Can online casinos snoop into your bank accounts?
A fairly disturbing case came to light recently, and one which sets a frightening precedent for the privacy of online gamblers. This case involves a player at William Hill who apparently had been gambling with them for some time and was a reasonably big player there. The player was contacted by support at William Hill who asked them to “justify their level of play” by providing financial records to prove that he or she was able to afford their gambling habit. The casino apparently wanted financial papers regarded the players income, including bank statements for 3 years and utility bills.
A quick scan of their terms and condition reveals that they are actually entitled to ask for these. This is listed under the money laundering section of their T & C’s.
In certain circumstances we may have to contact You and ask You to provide further information to us directly in order to complete the Checks. For this purpose, we will be entitled, at our sole discretion, to require that You provide us with a notarised ID or any equivalent certified ID according to the applicable law of Your jurisdiction or otherwise, proof of address, utility bills, bank details, bank statements and bank references. Until such information has been supplied to our satisfaction we may prevent any activity to be undertaken by You in relation to the Account or we may, where we reasonably believe that deliberately incorrect information has been provided by You, keep any amount deposited on the Account following the closure of the Account by us.
Now obviously all casinos need to ensure that they are not party to money laundering but 3 years bank statements seems a bit excessive by any standards. They also wanted the players proof of income and the player reported that they asked for other detailed information such as property records, savings. family savings and more.
Quite what prompted this level of intrusion is not clear, however William Hill have not responded to questions put to them by prominent members of the gambling industry on the question. Whether this is prompted by the new UK gambling laws but it does seem an excessive amount of scrutiny for one player to endure. One would think that William Hill would value large players such as this rather than interrogating them to this level.
It also begs debate as to where due diligence ends and intrusion starts. Over the many years I have been playing at online casinos I have never been asked to undergo this level of scrutiny. Of course I provide documents as requested to prevent money laundering but these are generally only a copy of ID, a faxback form, a utility bill, copies of any credit/debit cards used and perhaps a bank statement. Casinos have always accepted my decision to black out all financial information on my bank statements and my documents have always been accepted without quibble. If a casino asked me to provide three years financial information I would politely tell them where to get off and go and find a new casino who values my custom.
It will be interesting to see how this case develops and William Hill’s justification for all of this. Unfortunately, at the moment the silence seems to be deafening.
#gambling #onlinecasinos #williamhill
How to be a smart gambler
“There’s no such thing as a smart gambler” said my partner sagely over breakfast one day. I beg to disagree. In fact smart play is what differentiates the big winners from the big losers, whatever the size of your bank roll. So what is playing smart? Isn’t gambling nothing more than a game of chance? Well, although lady luck certainly has a hand in your chances of hitting a big win, by playing smart you can increase the odds in your favour.
1. The Golden Rule - never gamble with what you can’t afford to lose.
Yes it’s probably a no brainer but never gamble with money you can’t afford to lose. That includes the mortgage and rent money, bill money and anything else you may need for your day to day living expenses. Gambling is meant to be fun and its no fun if you are constantly worrying that you are about to lose the roof over your head or that your utilities are about to be cut off. Yes you may strike it lucky and hit that big one, but the chances are also that you won’t. This also applies to borrowing money to gamble - just don’t. Luckily many banks now routinely decline credit cards for gambling transactions so the temptation isn’t as high as it used to be but if you are borrowing money to gamble then it is likely that you are a problem gambler. If you suspect this may apply to you, seek help from one of the many organisations which help with gambling addiction.
2. Don’t chase losses.
Almost everyone who has ever gambled is probably guilty of this at one point or another. The temptation to give it one more spin or one more turn of the cards is overwhelming at times, often with the mistaken belief that a win is “overdue”. This ability to imbue the slot reels or cards with some sort of “memory” is unique to the unsavvy gambler, each spin or turn of the cards is a random event and it makes no difference what has happened before to the outcome of each hand. An often quoted example is if you flip a coin ten times and heads turns up each time then most people will bet on tails believing it to be overdue. In actual fact, the odds of the next flip turning up heads is just as equal as it always was - the coin has no memory. To take this example further, some people would actually bet on heads believing the coin to be weighted or some sort of sleight of hand going on. This is probably more logical than actually believing tails to be due!
3. Understand Variance
Following on from the coin flip example earlier, variance explains how likely you are to deviate from the house edge. In a random coin game over the long term you would probably expect tails to come up approximately 50% of the time and heads to come up 50% of the time. In this game the variance would be very low as there are only two possible outcomes and each of these are expected to turn up 50% of the time. If however you were to take a high variance game such as the lottery with a 14 million to one chance of winning the big prize and a 1 in 32 chance of winning any prize, your chances of busting your bankroll before getting any sort of return on your money are very high indeed. You can use this same principle to choose the games which you play in the casino. Low variance games include table games, whereas slots, video poker, keno and bingo are all high variance. To complicate matters further, slot games all have difference variances, but often casinos will indicate the variance of the slot - RTG casinos for example do this. A high variance slot will hit less often for bigger amounts, but you will need a reasonably big bankroll in order to take advantage of this. Jackpot slots are all high variance. Lower variance slots will hit more regularly for smaller amounts.
