Complaint #28 Karamba Casino

Karamba Casino unfairly declined my withdrawal and confiscated my winnings of €30000

By jtijani

10 years ago

Message on forum

Hi,

I have deposited €70 at Karamba Casino on the 28th of December 2015. I have received €35 bonus upon this deposit, giving me a total balance of €105. I started playing video slots and wone some money. During my play I allegedly won €100 in a tournament named Karamba Rocks (bonus or cash, not clear?; see bonus terms stating: Tournament winnings may or may not be cash redeemable). These winnings from the tournament probably was credited in to my account during my play. I haven't even participated in this tournament and was playing on my mobile and it is not possible to participate on mobile games! This can be verified in my gamelogs, which they are not sending to me upon multiple requests.

They have just credited tournament winnings on my account without prior notice to me. I didn't receive any emails or other notifications. There was also no change in the wagering requirement. I simply haven't participated in the tournament.

I have read the terms and conditions of Karamba Casino carefully. It is not allowed to place bets exceeding €7 or 20%. During the active bonus I haven't placed any bets exceeding the €7. All of my bets were between €1 and €4. At some point I have met all wagering requirements (please see attached screenshot). Starting that moment I was free to place higher bets, as the wagering requirement was finished. During my play I gradually staked higher bets as I was winning and I was under the impression that there was no wagering left. I have checked this twice on the account page.

After playing a while my total balance was arount 30K. I was really ecstatic, as I have never won so big. I have then decided to cash out, in accordance with their withdrawal policy (10K per month), in 10K installments. I also received emails from Karamba Casino with them congratulating on my big winnings. They also asked me to write a testimonial, which I did and sent to them. I was also asked to send in documents in order for them to verify my identity. I have done this immediately and got an email from them stating that my account was fully verified.

Here it comes: On the 4th of January, I received an email telling me that I have abused their bonus and that my withdrawals were declined and confiscated. My deposit of €70 was funded back in to my account. I was really shocked and couldn't believe this was happening, as I have read their terms and played in accordance with their bonus policy. I have only placed higher bets after finishing the wagering.

I also had contact with a Dutch customer support agent, which told me I was playing in accordance with the bonus policy, his name is Rolf. I have requested a tape of this phone call with him and other chat transcripts and

The problem here is that Karamba is using the 100€ winnings from the tournament, which is bonus money according to them and therefore subject to wagering. I have never received any notification regarding this. i just did not participate in this tournament. This was also not displayed on the account page. I have checked this and there was just no wagerring requirement. This was the reason why I placed higher bets.

I am really disappointed in Karamba Casino. The way they have sent me emails congratulating me and afterwards unfairly confiscating my winnings, is just rogue. I have hit bed rock here and really don't know what to do, therefore I decided to take the first step to get my rightful winnings back with the help of Askgamblers. Really appreciate if you guys could help me here.

Best regards,

Disputed Casino Karamba Casino

Reason Declined payment

Discussion

AskGamblers

• Support Team

10 years ago

Based on all the information and evidence presented on this case by both parties, AskGamblers Complaints Team can confirm that:

a/ player was well in aware of the fact why the disputed amount of 100 euro has been added to his account as well as that this amount is bonus and not cash.

b/ player placed multiple high bets in violation of max bet rule applied by Karamba Casino.

c/ Karamba Casino acted accordingly to its own bonus policy and rules and confiscated players winnings derived from placing bets in violation of max bet rule while playing with bonus funds.

Although we could imagine the huge disappointment of having such a huge win confiscated due to bonus rule violation, after all it is player's obligation to familiarize these rules and follow them strictly.

We would also like to remind player that in case of a disagreement with our decision further assistance on this issue could be requested by the relevant licensing authority responsible for Karamba Casino license to operate.

The case is now officially closed.

jtijani

• Netherlands

10 years ago

Hi,

That screenshot doesn't proove anything in this matter.

