WARNING GoldenBet, 9 complaints in 6 months, 35000 in unpaid winnings

maxd

Forum & Complaints Team Leader
Staff member
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Location
Pictland
Over the past few months we've received an unusually large number of complaints against Goldenbet.com. Most concern unpaid winnings, often for large amounts. The remainder are issues regarding locked accounts and ignored self-exclusion requests. Needless to say this is troubling.

The casino's responses to these complaints began as "we're in communication with the player" which turned out to mean they'd simply quoted some Terms to the player and then said "issue closed". Recently they've simply defaulted to saying "to investigate this case it is fundamental to be contacted by the account owner" when they obviously have been contacted by the account owner and the account owner was unhappy with the results, so they came to us. The bottom line is that this is classic "we don't want to deal with anyone but the player and we'll deal with the player as we see fit". In other words, "talk to the hand".

At one point the casino did say "Unfortunately, our website ... is not listed on your website" by which they mean they don't make money off of Casinomeister so that's (one of) their reason(s) for not taking action on player complaints we send them. That's a Rogue casino stunt and GoldenBet is looking very much like a prime candidate for being added to the list.

FWIW GoldenBet is a Curaçao 1668/JAZ licensed casino and as many of you will know that is usually Very Bad News. See 1668/JAZ licensee issues - Casinomeister's Forum: Largest Online Casino Community Since 1998 for a whole lot more on that.
UPDATE: GoldenBet now claims to be licensed in Africa:

"Goldenbet.com is licensed and regulated by the Government of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan, Union of Comoros"​

WARNING: GoldenBet is confiscating player balances by either locking accounts or accusing players of unsubstantiated Terms violations, and then locking their accounts. Player complaints are being ignored, so we are unable to assist. Players are STRONGLY advised to look elsewhere for their iGaming services.
 
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Saw a couple of UK streamers promoting this as another avenue to escape UKGC regs, but I stuck to my golden rule: if they take Crypto AND Cards (as GB does) don't go near it.

I also stick to that rule, and when i see a new crypto site that accepts fiat payments along with cryptocurrencies, it makes me stop and think. But right now, i see all this becomes the norm because those more reliable crypto casinos are already offering fiat payments and even accepting credit cards.

See this one, i think you know the site.

1.webp

I
 
Yeah, I don’t think “card and crypto” is necessarily an indication of an untrustworthy site. I know of at least two big players who take both, but are “reputable”.
 
I also stick to that rule, and when i see a new crypto site that accepts fiat payments along with cryptocurrencies, it makes me stop and think. But right now, i see all this becomes the norm because those more reliable crypto casinos are already offering fiat payments and even accepting credit cards.

See this one, i think you know the site.

View attachment 194728
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Big difference between Crypto casinos that provide a third party link to purchase some crypto with a credit card, and sites that accept Visa/MC Fiat deposits directly, as well as crypto.

To be clear, I meant steer clear of offshore provides that accept fiat deposits via card. Not sure which site that is in your pic.
 
Big difference between Crypto casinos that provide a third party link to purchase some crypto with a credit card, and sites that accept Visa/MC Fiat deposits directly, as well as crypto.

To be clear, I meant steer clear of offshore provides that accept fiat deposits via card. Not sure which site that is in your pic.

The one i mean is a proper fiat deposit using a bank card, it's not 'Buy Crypto'. That one is an additional option. The site is BC.game. Their fiat-based payment options vary by country, but for most, - debit/credit cards are ready to go. But in this case, they need the account verification.

The last time i checked there were a ton of fees attached, and feck knows where the money goes first. Personally, i'm not interested in using fiat in such places at all, no matter how reputable or shit they are.
 
I have gotten paid by this group through SEPA payment (Natwest has a terrible exchange rate though..so find a better bank with better exchange rates) and you can also deposit through sepa so no fees. I've withdrawn a few grand with no issues.

However they are definitely not customer service friendly, I got a bit eager and forgot to cancel a bonus where I had no funds remaining and made a deposit while the bonus was still active. Result was either I forfeit the bonus (through chat) and lose my fresh deposit(!!!) or I try my luck and wager it through.. you can guess the result. :)
 
Oh Happy Days! GoldenBet is now licensed in Africa:
Goldenbet.com is licensed and regulated by the Government of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan, Union of Comoros
We look forward to a glorious rebirth of the casino in their new home. :cheers:

anjouan-on-the-map.webp

- Max
 
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The one i mean is a proper fiat deposit using a bank card, it's not 'Buy Crypto'. That one is an additional option. The site is BC.game. Their fiat-based payment options vary by country, but for most, - debit/credit cards are ready to go. But in this case, they need the account verification.

The last time i checked there were a ton of fees attached, and feck knows where the money goes first. Personally, i'm not interested in using fiat in such places at all, no matter how reputable or shit they are.
I use skrill on fiat deposit on BC, withdraw takes from 5min to 24hrs, Deposit takes 5mins, you can only deposit on Euro they charger no fees, only Skrill charger 1% on deposit from bank to Skrill
 
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I use skrill on fiat deposit on BC, withdraw takes from 5min to 24hrs, Deposit takes 5mins, you can only deposit on Euro they charger no fees, only Skrill charger 1% on deposit from bank to Skrill
They likely removed the fees to attract more fiat depositors. But, when they first started accepting fiat, there were different deposit fees, and they recommended using crypto.

