (Connect and Virtual), and some of the bonuses are so bad they're in fact worse than simply depositing and playing straight up without a bonus (the Connect 999% slots bonuses come to mind).

You are aware of the T & C drill, since you thought to ask - but you asked too late. This is very odd.

If you allow an RTG the opportunity to trick you, they will.

 

[orangeindiana]

The following is the free chip rules...

If you look at their promotions on the site, though, they differentiate between three kinds... non-cashable, cashable, and "free chips" (some of these you can only access after clicking on links in the casino program itself). I'm not sure which one my bonus fell under, since I got it off another website, although it looks like you're probably right... except that the bank lists all of the winnings as mine, and it also says I've met the WR. In any case, it's somewhat... vague. Which I guess shouldn't be surprising for an RTG casino, eh.

Why in the wrong order? Why didn't you ask first?

Uuuunnnnggghhh... because I'm dumb. Dunno, didn't think of it. Should've known better, and if it wasn't a n/d bonus, I'm sure I would've asked before.

I also noted the following quote from the site...

Casino Standards:

(...)

4. You win we pay. Our teams and conditions clearly highlight all game play rules and limits.

5.The player gaming experience is both entertaining and honest.

...sigh.

 

[dickens1298]

Honestly, I wonder why players in general continually have problems. If Virtual was a known rogue, and if it was already generally known that T&Cs need to be carefully read, why fall into such a trap? I play almost exclusively at Omni, Intercasino, CON, Bodog, and William Hill, and never had a single issue.

Heinlein or Vonnegut once coined the acronym TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. Bonus hunters in general seem to forget that.

 

[universexf6]

Another THING about Cool Cat

If you saw their homepage occasionally and quite sometime over
a span of time, then you will notice some kind of "failure" is
appearing on their front page.

You can see the series of names of winners bannering on the top page but as far as I remember the person called Ayara T and Anderson C and Wiiliamson P were also the WINNERS back in Jul 2004 and with different amount and by different games......hmmm...virtually who cares such stuff but I have been always wondering why only they won so much.

 

[orangeindiana]

For anyone interested in following this, today I received $75 in my Neteller account from Cool Cat, which is about $726 shorter than what my total was at, and at least $75 short of what Black21Jack posted from their site, if my max win was 2x the bonus. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow.

(later...)

Argh, I'm stupid. I don't know how I missed this on the site earlier:

RULES for coupon CATCHIP75:

The free chip must be wagered 30 (thirty) times in order to cash out.
You must only play Slots & Keno to be eligible for cashout.
You may cash out a maximum amount of $75.

Guess I have to be content with $75 -- hey, it was free. By the way, based on my short-term experience, Cool Cat Casino has turned out to be an enjoyable experience, despite having my winnings limited.