Like I have stated in previous posts, I haven't opted in for this tournament. This is actually the first time I am seeing this page. Also there are no other specified terms to this. How about accountability of support employees? They have told me multiple times my gameplay was okay. You guys are using this €100 bonus from that tournament afterwards as an additional wagering requirement (after I have met the wagering requirement on the first 35€ bonus) to justify things at your end. The wagering for that €100 was also not shown on the My Account page of the casino. Not to speak about sending me mails with congratulations and request of testimonials and KYC documents and declining my rightful winnings later is just really perverse.

I will escalate this matter further to all possible casino review sites and gambling lincensing authorities (MGA & Gambling Commission) concerned if Karamba doesn't come up with a solution for this. This is just bogus!

Regards.

Karamba Casino

• Representative

10 years ago

Dear Jtijani,

Thanks for your email.

Please look at the screen shot, inner page of the Christmas promo. This was the promotion page describing all our Xmas activities. As you can see, it s clearly displayed, 100Euros bonus (for the prize you won)

Also we just sent to askgamblers support team evidence of:

1) the facts that really quick the real funds were lost and the remaining balance was only bonuses.
2) A proof of the high bets under wagering requirement.

Best Regards
Karamba Team

jtijani

• Netherlands

10 years ago

Hi,

Thank you for the quick response. However, I'd like to state that I don't agree with this.

First of all, I have never opted in for this tournament. However, I do not mind winning some extra cash or bonus money. That's always welcome. The thing here is that the tournament policy states that winnings can be either cash or bonus. The support agent only said that I won €100. Nowhere I could find any information about the type of the winnings. Karamba has just credited me with €100. Also nothing was said about any wagering requirements regarding the amount of €100 I allegedly won in this tournament. During my play I have had contact with support multiple times! In those chats nothing was said about bonus or wagering requirements either. Lastly, I was congratulated multiple times with my winnings. When my balance was arount 57K support has congratulated me too. During this chat support has also checked if my gameplay was in accordance with the bonus policy and everything was just fine they said. Please add those chat transcripts too, as Karamba doesn't provide me with these chat and call transcripts upon multiple requests via mail.

Also Karamba states the time and amount I have bet on both Jackpot Jester and Real Bandits. This could be right, as I completed the wagering requirement on that moment. That was the reason why I placed higher bets. There was no wagering requirement left on that moment. I have checked this on the My Account page. Karamba is just using the €100 tournament winnings afterwards as bonus money!

Regards.

Karamba Casino Complaint Stats

Resolved 67 / 71

Avg. Amount $2,377

Avg. Complaint Duration 7 days

Avg. Response Time 2 days

Karamba Casino Complaints

See all complaints for this casino

My Account After Bonus Wagering and Withdrawal Request

I deposited £10 at Karamba casino, received the £10 bonus and 250 free spins, and fully met the 35x wagering requirements. My bet sizes ranged between 10p and £3 per spin as per the terms.

I understand that winnings from the free spins were capped at £100, but the other money — the bonus and deposit funds — is not capped. All I had to do was wager it 35 times, which I did in full.

After completing all wagering requirements, I requested a withdrawal of my winnings, which were now real cash. Unexpectedly, Karamba closed my account and refused to pay out, citing “bad faith” without any clear explanation or evidence.

This treatment is unfair and unacceptable. I request Karamba to immediately reinstate my account and process my withdrawal. If this issue is not resolved promptly, I will escalate the matter to the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to seek a formal investigation and resolution. Please find the attached files of the bonus offer and transactions and the withdrawal that I have requested and Karamba email they sent me

Thank you for your attention.

Unresolved

£300

Withdrawal 1650

So I’ve been waiting 7 days for them to process my withdrawals but everytime I speak to an operator I’m getting the same answer, that’s I should wait for an email for the relevant team. I’ve verified all my documents but still not reassurance that I’m getting my cash outs! Thought it was a really great site to start let’s just hope they pay up

Resolved

£1,650

Issues with the weekly tournament

Dear Ask Gamblers ,

Where do I start… I could write a book on my constant struggles to make a successful cashout. If I am lucky enough to get my cashouts passed “pending” I will receive confirmation emails that my cash-out requests have been sent for processing. However over and over for nearly a month my money has been sent back into my account. The first time was because I selected too much. The limit was bumped to 20k/month so then I start the whole process over again and then again. I have sent multiple emails and not received any definitive response, usually I’ll get.