For the Euro currency, i see more fiat deposit options, such as Skrill, Neteller, Giropay, open banking, and bank cards. But when switching to GBP, i see only debit/credit cards.
 
They likely removed the fees to attract more fiat depositors. But, when they first started accepting fiat, there were different deposit fees, and they recommended using crypto.

For the Euro currency, i see more fiat deposit options, such as Skrill, Neteller, Giropay, open banking, and bank cards. But when switching to GBP, i see only debit/credit cards.
not sure about Skrill UK, last month I try USD deposit only card, when I change to Euro Skrill option come up, I will try next Revolut Euro transfer direct to BC see what happen, Revolut exchange to Euro is very cheap
 
I deposited £500 and got it up to to £55,000 after i finished the 100% deposit first bonus, took out £7500 which was the the weekly
Limit 4 days later balance £48,000 was gone and a message saying excessive wins over the deposit bonus, even though I deposited £500 after. Im considering getting in touch with a gambling solicitor does anyone know if they can help?
 
I am sorry to hear your story.

If you read everything above your post you will see that this outfit got a 'Casinomeister warning', which means they have some very rogue practices going on and we needed to inform our members.

If you wish to submit a PAB, our team will do their best to help you, but please do not expect anything from this operator.

As for gambling solicitors, you may find this is more money down the drain. Licensed in Africa apparently, good luck tracking them down - pinning anything on them looks to be an impossible task.
 
I deposited £500 and got it up to to £55,000 after i finished the 100% deposit first bonus, took out £7500 which was the the weekly
Limit 4 days later balance £48,000 was gone and a message saying excessive wins over the deposit bonus, even though I deposited £500 after. Im considering getting in touch with a gambling solicitor does anyone know if they can help?
Unless they specialise in Anjouan gambling laws, at which point they'll demonstrate how non-existent such laws are (the "Computer Gaming Licensing Act 007 of 2005" runs to 9 pages - of which half is whitespace and the table of contents).

Anjouan is bottom of the barrel - basically no oversight and no player protections at all. There's a reason the exodus from Curacao is going towards Costa Rica and Anjouan, they'll happily offer a worthless license and turn the other way.

If they actually paid you the £7500, that's going to be a result... obviously sickening that you didn't get the rest, but plenty of rogue operators in that part of the woods that would have happily stiffed you for every penny.
 
I deposited £500 and got it up to to £55,000 after i finished the 100% deposit first bonus, took out £7500 which was the the weekly
Limit 4 days later balance £48,000 was gone and a message saying excessive wins over the deposit bonus, even though I deposited £500 after.
Santeda are definitely still a crappy company, back when I lived in canada I played at rolletto and goldenbet and had a rough time time with delays and extreme verification requests. I did eventually get paid out though. Looks like terms have got worse since I last played. The max win used to be $15k and now it must be x10b or similar based on what got removed.

Some casinos have a dodgy term about withdrawal limits from bonus winnings persisting until a withdrawal takes place. I couldn't find one on a quick scroll through their terms but it might be in there somewhere.

From the sound of your message it sounds like you bust the welcome bonus rather than completing it (as I had initiailly assumed). This would make it impossible to apply any kind of "persisting" rule. There is a chance there was a tiny amount of the old bonus left and it wasn't deleted or zero'd. Funny business only makes sense if you completed wagering and then deposited more money ontop of your winnings so perhaps im confusing myself.

Im considering getting in touch with a gambling solicitor does anyone know if they can help?
It's usually too expensive to be worth doing and often futile. I'd exhaust the complaints process (including a PAB mentioned by others) before contemplating legal options.

Unless they specialise in Anjouan gambling laws
From the earlier posts in this thread, it sounds like they used Anjouan as a stop gap until later in the year as Santeda has had an active GCB licence since august.
 
Santeda are definitely still a crappy company, back when I lived in canada I played at rolletto and goldenbet and had a rough time time with delays and extreme verification requests. I did eventually get paid out though. Looks like terms have got worse since I last played. The max win used to be $15k and now it must be x10b or similar based on what got removed.

Some casinos have a dodgy term about withdrawal limits from bonus winnings persisting until a withdrawal takes place. I couldn't find one on a quick scroll through their terms but it might be in there somewhere.

Rule 10 of the welcome bonus (also listed in section 1.2 of the terms and conditions) mentions 10xB cap:
10. The maximum Bet amount you can place when you have an Active Bonus is 5 €/$/£/C$/A$/R$ per spin on a slot game. Spins with bets higher than 5 €/$/£/C$/A$/R$ will be excluded from the wagering requirement and winnings will be forfeited. The maximum withdrawal you may make from this bonus is your bonus amount multiplied by 10x.

