Spela Casino - KYC verified but they still refuse to pay my balance

Dear BENTASTIC,

An email was sent to you on the 01/11/2021 requesting certain documents on your account and explaining our terms and conditions which state that once signing up on the casino you authorize us to undertake verification checks as we may require ourselves.

Also please note that from our end your account is active and was not blocked from our end. It is currently restricted in terms of use however you are still able to login and request your withdrawal.

Once all document have been approved and withdrawal is requested, your funds can be released from your account.

Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Spela Team

Unfortunately, Spela's response contains false statements.

First, I received no email from them today, 01/11/2021 (November 1). The emails I've received on previous dates have been contradictory, as detailed above (and as seen in my attachments).

Second, while I am able to log in to my account, I am unable to request a withdrawal. Every time I do, I receive an error message. Since my credit card does not allow refunds from casinos, I want to withdraw via Interac email transfer. I was told by their live chat that in order to enable that option, I need to make a small Interac deposit. I am unable to do so because my deposit functionality is restricted.

My simple question to Spela: Will you honour my request to close my account and be paid my balance of $1,820 without delay, if I do not send you UNREDACETD bank statements?

If your answer is no, please advise how your inability to confirm "affordability" (based on my private, unrelated expenditures) justifies your refusal to do so.

Keep in mind, you have approved all of my KYC documents (ID/ad­dre­ss/­CC/­pay­slips), as confirmed by the email I received on October 27, notifying me that my account is Verified.

Thank you.

Dear BENTASTIC,

We have checked with the relevant department for you and due to regulations placed by the regulators of your country we would not be able to release any funds until the documents we requested have been sent. Your account is verified with us however this does not exclude the fact that further documents could be later requested on a verified account. With that being said, as mentioned earlier due to regulators we were required to request further documentation on your account as stated on our site.

Once we have these documents we can close your account as you requested and send your funds.

With regards to placing the withdrawal, we have escalated this over to our department and have advised them that you were not able to request it on the account. We will keep you updated on this and send you further instructions in order for you to place your withdrawal.

Meanwhile, we would appreciate if you could complete our request and submit the pending document required on your account and our department will be more than happy to have these reviewed for you.

Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to ask.

Regards,
Spela Team

This latest response by Spela is utter nonsense.

"...due to regulations placed by the regulators of *your* country..."

I challenge Spela to cite the Canadian law or regulation that requires me to submit my unredacted bank statements to a Maltese casino, in order for that casino to close my account and "release any funds".

If Spela does not provide the citation, we'll know they're lying for the purpose of withholding payment. Certainly, that will be grounds for enforcement action by the MGA; and for civil action against them to recover my account balance, my legal costs, and potentially, punitive damages.

AG, may I ask you to step in at this point? Or shall we await Spela's next response?

Dear @Bentastic,

The AskGamblers Complaint Team is kindly asking you to assist the Spela Casino team further and send the required verification paperwork.

Please keep in mind that as per the AGCCS Terms and Guidelines which you accepted upon registering and using our complaints system, you are obliged to provide the necessary level of assistance and cooperation during the process. Should you refuse sending the required verification paperwork, we will have no other choice but to reject the case and recommend you forwarding it to the relevant regulatory body.

Thanks for your cooperation.

AG Team,

If I understand correctly the implication of your response, Spela has unfettered authority to request any documents they wish, no matter how irrelevant or invasive; and they may lie about their justification for making such requests (i.e., that Canadian regulations are the basis for their refusal to release my funds)?

May I ask you to please re-read this thread from the beginning, and the attachments I submitted? If this is not a clear-cut example of a casino acting in bad faith, I'd struggle to imagine one that would be.

Thank you.

Dear BENTASTIC,

Should you wish to check any updates that are related to the regulator of your country, you are more than welcome to. In the past month regulations on documents were increased thus resulting is Casinos needing to request for more document than the general verification that was required before. The regulators of your country would the MGA - Malta gaming Authority,

Our department have confirmed with us that your should be able to request the withdrawal of your balance via Interac and should not have any errors. Could you please try and request this again? Should you have any issues in requesting it, it would be ideal to send over a screenshot of your error in order for us to assist you better.

Regards,
Spela Tema

I am still not able to withdraw via Interac. See attached screenshot (I've allowed to be viewed by anyone). Same error message as before.

Hi BENTASTIC,

As informed via email on 29/10/2021, further documents are needed in order for us to review your account as well as your withdrawal. For the time being until the documents required have been received and reviewed, you are not able to place your withdrawal. Once your documents are received and reviewed we can confirm that you will be able to place your withdraw through Interac.

Therefore we kindly ask you to provide the documents needed, which are stated in the email we have sent you.

Regards,
Spela Team

Once again, Spela is contradicting themselves and purposefully misleading a customer who is simply trying to close his account and recover his balance. Absolutely abhorrent behaviour, but completely typical for this casino.

SPELA - NOV. 5:

"Our department have confirmed with us that your should be able to request the withdrawal of your balance via Interac and should not have any errors. Could you please try and request this again?"

BEN - NOV. 5:

"I am still not able to withdraw via Interac. ...Same error message as before."

SPELA - NOV. 8:

"...until the documents required have been received and reviewed, you are not able to place your withdrawal."

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I do not want to play anymore, or make further deposits. I just want to withdraw my own money. Therefore, Spela's excuse of needing to check "affordability" is laughable!

If I send them the unredacted bank statements they're demanding, what are they going to say? "I'm sorry, sir, but we've decided you can't afford to have your own money back."

Someone needs to stand up to these bullies/thieves and say 'Enough!'.