Gamstop registered but issue with account at VideoSlots

[dantheman23]

Hi guys,

A quick one. I'm registered on Gamstop, assumed it was a couple of years from 2020. I joined VideoSlots about a year ago, no problem. I tried to register with another casino at the weekend and was stopped. Checked Gamstop by logging in and could see I'm still registered.

I checked my details on VideoSlots, took a screenshot for reference and all of the details match what I recorded on my Gamstop registration - except my mobile doesn't have that it's my current mobile number, but it still on there. So my name, DOB, address, email, and mobile number all match.

I told VideoSlots yesterday and they closed my account and the support rep said they'd requested that anything I've deposited will be refunded (it's about £1k, I hardly ever used my account).

They came back today and said the following:

"Unfortunately, not all details in the Gamstop form matches those on your account.

To confirm which details these may be, we kindly ask you to refer to the Gamstop registration form provided above to double-check and confirm your details compared to those registered on your account."

I've gone back to them highlighting that all of my details match, there's no typo's or mistakes.

They've said they've denied refunding anything I've deposited.

What do you do in this situation? (aside from avoiding a casino until the Gamstop registration expires!!)

 

[Webzcas]

Gamstop as you have found out is not infallible. However, it should also not be used as an excuse to try and get your deposits back, if like in your case you manage to sign up at a casino that participates in Gamstop - which as you know all UKGC licensed online casinos have to, as part of their license.

Sorry, but my own opinion is, that if you registered with Gamstop you did so to try and stop gambling online. It is not the casinos fault you have been able to sign up. Definitely use a blocking app such as

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

on your devices.

Asking for your deposits back is IMO a bit rich to be honest. I mean if you were up, would you pay your winnings back?

 

[thr0b]

Agreed. You chose to spend the money, and were happy enough to do so by registering elsewhere. When you found out that you shouldn’t have been allowed to register, you tried your luck to get your money back. Fair play.

But on this occasion, it’s been found that you didn’t supply your current details to Gamstop, so your registration wasn’t flagged. But that’s not on Videoslots, that’s on you.

No refund seems right.

 

[Mr_Slot5]

Gamstop as you have found out is not infallible. However, it should also not be used as an excuse to try and get your deposits back, if like in your case you manage to sign up at a casino that participates in Gamstop - which as you know all UKGC licensed online casinos have to, as part of their license.

Sorry, but my own opinion is, that if you registered with Gamstop you did so to try and stop gambling online. It is not the casinos fault you have been able to sign up. Definitely use a blocking app such as

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

on your devices.

Asking for your deposits back is IMO a bit rich to be honest. I mean if you were up, would you pay your winnings back?

Depends really doesn’t it.

I mean if any withdrawal was sent for manual review, would it have been paid out? If the answer is no then a refund seems fair to me.

I see it from both sides to be honest…it’s a tough one.

 

[dantheman23]

No, my current details are registered on Gamstop, all have a 'yes' next to them under 'current' address/email etc, except from my mobile number but it is still on the Gamstop registration. I did update them whenever I moved house etc... I've shown Video Slots but Video Slots are saying my details don't match. I've gone back to them with the screenshot of my VideoSlots profile details.

 

[thr0b]

No, my current details are registered on Gamstop, all have a 'yes' next to them under 'current' address/email etc, except from my mobile number but it is still on the Gamstop registration. I did update them whenever I moved house etc... I've shown Video Slots but Video Slots are saying my details don't match. I've gone back to them with the screenshot of my VideoSlots profile details.

Have you had any withdrawals from that 1k of deposits?

 

[goatwack]

Doesn't Gamstop run based on 6 months, with the following option being five years?

So it may well be that you thought the six months were up and everything would resume as normal.

Yet by virtue of having one account rejected, that would indicate Gamstop was still active, and Videoslots shouldn't have opened the account to begin with?....

Still unsure as to why VS didn't auto-deny the account opening, never mind any deposits if on said Gamstop, when it's pretty much picked up elsewhere?

That's to assume there haven't been further Gamstop exclusions in the meantime since the original ones lifted that is, sandwiched in amongst those deposits.

But if it was indeed a 5-year exclusion, then the onus was on Videoslots, albeit the OP took advantage of their lapse by depositing in excess of £1K. And as stated, if the player had had a fortuitous run there, they'd have likely paid out too!

As both parties are seemingly 'at fault', then returning the deposits should the obvious outcome, assuming no 'ill-gotten' winnings were paid prior?

 

[dantheman23]

Have you had any withdrawals from that 1k of deposits?

No, I checked my PayPal and I used my PayPal to deposit - of course that's all with my details as well.

 

[L&L-Jan]

of course that's all with my details as well.

merchants cant see your details though. 4 out of 5 match should result in a stop.

 

[jasonuk]

Doesn't Gamstop run based on 6 months, with the following option being five years?

So it may well be that you thought the six months were up and everything would resume as normal.

The (current) initial period can be 6 months, 12 months or 5 years.

At the end of that period, you have three options:

• Do nothing - the self-exclusion remains in place on a rolling basis, until either deactivated by the player or a further 7 years have elapsed.
• Deactivate by phone
• Extend for a further period (again 6m, 12m, 5y).

checked my details on VideoSlots, took a screenshot for reference and all of the details match what I recorded on my Gamstop registration - except my mobile doesn't have that it's my current mobile number, but it still on there. So my name, DOB, address, email, and mobile number all match.