“Congratulations on your winnings” “ your cashout has been approved” but it gets declined and goes right back into my account. To add insult to injury, money I won from a tournament is also nowhere to be found with no clear answer to what is going on or when I’ll get my winnings. One day it’s “you will get it tomorrow”, then it’s “next week” or I’m told to just that the relevant department is aware of the issue and to “keep an eye on my inbox.”

I’ve sent another complaint through email today to see if that makes any difference. I’ve exhausted all attempts to get paid money I legitimately won. I’ve met all wagering requirements. I’ve reduced both my cashouts to $9000.00 each hoping maybe being less than $10,000 it will work. That was 6 days ago and still pending.

The tournament is “Drops and Wins”.

It’s the first thing you see they promote it on the main page. I Placed 11th out of 3000+ players. Received a notification that I had won congratulating me. I was so excited. I won 500.0x at C$15.00 bet worth C$7,500.00, in The Weekly Tournament (PrizeMultiplier)# 29# that ended on Aug 31, 2022.

Any help resolving these issues would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, P

Resolved

$25,500

Delaying withdrawal twice

I made a two withdrawals of £251 each on the 30/4/2021, Total £502

I am a verified customer, the two withdrawals were held in processing for 7 days after numerous e mails to karamba, I eventually received an e mail advising me there was a technical issue and karamba had cancelled the two withdrawals and resubmitted the withdraw as one at £502.

I have waited a further 7 days and it is still in processing , I have e mailed karamba every day but the only answer I receive is the relevant department is looking into this and will email me once they have sorted it

After 14 days I would have thought it would be enough time to give me some information of why it is delayed again

I would appreciate your help with this

Resolved

£502

Withdrawal still pending due to prolonged security check

I won about $7000 on karamba and on April 16th I cashed out $5000 and then on April 18th I cashed out $2000. I sent over my verification documents like the asked. I received an email on April 20th that they processed my withdrawal for $2000. That was great but thought it was weird they processed my $2000 withdrawal before my $5000 since I made the $5000 first. I left it for a day or two. Contacted chat on April 22 regarding why they haven’t processed the withdrawal for $5000 in which I received a response that my account is undergoing a routine security check by the compliance team. I left it, then Friday I contacted them again because it has now been over a week and does not make sense to me that my account is still going through checks when they can process my other withdrawal. Needless to say the customer service rep gave me the same response. When I asked what the routine security check was she said she did not know. How could they not know? I have still not received my withdrawal. I have attached the conversations I’ve had and my withdrawal pending

Resolved

$5,001

Missing withdrawals

To whom it may concern

Here is the proof I still haven't received these 2 withdrawals as if today April 6th 2021.

I have constantly requested that they correct their mistakes.

I have provided them my bank statements from January and February to show them that these 2 withdrawals I did still haven't arrived.

As you can see on the letter from my bank representative it clearly states they made mistakes on these transactions which never arrived in my account.

5hey have had all these documents bank statements 5 letters from my bank representative but still no corrections being done to re-process or re credit my account for the full $702 back to my account.

It has been 3 months now that I have been after them to correct their mistakes but they have constantly used delaying tactics or reescalating my request and coming back saying they were processed correctly but as you can see for yourself they made mistakes otherwise the money would've made it to my account.

< personal information removed >

Resolved

$702

Completed wagering requirements but still unable to request a cashout

I deposited £10 on the 4th jan 2021 and i recieved 25 free spins and a £10 bonus that evening i went on to win a few hundred pounds and completed the £350 wagering requirements so the 5th i went to withdraw but my bonus was still active so i went on the live chat and spoke to gentleman called rolf in the chat i proved i had completed the requirements and it should take a few hours to sort its self out so waited but it was still the same i ve done on line chat more or less every day since the 5th i have wagered more of my winnings and im still gerting told theres a technical hitch i have included screen shots of the chats

Resolved

£738

Withdrawing Money Issue

To whom it may concern,

As it stands, I am not able to talk to customer service as whenever I try to click on the chat button, it does not open the chat for me anymore. I'm not sure whether this is because I have been banned or there is a technical issue. However, this makes me feel uneasy as I can not ask anyone for help, hence why I have come here for help.

