Should we 'out' casinos who lie?

[KasinoKing]

Quite a few casinos (even some accredited ones) have blatant lies on their websites, either through incompetence or a deliberate attempt to trick players.

In the past I have tried writing to some asking they correct their websites, but 9 out of 10 times nothing happens. So do you think it fair that CM members post the casino's lies on the forum, or do you think that would be seen as 'casino bashing'?

Here's an example I spotted just this-morning at Casino Share; Their $2009 free-play offer:-

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Point 1: Most generous casino on the net...? Well, their bonuses are not the most generous I've seen by any reckoning - and I doubt anyone else would say they were the best either! OK, so all casinos claim to be the best, so that is kinda forgivable, though they could have said "one of the most generous casinos on the net" which I would not have any objection to.

Point 2: Now this is the one I have a real problem with - "PLUS! You get to keep all your winnings!". Great! Except that's a blatant lie, because when you read the small print in the T&C's you will see this:-

15. The maximum amount that can be won and transferred into a Real Account for this promotion is $100. Any amount over that will be null and void.

I want to make it clear I'm not picking on this particular casino - this is just one example I found today which I have also seen at quite a few other MG's offering these free-play deals.
But should we just keep quiet about it, or is it fair to 'out' them on a public forum (which seems to be the only way of getting enough of their attention so that they actually do something about it)?

KK

 

[kmay87]

Totally agree

For sure it's deceiving to new players as however much this bonus is, it isn't 'cash' as it's made out to be, there is a limit to how much you can withdraw and you have to make a deposit before you can do this. From what I've seen, all of these free-play bonuses then become a bonus on your deposit.

In essence, some of these are good. I remember doing a Casino Rewards one. Maximum win from the freeplay was 200, with a 20 deposit required. I forget what the WR was, but it used the early release system, and I hit big early on allowing me to forfeit the remaining 180 of the bonus for a tidy profit.

But then you get others which require a 50 deposit with a maximum of 50/100 being taken from the freeplay, which isn't so good.

As for the most generous casino on the net....dare I mention Pamper Casino

I understand why they do it - if it was advertised truthfully, many probably wouldn't do it. But the catch is once you sign up, they have your details. So when you discover what the bonus actually is, and think 'forget it', they can then keep emailing with promising bonus offers thus getting you to play when that might have not been your intentions.

 

[zuga]

good point KK i vote for "Name & Shame them"... no point in sending them email, coz i doubt they would even bother reading it...

 

[LaurieJim]

i voted name and shame them.....let the rep come on and explain if they want to clear it up or not, that would prove if they really cared or not by the actions they would take to correct it..................good post k/k..............laurie

 

[Simmo!]

It does no harm as long as the post is constructive and not a deliberate attempt to blackmail a casino over a specific claim. I voted "Give them a week..." as it devalues the "ooh it was an honest mistake Gov..." excuse

 

[raj]

Name and shame em ...not that it would make any difference.

IMO the whole situation of casino bonuses has gone too far. What with an hour of free play, 500% ,1000% and 2000% bonuses with such strict WRs attached that the chances of cashing anything out are virtually nil.

I am not a bonus hunter and would much prefer a casino to focus on fair games, reliable servers, fast cashout and good knowledgable customer service than any ridiculous bonus offers.

It seems the online casinos feel they must try and constantly outdo each other with these offers instead of focusing on what the player really wants/ You wouldnt get this in B and M casinos, at least not here in the UK anyway.

I would have every respect for a casino that advertised itself as no Bull***t bonuses and promotions just great games and high %s.

It seems at the moment no one is willing to breakaway and do this, so they all just keep playing this silly promotions game and imposing nightmare WRs and withdrawl processes on those sucked in.


Raj

 

[winbig]

Doesn't all MG casinos that offer this "free play" bonus fall into this category?

I've seen this numerous times, where their free play 'landing page' tells you that you get to keep all of your winnings...but yet you don't find out the truth until you read the T&C...

 

[heatherad]

Name and Shame!
We get screwed over enough without making it any easier for them.

 

[ballysdb]

Name & Shame 'em!

They get away with far too much already!

 

[Jasminebed]

In the example given by KK, the phrase "you get to keep all your winnings" seems to be deliberately misleading. In the t&c's you will find how they define winnings for this promotion. If they don't let you keep it, I guess you didn't win it

It is their webpage, so they should be thanking you for the additional promotion! These casinos try to reach a large audience, they should have no object to their pages being displayed accurately, complete with who they are.