The majority of GAMSTOP related complaints on CM relate to where people have made "mistakes" (either genuine typos, or intentional mistakes to try and evade pattern matching). GAMSTOP themselves make this clear in the terms and conditions...

You accept that GAMSTOP may not be as effective in circumstances where it has received inaccurate, incomplete and out-of-date information or where there are differences between account details. GAMSTOP may also not be as effective when you attempt to work around the exclusion measures GAMSTOP has put in place.

And in the vast majority of cases - the onus would be on the player and thus any refund would be at the discretion of the operator. Given the rampant SE fraud in recent years, this is often considered a T&C breach now-a-days and then the money is forfeit and thus the final "refund" is zero.


However, if you are saying all five sets of information match precisely (no typos, no errors) - then I think we have a different situation, because that is the "well-defined path" that GAMSTOP is supposed to stop.

The GAMSTOP terms mention that they'll ask for any mobile numbers, email addresses and physical addresses that you might use for registering with gambling operators - so I would expect any of those should qualify for each category.

The "current" tag is a curious one, because it seems like a convenience for the end user rather than something that should affect the GAMSTOP check. The whole purpose of GAMSTOP asking you to provide the alternatives / updates is so they can cover all bases - and it's not unreasonable for people to use an older email address or phone number for casino accounts given the proliferation of spam.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this one because if the problem is between VideoSlots and GAMSTOP then the player shouldn't be liable for that and should be refunded in full. Similarly if VS can show a valid discrepancy with the data then we're back to the common scenario where the player is liable for their own decisions.

 

[SlotsGuy]

A mobile number is not the main focus on a Gamstop registration, mobile numbers are often changed due to personal reasons, spam, change of contract, relationship breakdown with partner etc.

The three main focuses are your name, address and DOB. Those are essential to keep updated with GamStop but even then you may easily mis-type your name or address, we're only human after all but this is down to the casino's to match the information you've provided with the credit agency or ID you've uploaded. If they let you through the net and allow you to deposit even though your on Gamstop then the responsibility should be with Videoslots.

I would take it to a PAB if that fails, let the UKGC know and then to small claims court.

Videoslots should just refund that £1k back and bring the matter to a close. Videoslots are one of the worst platforms to deal with for complex issues like this, customer agents are robotic script readers with no authorisation to do anything and the management have this 'care free' I couldn't give a toss attitude.

 

[dantheman23]

Thanks guys. They've stopped responding now so should I take it further? Not sure how tbh

 

[The Dude]

Thanks guys. They've stopped responding now so should I take it further? Not sure how tbh

With whom? Videoslots? They have a rep here who can possibly help. @Team.Videoslots

 

[jasonuk]

A mobile number is not the main focus on a Gamstop registration, mobile numbers are often changed due to personal reasons, spam, change of contract, relationship breakdown with partner etc.

It should utilise all the information provided - the more complete the information, the more likely it will match. Of course information can be recycled over time, which is why the threshold isn't one or two matches - otherwise every John Smith in the country would be getting false positives like crazy. Likewise five matches may be too tight and miss too many genuine cases, perhaps why Jan mentioned 4/5 should be a stop.

The three main focuses are your name, address and DOB. Those are essential to keep updated with GamStop but even then you may easily mis-type your name or address, we're only human after all but this is down to the casino's to match the information you've provided with the credit agency or ID you've uploaded. If they let you through the net and allow you to deposit even though your on Gamstop then the responsibility should be with Videoslots.

Incorrect, as already discussed above - only exact matches are the responsibility of the operator and GAMSTOP, accidental or malicious typos are referred back to the player because of the wave of SE fraud in recent years.

I've already explained both scenarios in detail above, so I don't need to repeat it again.

I would take it to a PAB if that fails, let the UKGC know and then to small claims court.

This is a mix of paths - UKGC won't deal with customer complaints directly, small claims court (which is well beyond the focus of this forum, we are not lawyers etc) usually comes after ADR, and ADR requires a deadlock letter from an escalation. As just mentioned by Bryan, the rep would be the point of call in the first instance, and if that fails then @maxd could perhaps advise at which stage a PAB makes sense.

 

[maxd]

I'll just jump in here since the PAB route has been mentioned.

In a "normal" case - - meaning Not SE nor RG - - I would say "go for it" insofar as doing a PAB goes. Videoslots generally cooperates with the PABs so there would be a good chance of a prompt and fair outcome.

Unfortunately SE and RG cases are anything but "normal" and are typically referred directly to the designated ADR, any PAB notwithstanding.

In other words the OP here or in any similar circumstance is better off following the letter of the Complaints procedure up to and including going to the ADR directly.

- Max

 

[maxd]

Also @SlotsGuy , when you are offering advice please ensure that you are certain of your facts. If you're not sure - - no problem, happens to the best of us - - please indicate that by saying "I think ..." or "as far as I know ...".

I mention this because there have been a fair few factual errors in your statements here and anyone who doesn't know better could have gotten themselves into bit of difficulty if they'd followed your advice verbatim.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

- Max

 

[Team.Videoslots]

Hi @dantheman23

Could you please provide your account details (email address, name, mobile) via private message so we could take a look?

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,
Team Videoslots