Complaint #70
PokerStars Casino
Frozen Account & Funds, No Further Info
7 years ago
Hello. I am currently being ignored by PokerStars Casino regarding my account being restricted randomly. I was online playing a slot machine (the same slot I had been playing for around 5 days) when I was about to start a feature and got kicked off. This in itself is very harsh as the feature element of this slot is the only way you can win anything due to a very low variance / volatility of the slot. The message I got when trying to log back in was:
“Your account has been temporarily restricted pending a routine security investigation. We apologize for this delay.
These checks are usually completed within minutes, after which time your account will either be re-opened with full functionality, or you will receive an email explaining required next steps.”
I waited hours even though it says “minuets” on their message which is very inaccurate and nothing changed.
I then checked my emails later on and I had an email from their “Customer Protection” team asking me if I was aware of my current losses and playing time. This came across as a general “responsible gambling” type email and I understand and respect these emails and the fact they show concern you are losing money. I responded right away clearly explaining I was aware and for the avoidance of doubt I clarified to them that I only gamble what I can afford to lose. I mentioned I had been lucky on other casinos so far so this one negative period wasn’t too bad for me. I have had these types of things happen on all casinos after you deposit or lose a fair bit and normally you are instantly released to continue playing as the Casino has ticked their due diligence box so to speak.
24 hours passed and I noticed my account is still locked. I chased them up again, this time I got an email back with a “proof of earnings” form sent to me, asking me to detail how much I earn from my job, how much I had won elsewhere. This was very out the blue and considering I have played on this site for 10 years and verified with my passport etc years ago I didn’t expect it. I also make ALL my deposits and withdrawals using my verified PayPal account. PayPal themselves do very stringent checks on my legitimacy and identity so I would have thought this in itself showed I am who I say I am etc and I thought the propose of PayPal was to take some of the burden away from the end user.
Anyway, that being said, I quickly returned the form explaining I earn a very healthy salary. I attached my December 2018 wage slip which it itself showed a take home pay of over £6000 GBP for just one month. I also attached print screens of my PayPal activity showing various incoming payments from other casinos I had won at which totalled around £10,000 GBP worth of winnings across 3-4 casinos. At this stage I would like to add PokerStars had not even asked for wage slips etc, just for me to send this very basic form back. However using my own common sense, why on earth would they just take my word for it based on a simple form. So trying to speed up the process I was proactive and sent lots of supporting personal information even before they asked for it, in hope they couldn’t just stall.
I also read on the small print of the letter it says to send it back to [email protected] This is quite sneaky as it wasn’t obvious until you read it very close. The email that came from their “Customer Protection” team just asked them to send them the form back direct. So it wasn’t clear who needed it.. the support team or this “cdd team”. To be safe I sent it both, again, hoping they wouldn’t just come back in a few days stalling saying you need to send it elsewhere.
Since sending this information and chasing PokerStars via direct email and through the support function of the website I have had zero communication back for days and days or even any acknowledgment of the personal documents and forms I sent them. My account is sitting with a large balance ($585.21) which I cannot access, withdraw or play with. They have also disabled the live chat function of my account which used to always be there and I used it often. This to me heavily restricts the speed and fluency of any communication as with no phone number you are literally just sat on your hands now waiting for an email back without being able to talk to a human being. It feels like they wish to slow you down as much as they can for some odd reason.
I also have sent them my mobile number to the complaints team and asked if someone can call me direct at least with an update and still nothing.
After a couple of days had passed I tried phoning “Stars Group” on +1 437 371 5742 after I managed to find this number buried in google somewhere. I left messages for the office manager. I also forwarded the very long email chain showing I am being ignored to “wecare@pokerstars.com” in a final hope that they may do something, as well as direct messaging “Poker Stars Support” on Twitter. Still nothing from anyone.
I’m not sure what else to do and I’m uncomfortable about what they have done with the personal documents I sent them. An acknowledgment of receipt and estimated response time may have been helpful but you don’t even get an auto reply and I check my junk folder often too just to be sure.
