Mr Q dodgy shenanigans! Refused withdrawal and retained £1200

[niknak1977]

I requested a withdrawal for £1200 two weeks ago. The following I got a message saying they needed a picture of my bank card front and back, so I sent them that straight away. Heard nothing at all then for a couple of days despite sending follow up emails. Then I got another message asking for a bank statement showing payments to Mr Q. I sent them a redacted copy of a bank statement showing the requested information.

Then after a few more days I got another email telling me they wanted a copy of my bank statement in an unredacted format. This BS infuriates me, since when does a bloody online casino think it has this kind of power???

Anyway, I complied and sent them the requested document, and heard nothing for days. I sent an email chasing them up and finally got a response.

"We are keeping your money and permanently suspending your account" was the gist of it, how the hell is this even legal?
The reason stated was because deposits were made from a joint account. Well, I'm sorry, but you were happy enough to keep taking said deposits, this is such unbelievable shady behaviour and tactics, it makes you wonder how many people fall foul of not having a clue about this because most people won't take the time to scroll through and read all of the small print. Fair enough if you are going to implement this as a rule, but have a checkbox or something that clearly states when you add a deposit method that if it is a joint account they will steal your money and close your account.
Absolutely disgraceful behaviour on the part of Mr Q.

I've attached the final email they sent. I have of course responded with fury but had no response since. I will add that it was a joint bank account I deposited from, but it was my own money and I was completely responsible for it, which my husband would have happily confirmed.

 

[anddi32]

because most people won't take the time to scroll through and read all of the small print

When you register at the casino, you accept the casino's terms of use.

If you don't read the fine print and because of that you commit a rule violation, the fault is not with the casino but with the player who has accepted the terms without reading them.

 

[satchnz]

When you register at the casino, you accept the casino's terms of use.

If you don't read the fine print and because of that you commit a rule violation, the fault is not with the casino but with the player who has accepted the terms without reading them.

Yeah but come on. Disallowing deposits from joint accounts? That’s BS of the highest order. Looks like MrQ have just lost me as a customer as all I have are joint bank accounts.

Is this a common rule for UK casinos? I better comb through the Bet365 terms in more detail as that’s the only other UK casino I use.

 

[niknak1977]

When you register at the casino, you accept the casino's terms of use.

If you don't read the fine print and because of that you commit a rule violation, the fault is not with the casino but with the player who has accepted the terms without reading them.

Do you not think this should be made clearer and isn't the slightest bit dodgy? they could be far clearer and upfront when it comes to something like this, and make it very clear when you are adding payment methods and depositing, it would have been no problem for me to make deposits from a personal account, I just tend to use the joint account the most, it was an oversight on my part granted, but as Satch said, it's complete BS to keep hold of a withdrawal on this basis, especially when you have happily taken hundreds in deposits from a joint account.

 

[niknak1977]

Yeah but come on. Disallowing deposits from joint accounts? That’s BS of the highest order. Looks like MrQ have just lost me as a customer as all I have are joint bank accounts.

Is this a common rule for UK casinos? I better comb through the Bet365 terms in more detail as that’s the only other UK casino I use.

It's left a really bad taste in my mouth, I think it's sketchy AF to do this, £1200 isn't a small amount of money, and it makes me wonder how many other players this has happened to, I don't understand how they can happily take your money from a joint account, then want to quote terms and conditions and keep hold of withdrawals on the basis they don't accept them as deposit methods. Very very shady.

 

[satchnz]

Just found this in Bet365’s terms:

10.3 You may only deposit funds into your Account from a payment source where you are the named account holder.

I’m a named account holder on my joint account, as is my partner. It’s not clear if you have to be the only named account holder on an account, but the wording “the named account holder” is worrying.

Fuck it. If UK licensed casinos want to make it so incredibly hard to play at them then I’ll move 100% of my play to offshore joints. Let the industry here fail. Not from missing out on my measly deposits, but from the snowballing effect of all the bullshit they put in place. UKGC do your god damn job properly.

I’m struggling more and more to see the distinction between the risks of playing offshore vs the risks of running afoul of the terms of the licensed n this country.

This has really riled me up…

 

[satchnz]

This from Bet365’s live chat a few minutes ago:



@niknak1977 - did you use a debit card in your name only (which is attached to your joint bank account) to deposit to MrQ?

I’ve also reached out to MrQ via email to get clarification on the situation. Better to know now than to meet this hurdle down the line…

 

[L&L-Jan]

I’m struggling more and more to see the distinction between the risks of playing offshore vs the risks of running afoul of the terms of the licensed n this country.

maybe there is more to the story of the joint account holder mate. I wouldnt worry to much if I was you. A joint account should not per se be the problem. Perhaps gamstop or self-exclusion is the underlying reason.

