What are reasonable Casino fees?

[Shelix]

Hey folks!

 

I finally dove in, signed up for a casino after a week of research (Casino Max) on US friendly casinos, arduous searching for any hint of identify theft, fraud, shadiness (which kept me away from a couple other promising casinos).  Since I'm a table game player, there were no first time customer or deposit bonuses, which I was fine with - and the only two withdrawal methods are bank wire and check, both of which have a $25 fee.

 

I also verified my account prior to making a deposit, since I didn't want to run into the possibility of not being able to withdraw if I had any winnings - then I called my bank to ensure there wouldn't be any fees for using my credit card to make a purchase from an overseas (UK) vendor (there isn't).

 

With all that done, I made a deposit in USD - maximum deposit allowable was $500, so I did, and the casino charged me a 7.2% "currency exchange" fee, despite me making a payment in USD, and receiving funds in USD.

 

When I got to thinking about it...with a $36 fee to deposit money, and a $25 fee to withdraw money, the casino is taking 12.2% of my money before I make a bet just to allow me to gamble.  If I'd deposited less than $500, it would have been more than 12.2% reserved.  I'm irritated, and don't feel the resounding confidence that I did at the start of this.

 

Am I being unreasonable?  Is this pretty standard?

[Afi4wins]

Well Shelix, I don't play table games at all, and I don't use any credit/debit card for deposits either, but I am totally surprised at the HUGE fees you had to pay for your deposit!  

 

I would NEVER EVER pay such fees for my deposit...totally absurd and ridiculous amounts!  

 

I play only slot games and I use only Neteller...nothing else. Some casinos charge between 2.5% up to 3.5% deposit fee, but withdrawals are free. Nonetheless, I am never agreeable to this deposit fee, so I avoid playing at casinos that charge them. All of my top 10 favourite casinos do not charge any fee at all, so that's where my deposits go. 

 

If only US players can have such freedom of choice! 

[Shelix]

It wasn't a "deposit fee" persay, it was a "currency exchange fee."  I might buy that if I was exchanging euros for dollars, or rupees into dollars, but it was dollars into dollars.   The more I got to thinking about it, the more irritated I am.  I have $700 in my account now, which after the $36 currency transfer BS and the $25 withdrawal feel, means I'm up ~$140, not $200.

 

Doubly irritated because the casino has tiny table limits and I'm having to gamble by tiny bits ($250 table cap on a roulette table.  Seriously).  It took me a couple hours to get my account up $200.  That's not gambling, that's work.  I could just go to work and make more money, risk free.  I asked them to increase the table limits, and they said that table limit increases would "come naturally" as they get a feel for me as a player.  I'm not a "frequent" Vegas visitor, but I've been more than most, and I was expecting the thrill of Vegas, except at the comfort of home.

 

I had a $2000 budget, but after getting hit with a $36 currency exchange fee to turn my dollars into dollars, I'd end up having to pay $144 to deposit $2,000.  And still be gambling for peanuts with the tiny table limits.

 

Is being an American trying to gamble online really that bad?  I'm honestly considering pulling out and being done until I can put together a Vegas trip.  I have an inherent distrust of non-free gambling software, I just really liked the idea of getting my fix without a flight, a hotel, or travel time.

[Afi4wins]

Well, that's the thing about US...it's a great country...Trump is trying to make it great again...but all his moves so far have only increased all kinds of taxes!

Blame it on his Trade Wars! 

 

The only way to really enjoy gambling in the US is to go to Las Vegas and spend several days there, and hope there won't be another angry hunter lurking around in the hotels!

 

Sorry to say Shelix, but the only way to really enjoy gambling is to be out of America...but that's not everyone's cup of tea...or coffee. 

[Shelix]

I've been to Vegas repeatedly - and also done some significant gambling on cruise ships.  

 

My issue is that I'm a roulette player, I play a Martingale strategy, I won't play American Roulette, and my personal comfort zone is a 7-8 bet zone for a table min-max - which means if the table min/max is $5-$1000 (betting 5-10-25-50-100-250-500-1000).  The only 7-bet table in Vegas is the $100-$10,000 table at the Bellagio, and my wife won't let me gamble $20k like that.  European tables in Vegas have at best a 6-bet min/max, and most of them have 5...the only way to get to a 6-streak table stretched to 7 is with a bored pit boss, and I don't want to fly to Vegas and wander around the casinos trying to find a place to gamble.

 

I found an online casino that was too good to be true - 5Dimes a $1-$2500 European Roulette table with "la partage" in play, and was ecstatically getting out my credit card, but my natural suspicion of anyone on the internet having my money led me to do a lot more research, which led me to a reddit thread where someone complained that 5Dimes perpetrated ID theft on them - combined with a complaint somewhere else that 5Dimes wouldn't verify their account, and some ***** a decade ago about them having non-fair software, I got scared off.