The issue at hand is as follows: on 29/12/2020 late night, I had tried withdrawing my money and I was told I could not withdraw unless I have reversed all my bonuses (screenshot provided), therefore I try to remove my bonuses and I am only able to reverse one (screenshot provided). I was given 20 free spins x £0.25 on the Fruity Friends slot and when I tried to use these spins, an error message popped up and I was not able to use them, unfortunately, I was not able to get a screenshot of this as I decided to go to sleep and resolve this problem the next day. So on the 30/12/2020 midday, I get in touch with customer service, and admittedly they helped me to resolve the error on the Fruity Friend slot, however, I do not have a little icon saying '20 free spins' in the bottom left of the slot screen. And it still says I have £5 free games on my bonuses menu. It is now 30/12/2020 late at night and I am not able to talk to customer service as to why I do not have any free spins to use anymore.

I currently have £801.60, and I would like to withdraw this money as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

David < surname removed >

Resolved

£802

Withdrawals still not processed after 4 weeks of waiting

Hi. I have two pending withdrawals with Karamba that I requested on the 21st of October 2020 (£95.00) and 25th of October 2020 (£220.00). I have spoken to multiple agents over their live chat service regarding the delay but both withdrawals remain unprocessed. The first agent I spoke to claimed that they were having issues with PayPal (my chosen method of payment), and the second agent I spoke to said that my withdrawal hadn't been processed because my account was "undergoing a routine security check by our Compliance team". I sent a formal complaint to the company on the 10th of November but they have not acknowledged or responded to this email. When I enquired about this on the 15th of November, again through their live chat feature, the agent apologised and said that he would escalate this complaint and that I would receive a response within the next 48 business hours. I have still not been contacted by Karamba and I am extremely frustrated. I asked the same agent to provide contact details for the company's ADR provider but he refused. I am aware that complaints must go through the company's own complaints procedures prior to contacting their ADR provider, and that they have up to 8 weeks to resolve complaints internally first; however, I am concerned by Karamba's refusal to even acknowledge my formal complaint and that is why I am opening this complaint with the AGCC. As an account holder with Karamba I have a right of withdrawal and it is their responsibility to allow consumers to withdraw their deposit balance at any time and without restriction. I believe that Karamba is currently denying me this right. I hope that they will respond to this complaint with urgency and with the involvement of the AGCC I can finally resolve this ongoing issue.

I have provided a full copy of the Live Chat transcripts below, I also have screenshots of these conversations but I am not sure how to attach these. I can send these via email if necessary?

Thanks,
Aaron.

Karamba
You have reached customer support. Please type your query below and a representative will be with you shortly.

Me: Paypal withdrawal still pending

Oct 28, 10:41 PM

Customer Support Team
Thank you for coming to live chat. Kindly note that we are currently experiencing a high number of queries, therefore there will be delays in receiving assistance as all our Customer Support Agents are currently engaged with other customers. For urgent queries, we'll be with you as soon as we can, alternatively please come back to live chat later. Thank you for your patience.

Kindly note, If your query is related to a pending withdrawal, we are currently processing a very large volume of withdrawal requests which may cause a slight delay in your withdrawal process. We will contact you directly as we
receive updates related to your withdrawal. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Ryan
Welcome to Live Chat, my name is Ryan,how are you today? :) in order to assist you on chat, please can you provide me with your First & Last Name and Username? :)

Me: Aaron (removed) and (removed)

Oct 28, 10:42 PM

Ryan
How may I help you today? :)

Me: I've been waiting on a withdrawal for about a week into my paypal account

Oct 28, 10:44 PM

Ryan
Let me have a look at your account for you :)

Me: Okay

Oct 28, 10:46 PM

Ryan
Please bear with me as we are very busy at the moment

Me: Sure

Oct 28, 10:47 PM

Ryan
thank you Aaron! :)
I can see here that you have a pending withdrawal, Unfortunately we are having some techincal issues with our payment deparment which has caused an unforeseen delay. Our technical team are working hard in order to try and resolve this asap and we are hoping that this is resolved shortly! I will forward your account to the relevant department to try and speed up the process for you. We apologize for any inconvenience caused in this regard.