 

[niknak1977]

Y

This from Bet365’s live chat a few minutes ago:

View attachment 200772

@niknak1977 - did you use a debit card in your name only (which is attached to your joint bank account) to deposit to MrQ?

I’ve also reached out to MrQ via email to get clarification on the situation. Better to know now than to meet this hurdle down the line…

Yes, I did, the card used is in my name only. Interesting how different casinos interpret the rules to suit them.

 

[satchnz]

maybe there is more to the story of the joint account holder mate. I wouldnt worry to much if I was you. A joint account should not per se be the problem. Perhaps gamstop or self-exclusion is the underlying reason.

Thanks Jan. I’ve calmed down a bit now haha. Will be interesting to see the response from MrQ to my email enquiry. Will share once received.

 

[dunover]

I requested a withdrawal for £1200 two weeks ago. The following I got a message saying they needed a picture of my bank card front and back, so I sent them that straight away. Heard nothing at all then for a couple of days despite sending follow up emails. Then I got another message asking for a bank statement showing payments to Mr Q. I sent them a redacted copy of a bank statement showing the requested information.

Then after a few more days I got another email telling me they wanted a copy of my bank statement in an unredacted format. This BS infuriates me, since when does a bloody online casino think it has this kind of power???

Anyway, I complied and sent them the requested document, and heard nothing for days. I sent an email chasing them up and finally got a response.

"We are keeping your money and permanently suspending your account" was the gist of it, how the hell is this even legal?
The reason stated was because deposits were made from a joint account. Well, I'm sorry, but you were happy enough to keep taking said deposits, this is such unbelievable shady behaviour and tactics, it makes you wonder how many people fall foul of not having a clue about this because most people won't take the time to scroll through and read all of the small print. Fair enough if you are going to implement this as a rule, but have a checkbox or something that clearly states when you add a deposit method that if it is a joint account they will steal your money and close your account.
Absolutely disgraceful behaviour on the part of Mr Q.

I've attached the final email they sent. I have of course responded with fury but had no response since. I will add that it was a joint bank account I deposited from, but it was my own money and I was completely responsible for it, which my husband would have happily confirmed.

I have edited the title to 'retained' as opposed to the original 'stole'.

As suggested above, the issue could be with the joint a/c holder and their past, whether that is a self-exclusion, Gamstop or other event.

I would suggest going to eCogra with the problem as a common family financial arrangement, i.e. a joint account should not in of itself be a reason to refuse payout, if they make it so then it could be argued legally that it's restrictive and unfair even if they specify so.

 

[jasonuk]

It's a tricky situation for sure - because every casino handles it differently, and some are more explicit in their definitions than others. For clarity, there are UK-based casinos out there that explicitly allow joint accounts - so this is a much more nuanced scenario than any other third party payment (which is excluded by everyone).

The phrasing of 7.5 and 7.6 is somewhat clumsy - because "and not money that relates to another person" is the only real clause that applies to joint accounts.

The two exceptions I can think of, which have already been suggested:

• you used their debit card to deposit - even though it's a joint account, it's not your card in your name.
• they are otherwise restricted from using MrQ or sister sites (account closure, self-exclusion etc).

Having a search around the forum and beyond - there have been stories of people having balances confiscated for joint accounts over the years (across a variety of operators), but frequently it's because there was something more... such as the above scenarios, suspected multi-accounting and similar abusive behaviour.

It's particularly frustrating because you can refuse customer due diligence requests - they will close your account but should pay out the balance at the point of the documents request (plus any subsequent deposits, but not winnings). So you are essentially being punished for complying with their requests... which is ridiculous.

 

[marshallmdmiller]

Offshore casinos are now far more trustworthy than any UK joints. The new gap in the market is simply promising the customer they will get their winnings, not perky deposit bonuses or weekly cashback, no, the guarantee that you will be honoured with the bare minimum expected of any casino. It's absolutely disgusting.

 

[satchnz]

Just received the following email from MrQ. Be aware if you frequently this casino. Sadly I won’t be using them anymore. What an absolute joke.

Thanks for getting in touch.

We don't allow joint bank accounts, third party bank accounts to be used on individual and other player accounts, all payment methods need to belong to the account holder only in their own sole name, regardless of the joint account holder being a MrQ player themselves, they also can only use payments methods in their own sole name.