Without any communication from them I am stuck.
Any help much appreciated and im happy to send you the email chains direct if you would like to see what has been said so far.
Kind regards,
Dan
“Your account has been temporarily restricted pending a routine security investigation. We apologize for this delay.
These checks are usually completed within minutes, after which time your account will either be re-opened with full functionality, or you will receive an email explaining required next steps.”
I waited hours even though it says “minuets” on their message which is very inaccurate and nothing changed.
I then checked my emails later on and I had an email from their “Customer Protection” team asking me if I was aware of my current losses and playing time. This came across as a general “responsible gambling” type email and I understand and respect these emails and the fact they show concern you are losing money. I responded right away clearly explaining I was aware and for the avoidance of doubt I clarified to them that I only gamble what I can afford to lose. I mentioned I had been lucky on other casinos so far so this one negative period wasn’t too bad for me. I have had these types of things happen on all casinos after you deposit or lose a fair bit and normally you are instantly released to continue playing as the Casino has ticked their due diligence box so to speak.
24 hours passed and I noticed my account is still locked. I chased them up again, this time I got an email back with a “proof of earnings” form sent to me, asking me to detail how much I earn from my job, how much I had won elsewhere. This was very out the blue and considering I have played on this site for 10 years and verified with my passport etc years ago I didn’t expect it. I also make ALL my deposits and withdrawals using my verified PayPal account. PayPal themselves do very stringent checks on my legitimacy and identity so I would have thought this in itself showed I am who I say I am etc and I thought the propose of PayPal was to take some of the burden away from the end user.
Anyway, that being said, I quickly returned the form explaining I earn a very healthy salary. I attached my December 2018 wage slip which it itself showed a take home pay of over £6000 GBP for just one month. I also attached print screens of my PayPal activity showing various incoming payments from other casinos I had won at which totalled around £10,000 GBP worth of winnings across 3-4 casinos. At this stage I would like to add PokerStars had not even asked for wage slips etc, just for me to send this very basic form back. However using my own common sense, why on earth would they just take my word for it based on a simple form. So trying to speed up the process I was proactive and sent lots of supporting personal information even before they asked for it, in hope they couldn’t just stall.
I also read on the small print of the letter it says to send it back to [email protected] This is quite sneaky as it wasn’t obvious until you read it very close. The email that came from their “Customer Protection” team just asked them to send them the form back direct. So it wasn’t clear who needed it.. the support team or this “cdd team”. To be safe I sent it both, again, hoping they wouldn’t just come back in a few days stalling saying you need to send it elsewhere.
Since sending this information and chasing PokerStars via direct email and through the support function of the website I have had zero communication back for days and days or even any acknowledgment of the personal documents and forms I sent them. My account is sitting with a large balance ($585.21) which I cannot access, withdraw or play with. They have also disabled the live chat function of my account which used to always be there and I used it often. This to me heavily restricts the speed and fluency of any communication as with no phone number you are literally just sat on your hands now waiting for an email back without being able to talk to a human being. It feels like they wish to slow you down as much as they can for some odd reason.
I also have sent them my mobile number to the complaints team and asked if someone can call me direct at least with an update and still nothing.
After a couple of days had passed I tried phoning “Stars Group” on +1 437 371 5742 after I managed to find this number buried in google somewhere. I left messages for the office manager. I also forwarded the very long email chain showing I am being ignored to “wecare@pokerstars.com” in a final hope that they may do something, as well as direct messaging “Poker Stars Support” on Twitter. Still nothing from anyone.
I’m not sure what else to do and I’m uncomfortable about what they have done with the personal documents I sent them. An acknowledgment of receipt and estimated response time may have been helpful but you don’t even get an auto reply and I check my junk folder often too just to be sure.
Without any communication from them I am stuck.
Any help much appreciated and im happy to send you the email chains direct if you would like to see what has been said so far.
Kind regards,
Dan
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