So in that case, they got exactly what they agreed to - the remaining £48k was forfeit as per the (aggressive) terms and conditions. There might be a question mark regarding the secondary £500 deposit if that got caught up in the forfeit, but the surplus winnings derived from the original deposit are absolutely toast.

It's usually too expensive to be worth doing and often futile. I'd exhaust the complaints process (including a PAB mentioned by others) before contemplating legal options.
Now we've found the corresponding term, this no longer applies - because there is nothing to dispute.

From the earlier posts in this thread, it sounds like they used Anjouan as a stop gap until later in the year as Santeda has had an active GCB licence since august.
It appears so:
OGL/2024/1798/1048 | Issued: August 14, 2024 - Expires: August 14, 2025 | Licensee: Santeda
International B.V. | B2C | Company registration number: 151296 |

In which case, the previous poster needs to stop playing there - GCB-licensed sites cannot accept UK players, and there's a significant risk that you could be shut out at any point. With that information, I'm a little surprised they paid you in the first place... they absolutely could have stolen the lot.
 
To make the previous point crystal clear...
  • UK-based VPN: GoldenBet shows no license in the footer, with location information removed from the terms and conditions.
  • French-based VPN: GoldenBet shows GCB license, even though they cannot accept French players;
What little location information they provide is incomplete anyway - they list a registered address in Cyprus for the parent company and "payment agent", but no address in Curacao for the operation itself.

So as a UK player, avoid like the plague... the Anjouan license is worthless (or worse, may be operating without any license at all) and the Curacao GCB license isn't much better but doesn't apply to UK players anyway!
 
So in that case, they got exactly what they agreed to - the remaining £48k was forfeit as per the (aggressive) terms and conditions.
When I first read this, I missed the "even though I deposited £500 after" bit in the second sentence and my post was mostly about how they correctly applied their max winnings to the bonus as I had read it as them deposited £500 on the welcome and winning £55k within the welcome. I'm not sure if you've interpreted it as £55k won on bonus and then the £500 deposit after also screwed but wanted to check.

If the bonus is fully wagered winning under £5k or bust and then they deposit afterwards they shouldn't be limited. I feel like some details have been left out or that the poster bust the bonus but didn't penny burn it and it was still there, although considering they span it up to £55k they probably would have a broken max bet whilst wagering the cash (and the pennies of bonus). It also wouldn't make sense for them to redeposit £500 unless they hadn't won much or had lost the money they had won from the completed bonus.

The poster is definitely in no mans land as a UK player regardless so if they managed to get a chunk of money out then its a small but still partial success.
 
When I first read this, I missed the "even though I deposited £500 after" bit in the second sentence and my post was mostly about how they correctly applied their max winnings to the bonus as I had read it as them deposited £500 on the welcome and winning £55k within the welcome. I'm not sure if you've interpreted it as £55k won on bonus and then the £500 deposit after also screwed but wanted to check.
I did initially, but reading it again I can see there is some ambiguity (because "after I finished" could be at the point of completing wagering, or a future event unrelated to the SUB) and I may have misread.

So if the £55k was accrued during the sign-up bonus, then it's extremely likely that'll be toast because of the 10x win cap.

If it was accrued after the sign-up bonus was "completed", then it's important to ensure that SUB was actually concluded and isn't a phantom bonus - because at that point all hell breaks loose and things can go wrong very quickly (such as "pure cash" balances being tainted with wagering or win caps).


If the bonus is fully wagered winning under £5k or bust and then they deposit afterwards they shouldn't be limited. I feel like some details have been left out or that the poster bust the bonus but didn't penny burn it and it was still there, although considering they span it up to £55k they probably would have a broken max bet whilst wagering the cash (and the pennies of bonus). It also wouldn't make sense for them to redeposit £500 unless they hadn't won much or had lost the money they had won from the completed bonus.

The poster is definitely in no mans land as a UK player regardless so if they managed to get a chunk of money out then its a small but still partial success.
Not necessarily, we've heard some horror stories of sites that deliberately make the wagering persist through future cash deposits (even when the balance is zero) - so in those scenarios, the player is unknowingly putting themselves in a horrendous position and it only comes to light when the big win finally lands and gets partially or completely voided.
 
If it was accrued after the sign-up bonus was "completed", then it's important to ensure that SUB was actually concluded and isn't a phantom bonus - because at that point all hell breaks loose and things can go wrong very quickly (such as "pure cash" balances being tainted with wagering or win caps).
It definitely seems like a phantom bonus, a mistake or a malicious action.

I once broke max bet on a reload by mistake, then lost the rest of the balance, did another reload and won big without breaking terms. They confiscated everything but my deposit for breaking bonus rules. I then pointed out, with timestamps, that the bonus was zeroed and a brand new clean deposit happened afterwards. The balance was reinstated and withdrawn. If Gammix (the owner of the casino in my situation) can take a break being evil 99% of the time to admit a mistake maybe Santeda can too but the whole UK part of it leaves the player open to be being screwed over.

Without further context from the guy I guess we can't get closer to figuring out if it was a mistake, a phantom bonus, a malicious action or the poster explaining it wrong and it was correctly applied.
 

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