Please note that when you register at MrQ, you agree to our

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

. Regarding payment methods, you have agreed to the following:

7.6 In agreeing to these terms you agree that all payment methods used by you in connection with your Account belong to you and are in your name, and that all money deposited is your personal money and not money that relates to another person, business (including your own business bank account or business PayPal account) or other source, or provided to you by a third party (including but not limited to money from a loan, family member, associate or any other source). If you breach this Term we will take the actions outlined in Section 12.

We hope this information helps further.

If you require anything further then please let us know.

Kind regards
Simon
MrQ Player Experience Team

 

[satchnz]

I thought I’d give MrQ the benefit of the doubt and specifically ask if depositing using a debit card in the account holders sole name would make a difference but no it doesn’t. It’s obviously a term fairly isolated to MrQ as @L&L-Jan and Bet365 said this is not applicable to their casinos. MrQ must be in the enviable position to turn away good customers. Gobsmacked.

Here is their reply:

Thanks for getting in touch.

All methods linked to joint account are prohibited, which in the scenario you have mentioned that wouldn't be allowed, as the card is linked to a joint account even in separate names.

This is where we would have trust on the player/account holder to be honest and the method they are using is only in there own sole name linked to a sole account.

The terms and conditions are agreed to before the account is opened so the player has this information and advised of this before any account transactions take place, if they break the rules then they are at risk of losing the funds.

If you require anything further then please let us know.

Kind regards
Simon
Kind regards
Simon
MrQ Player Experience Team

 

[jasonuk]

How difficult would it be to add a joint account warning and/or mention it explicitly in the terms and conditions?

That they haven't, suggests it's an easy way for them to clean up on people who haven't read the rules and/or haven't realised the subtle meaning of 7.6 which will screw them over.

 

[justdoit]

i use join account never had problem

 

[satchnz]

i use join account never had problem

I’ve always used a joint account with MrQ too. But I’ve never been SOW’d and that’s where they will catch you. One big win and you’re toast. Justdontdoit @justdoit.

 

[satchnz]

How difficult would it be to add a joint account warning and/or mention it explicitly in the terms and conditions?

That they haven't, suggests it's an easy way for them to clean up on people who haven't read the rules and/or haven't realised the subtle meaning of 7.6 which will screw them over.

I mean yeah sure you should always be aware of a casino’s T&C’s, but this is just taking it too far. Way too far. Their loss, not mine.

What you mentioned above @jasonuk is just too much common sense for outfits like this.

 

[justdoit]

I’ve always used a joint account with MrQ too. But I’ve never been SOW’d and that’s where they will catch you. One big win and you’re toast. Justdontdoit @justdoit.

I only play one time on MR Q and close my account, but i use same card on Bet365 and other casino

 

[niknak1977]

I thought I’d give MrQ the benefit of the doubt and specifically ask if depositing using a debit card in the account holders sole name would make a difference but no it doesn’t. It’s obviously a term fairly isolated to MrQ as @L&L-Jan and Bet365 said this is not applicable to their casinos. MrQ must be in the enviable position to turn away good customers. Gobsmacked.

Here is their reply:

Thanks for getting in touch.

All methods linked to joint account are prohibited, which in the scenario you have mentioned that wouldn't be allowed, as the card is linked to a joint account even in separate names.

This is where we would have trust on the player/account holder to be honest and the method they are using is only in there own sole name linked to a sole account.

The terms and conditions are agreed to before the account is opened so the player has this information and advised of this before any account transactions take place, if they break the rules then they are at risk of losing the funds.

If you require anything further then please let us know.

Kind regards
Simon
Kind regards
Simon
MrQ Player Experience Team

Thank you for taking the time to contact them and get that clarification, pretty sure it can't be legal to keep hold of fairly won withdrawals but be happy to keep taking deposits using that method. Hopefully they will get investigated again and the powers that be will take a look at this BS. I hope this post will shine a light and others won't get caught with the same issue when they come to withdraw a decent win. Shameful.

 

[jasonuk]

As dunover mentioned earlier, definitely take it to ADR (eCOGRA) once they've given you their final decision - doesn't cost you anything and it'll be a (somewhat) impartial review of the situation.

The key question for you to consider (and obviously don't have to answer this in a public forum) - can you demonstrate that you have sufficient income to cover all of your expenses (ideally - or at an absolute minimum, your share of the expenses) and your gambling deposits.

If so, then there is a demonstrable flow from your salary, to your (shared) bank account, to your deposits - which weakens MrQ's position because 7.6 is clearly focused on third party funds. Despite what MrQ say, in that scenario it would not be as cut and dry as they claim, and ADR (or any subsequent small claims) may take that balance of probabilities into account.

Likewise, if you cannot - then I suspect you will be sunk, because it would be third party funds in that case.