 

In fact, since I want to play French roulette, maybe I need to start asking French casinos what their min/max are and make a trip to Europe.  My wife desperately wants to go to Britain anyway.

 

*edit*  I just sent an e-mail to the Monte Carlo's VIP team asking about their tables.  If they have a 5-1000 or 5-2000 table with en prison in effect, we might need to get to Europe sooner rather than later.

[LeoDubbed]

If you ask me thats just a ripoff, it's greediness that what it is. People leeching on each other 'oh so you got $1000 uh, let's see how much I can leech from that,ssssluuurrp!'

[ValDes]

Hey folks!

 

I finally dove in, signed up for a casino after a week of research (Casino Max) on US friendly casinos, arduous searching for any hint of identify theft, fraud, shadiness (which kept me away from a couple other promising casinos).  Since I'm a table game player, there were no first time customer or deposit bonuses, which I was fine with - and the only two withdrawal methods are bank wire and check, both of which have a $25 fee.

 

I also verified my account prior to making a deposit, since I didn't want to run into the possibility of not being able to withdraw if I had any winnings - then I called my bank to ensure there wouldn't be any fees for using my credit card to make a purchase from an overseas (UK) vendor (there isn't).

 

With all that done, I made a deposit in USD - maximum deposit allowable was $500, so I did, and the casino charged me a 7.2% "currency exchange" fee, despite me making a payment in USD, and receiving funds in USD.

 

When I got to thinking about it...with a $36 fee to deposit money, and a $25 fee to withdraw money, the casino is taking 12.2% of my money before I make a bet just to allow me to gamble.  If I'd deposited less than $500, it would have been more than 12.2% reserved.  I'm irritated, and don't feel the resounding confidence that I did at the start of this.

 

Am I being unreasonable?  Is this pretty standard?

 

A terrifying example of a daylight robbery! 

 

Welcome to AskGamblers though.

[pinnit2015]

If I'd to pay those fees I'd simply not gamble. It's disgusting.

 

Very few places here charge - off top of head it's BGO who, despite plowing money into expensive TV adverts and hiring celebrities to promote them, still charge. Some places the first is free but subsequent withdrawals are free (Leo Vegas are so cash strapped you have to wait to level 30 until all withdrawals are free) but yeah, BGO are the only ones who charge on deposit as far as i know (2.5%). Rizk dropped theirs as well recently. 

 

You can bask in the knowledge that your fee's are a little contribution to their executives pensions. 

[ValDes]

Ha, forgot to answer to the "What are reasonable Casino fees?" question...  

 

In my humble opinion, the only reasonable casino fees are the No Fees at all when it comes to deposits and withdrawals. Any other excuses you might here or read from casinos is a pathetic attempt on their behalf to justify poor business decisions and blatant disregard of their players!  

 

Conversion fees on the other hand are still a pretty tricky moment which depends on so many different factors which makes it literally impossible for a common online gambler to find the truth behind the myths. Always refer to your bank and/or e-wallet support team just to be sure you won't lose half of your skin transferring money to some casino. 

[pinnit2015]

I miss Vera John's conversion:

 

Withdraw 100 quid, 104 hits bank.

 

Still none the wiser if this as casino/bank's issue but sadly it's stopped/corrected now.....

[cocopop3011]

I miss Vera John's conversion:

 

Withdraw 100 quid, 104 hits bank.

 

Still none the wiser if this as casino/bank's issue but sadly it's stopped/corrected now.....

 

Hehe - I remember you posting about this, never happened to me unfortunately!

[TonyMontana532]

Damn, that's a lot of money in fees. If I were you, I would stay away, because a casino that has such fees may have other "dirty" tricks in store for you. That's my opinion.

[Flatzem]

what do people think about this at Casino Rewards? excessive fees?

 

By the way some UK casinos for example don't even charge for bank wire withdrawals yet Casino Rewards what the *****?

 

The casino has set a minimum withdrawal amount limit:

DBT/WIRE: €300

All other methods: €50

Withdrawn funds will be held in pending for 2 working days, during which time you may reverse the withdrawal in order to continue playing

 

Are there any fees associated with withdrawing?

 

The following charges apply and will be deducted from players' withdrawals:

 

CADEFT: No Cost

DBT: €35 -- Note: DBT Withdrawals over €3000: €70

All other methods: No Cost

 

 

35 EUR=40.99USD

70 EUR =81.99USD

[pinnit2015]

God they’re eye watering.

 

High fees, relatively high minimal withdrawals, reversing incentives, dodgy affiliate advertising, pending periods, one SOftware provider.

 

Sounds a great group.