 

[funky_seagull]

All casinos who offer this freeplay promotion do the same thing I have noticed. I saw the same terms with mummy's gold, 7sultans. And the same advertising which didn't tell the whole truth about it.

I think casinos should change it to: '500 free for an hour keep up to 100 of your winnings when you make a deposit.' Doesn't sound as catchy but people would still go for it.

I think when you visit a casino and it displays something like '100% welcome bonus when you join. Deposit 100 get 200 to play on all our games.'

It should say '100% welcome bonus for playing slots. Most table games and videopoker not allowed in bonus wagering requirements. Please read here for more info.'

or for bonuses were table games have a 10% weighting in the wagering.

'100% welcome bonus. 100% wagering for slots. 10% wagering for table games and videopoker. Click here for more info.'


Doesn't sound as appealing but would stop new players getting sucked into a trap because they weren't aware of what wagering requirements were.

I got cross with a mobile phone poker site called Aces Royal. It advertises in bold letters that players won't get data charges for playing their games. If players are charged they will refund the charges back to the player. Well I got charged. I rang their support line to get my charges back and was told that only players who have been playing with them a month or longer get refunded data charges and you only get them refunded one time only to a maximum value of 10 and it has wagering requirements. Fair enough but this isn't how it is advertised on their website and is deliberately misleading.

I think give them a week. Most casinos have misleading advertising and hard to find terms and conditions. If they haven't changed it by then, name and shame them.

 

[AussieDave]

Point 1: Most generous casino on the net...?

This type of blatant cr#p advertising re-minds me of a practice here in Australia that real estate agents use, it's known as puffery.

EG - Not too long ago I viewed a property for sale. Although a nice with all its high tech gizmos, it boasted a wine cellar. However on inspection the wine cellar turned out to be nothing more than a wine closet. Not much bigger than your average toilet, two wine racks and a glass door.

It's the same as saying "Most generous casino on the net".

For the unsuspecting it encourages then to sign-up. It's not until they realise that for every $10K they drop they only get $8 comp, compared to $10 at most other MG casinos. Not to mention Casino Share loyalty points come with a 30x WR. In fact every bonus & comp is tied to a 30X play thru.

In the beginning CS could probably claim this catch cry. They were giving 5x loyalty points and other displays of superior generosities. But now that's all turned to sh#t and the above is just another misleading advertising ploy!

In so far as the poll topic. I thinking everyone deserves a chance to rectify matters. So I think a a letter with 1 weeks grace is my recommended road. If this fails, then take it to the next level and use the shame approach.

As history shows it does tend to work most times!

Cheers
T

 

[Simmo!]

However on inspection the wine cellar turned out to be nothing more than a wine closet. Not much bigger than your average toilet

In London, you could throw a mattress and a kettle in there, dig an arse-sized hole in the corner of the room, stick a doorbell on the outside, paint "Number 23" on the door and flog it for 400k.

 

[XSX]

In London, you could throw a mattress and a kettle in there, dig an arse-sized hole in the corner of the room, stick a doorbell on the outside, paint "Number 23" on the door and flog it for 400k.

No DSS, of course =)

 

[vinylweatherman]

Name & shame where the lie is deliberate, such as where it has been there for a long time, they have been informed and/or received complaints, yet persist in using the lie to mislead new players into thinking an offer is much better than it is.

The lie of "keep all your winnings" is so blatant it is probably illegal if used here in the UK. All it would take is for a complaint to be made about this appearing on a UK advert, such as a poster, behind a urinal, or TV sponsorship, and the player then finding they win a grand and are told that "all" = 10% - this difference is more than enough for a complaint to be sustained by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Casinos get away with this because these claims are made on websites, and it is hard to define which country has enforcement authority over them.

Naming and shaming, and explaining why, will serve to warn new players about common casino scams, such as the "keep all your winnings" ones from MGS, where all it is is a novel way to "win" your standard SUB

This falls under "too good to ever be true", since it could be possible to win a considerable amount from the ever higher balances they now offer. The size of the balance is another thing that is misleading, it implies greater generosity, but it is nothing of the kind, it makes no difference whether you are given 500 or 50,000 to start with, the system is designed to only let you play at a certain low stake level, and for up to an hour.

I think most regular players now know this MGS offer is a fake, and expect to find a very low limit on what "all" really means.

Rogue casinos are expected to lie, however, respectable ones are not, and they really should know better. They should be outed, and the truth revealed and discussed, in the hope that embarrassment will educate respectable casinos into the view that it is better to tell the truth, however modest, rather than lie, and then be the recipient of a flood of complaints and negative publicity when some players get stung because they have taken them at their word rather than question them.