Me: Appreciated!

Oct 28, 10:52 PM

Ryan
no problem Aaron! :)
Is there anything else i can help you with?

Thank you for coming to live chat. :) Since I have not heard from you for over 3 minutes, I will end this chat in 30 seconds. Please click to chat with us again if we can be of further assistance.

Natalie
Hi and welcome to livechat, my name is Natalie.
I will do my very best to help you.

Thank you for coming to live chat. Since I have not heard from you for over 3 minutes, I will end this chat in 30 seconds. Please click to chat with us again if we can be of further assistance.

4 Nov 2020

Me: Hey

Nov 4, 6:58 PM

Marianna
Hello :) Welcome to the Live Chat , my name is Marianna.

Me: Hi. Can I get an update on pending cashouts please?

Nov 4, 6:58 PM

Marianna
Let me please check it for you :)

Me: Okay

Nov 4, 7:02 PM

Marianna
Thank you :)
Aaron I can see that your account is currently undergoing a routine security check by our Compliance team, this may be what's causing the delay.

For now we thank you for your patience and as soon as there is an update on your account, you will be contacted.

Me: Routine security check meaning what?

Nov 4, 7:06 PM

Marianna
It is our standard procedure , sometimes needs to be done.

Me: I would appreciate a better explanation than this. I have been kept waiting on one of my cashouts for 2 weeks which is supposed to take 0-2 business days. My account has been verified with the relevant documents.

Nov 4, 7:10 PM

Marianna
I am so sorry Aaron!

Me: First I was told there was a problem with Paypal transactions, but only when it comes to cashouts. Your company is withholding funds that do not belong to them.

Nov 4, 7:11 PM

Marianna
As I can see your cashout is under review.

Me: I am aware that it is "pending". But I have had no updates, and your agents have failed to provide a reasonable explanation as to why.

Nov 4, 7:13 PM

Marianna
I am so sorry to hear it.
Thank you for coming to live chat. Since I have not heard from you for over 3 minutes, I will end this chat in 30 seconds. Please click to chat with us again if we can be of further assistance.

Me: So is that your explanation?

Nov 4, 7:17 PM

Andre
Hi! Welcome to chat. My name is Andre, what can I do for you?

Me: I would like an update on pending cashouts.

Nov 4, 7:23 PM

Andre
There is none, I can escalate to have it checked again to make sure though, but there are no news now
The relevant department isnt working at the moment, so earliest youll hear from us is tomorrow
Youll be contacted on email

Me: I would appreciate a reasonable explanation

Nov 4, 7:26 PM

Andre
Thats all I cant give for now, if I had more information, I would give it
Is there anything else I can do?

Me: Okay. I would like you to note that I have logged my conversations with karamba customer support.

Nov 4, 7:28 PM

Andre
Alright no problem, have a good evening Aaron!

Annie
Hello, welcome to chat, my name is Annie! How can I assist you today?)

Annie
Thank you for coming to live chat. Since I have not heard from you for over 3 minutes, I will end this chat in 30 seconds. Please click to chat with us again if we can be of further assistance.

10 Nov 2020

Customer Support
Kindly note that we are currently experiencing an issue with PayPal withdrawals. Our technical team are working on a fast solution. We apologize for the inconvenience caused & thank you in advance for your understanding.

Me: Hi

Nov 10, 7:04 PM

Me: What is your complaints procedure, please?

Nov 10, 7:15 PM

Jonas
Hello welcome to chat! My name is Jonas, how can I assist you? :)
You can do this here with me or send an email with detailed description on the issue

Me: I don't believe you will be able to resolve, I have spoken to customer support previously and my issue is still unresolved. I would appreciate a channel to make an official complaint, would that be through email?

Nov 10, 7:18 PM

Jonas
You can indeed send an email to [email protected]

Me: Thank you

Nov 10, 7:20 PM

Jonas
No problem Aaron. Sorry for the inconvenience here with us
Thank you for coming to live chat. Since I have not heard from you for over 3 minutes, I will end this chat in 30 seconds. Please click to chat with us again if we can be of further assistance.

15 Nov 2020

Hey

Nov 15, 1:09 PM

Oscar
Welcome to Live chat, my name is Oscar, please let me assist you:) How have your day been going so far?:)

Me: Good thanks. Could you please send me the contact details for your ADR provider?

Nov 15, 1:10 PM

Oscar
Give me some time to check this for you please:)

Me: Okay

Nov 15, 1:11 PM

Oscar
thank you
Aaron, could you please be so kind to clarify your complaint?

Me: Sure

Nov 15, 1:15 PM

Oscar
Thank you

Me: I have two pending Paypal withdrawals that I have been waiting about 3 weeks for, I've asked customer support previously about the delay and have been told that it was due to a Paypal issue and then later on that it was because of a security check on my account

Nov 15, 1:17 PM

Oscar
Thank you, Aaron

Me: I recently asked for an email account to send a formal complaint to, which I did last Tuesday, but your complaints team have not responded.

Nov 15, 1:18 PM

Oscar
I completely understand, Aaron

Me: I am aware that the Gambling Comission states that your company has 8 weeks from the date of the complaint to resolve, but they also state that it should respond to any complaints within 3 days, and this has not been done.

Nov 15, 1:19 PM

Oscar
Thank you for the details
I will escalate your complaint to management right away
When did you send your email?

Me: I appreciate this. I sent my email on Tuesday to [email protected]
Could I also have the contact details of the ADR provider?

Nov 15, 1:22 PM

Oscar
I completely understand your frustration, Aaron
Kindly note that we are currently experiencing a high number of queries, therefore there will be delays in receiving assistance
That's why you have been contacted yet

Me: I am aware that the gambling commission states that a company should respond to a formal complaint within 3 working days but as far as I am aware it does not say what to do if a company does not do this.

Nov 15, 1:23 PM

Oscar
I have escalated your complaint to our management with high priority and you will be contacted within next 48 business hours

Me: I appreciate that your company may need more time to deal with a high number of complaints, but if I do not receive a response within a reasonable time then I would like to take this up with an ADR provider to see if they will take up my case.
And thank you for escalating this complaint.

Nov 15, 1:26 PM

Oscar
Yes, this is completely correct
Is there anything else I can help you with at the moment, Aaron?

Me: Is the ADR provider still the POGG.com?

Nov 15, 1:27 PM

Oscar
First your complaint should go through our management
And if you are not satisfied with the result, you will be provided with the ADR details

Me: Yes, I understand. I just want to know in case if I don't receive an answer via email?

Nov 15, 1:29 PM

Oscar
You can come to chat

Me: Okay. Thanks for your time, Oscar.

Nov 15, 1:30 PM

Oscar
Thank you for the understanding and patience:)

Resolved

£315

Unjustly declined €3,000 withdrawal

I received an email with 50% bonus. So i signep up and deposit 200€ to get 100€ Bonus.
After a couple spins i landed a 1000x on 4€ stake.
Completed the wager only on 3 and 4€ stakes on bonanza, wild frames, book of dead, honey Rush and legacy if dead slots.
Did a withdrawal request and the day after i received the email with the decline that i did mistaken the 4€ betting rule, what i absolutely did not.
During the whole wagering i only did 3 and 4€ bets. Contacted live chat, tried to understand where my false is but they couldnt help me.
So i tried the mobile number on the website which also couldnt help me.
At least the support via email wrote me, that they have checked my betting history again and nothing has changed.
I wanted to know where and when i did false the 4€ rule but they couldnt tell me.
I also checked my betting history on the website. Theres no more than 4€ bets during the wagering.
Hope you guys can help me with this problem

Resolved