4. Maximise your bankroll by choosing bonuses carefully.
The gambling industry is a competitive one and like any competitive industry casinos need to offer attractive bonuses and promotions in order to stand out. For the gambler, this is generally a good thing, but be ever mindful of the saying there is no such thing as a free lunch. Always, but always read the small print on any bonus or promotion you accept - be aware of the wagering requirements, any excluded games and worst of all any maximum cash out restrictions which may apply. Promotions run hand in hand with game variance - slots player usually get the most generous bonuses because the house edge is highest, whereas table game players will receive lower bonuses. Bonuses and promotions can be a minefield and some players choose not to accept them at all, however they can and do boost your bankroll nicely. Take a screenshot of the terms and conditions of any bonus you accept in case of a dispute later on.
5. Shop Around
If a supermarket consistently offered lower prices and better products than your regular store then you would switch, right? So why stick with a casino which isn’t offering you great value for money and a winning experience. Casinos all too often get complacent with regular players and fail to offer them the rewards and incentives offered to new players. The old adage “it is easier to keep an existing customer than find a new one” seems to miss the marketing departments of some casinos. Whereas comp programs are there to build loyalty, most casinos do not offer attractive enough comps in order to keep a players loyalty. Check out Casinovamp.com for the newest and best online casinos, the latest bonus offers and promotions, and gambling industry news. Smart play starts here!
Ukash imposes new £180 transaction limit on codes in UK shops
From 16th February 2015, the maximum value of an individual Ukash code issued by shops in the UK will be £180. This is to bring it into line with the terms of their e-money licensed issued by the Financial Conduct Authority which allows the maximum value of an emoney transaction to be restricted to 25o Euros. At current exchange rates £18o is
On 16th February 2015 the maximum value of a single Ukash code issued from shops in the UK was changed to £180.00. This change reflects the weaker value of the Euro against the Pound. Ukash operates under an emoney licence from the Financial Conduct Authority and this sets out the maximum value of a single emoney transaction to be 250,00 euros. At current exchange rates this is closer to the new L180 maximum.
The new maximum value applies only to Ukash issued in shops in the UK from 16th February 2015 onwards. Codes over L180 issued before this date will be processed as normal. Revised Ukash Terms and Conditions can be seen here: www.ukash.com/terms
We trust that this change does not cause you any inconvenience but you can comment via social media, at Facebook.com/paywithukash or on Twitter @paywithukash or by email to [email protected]
Yours sincerely
The Ukash team
Casino Dukes - our best value for money casino
There’s no doubt that casinos these days seem to be getting tighter. As players we are always looking for the best value for money casinos and the most play time for our deposits. When I first started gambling online back in the late 1990’s, a $20 deposit provided hours of fun but it seems now that at many sites, that deposit is gone in just a couple of spins of the slots. Those of us who don’t have huge bankrolls or who prefer penny play seem to have been left behind by ever increasing stakes (yes Microgaming I am talking about you!) or end up relying on bonuses (minefield) in order to maximise our bank rolls.
So it was a refreshing change to discover Casino Dukes - a good old fashioned honest online casino powered by Genii/Saucify and licensed in Malta. What did I like so much about it? Well for a start, my initial deposit had me playing for over four hours, the games are fun and innovative offering generous bonus rounds and free spins, plus they have in my opinion the best player loyalty/comp program currently available. Add to this customer service who are genuinely interested in players experiences and will do everything they can to make your gaming experience pleasant and enjoyable and you have the formula for a really outstanding casino.
Asking a casino reviewer which casinos they play with in their own time, is a bit like asking a restaurant reviewer where they prefer to eat. I have a handful (perhaps five) casinos in which I play regularly and Casino Dukes is now one of them. So why exactly does Casino Dukes stand out from the rest? Well for a start it is different. Anyone who has been around the gambling industry for a while is probably familiar with the offerings of the “big” providers - Microgaming, IGT, Net Entertainment, RTG, Playtech etc. There is a good mix of new and different games - from generous and funky slots, several hard to find versions of video poker, a good selection of table games, plus a few progressives, keno and scratch card games. The slots bonus games are generous, they often offer excellent prizes far in excess of what you would usually find for your chosen stake. If you are used to tedious bonus games which generally return 2 - 5 times your stake then you are going to love Casino Dukes.
I briefly mentioned the player loyalty program which in my opinion is the best comp program around at the moment. Forget boring cash exchange for your loyalty points, this one not only offers cash bonuses, but also free spins, ipads, jewellery, TV’s. holidays and even a Vegas Experience. The system is called Player Quest and as you play, you progress through the ranks of the player nobility where eventually you will reach the fabled royalty level. In addition to earning comp points at an increased level the higher your rank, you will also receive generous extra bonuses including a free birthday present, weekly insurance, tier bonuses and entrance into special tournaments.
Nows its time to mention the B word - by this I mean bonuses. Whether or not you are a fan of bonuses there is no doubt that Casino Dukes offer great value for money bonuses. Every day you can claim an offer and on Sundays there is a special no deposit bonus available to everyone. Unlike other casinos, Dukes do not quibble on bonuses - once your playthrough is met the money is yours - there are no aggressive terms or nasty clauses designed to part your from your money. Check your current bonus and playthru requirements in the cashier at any time, and once your bonus is converted the money is all yours. The first time you play at Casino Dukes you qualify for a welcome bonus of 250% of your deposit up to $250/€250/£250 free using coupon code HELLODUKE, plus you can also use the no deposit coupon code FSDUKE for 20 free spins whether you decide to purchase or not.
A special mention has to go to the fabulous support staff at Dukes who will do their utmost to ensure you have a magical gaming experience. Unlike some other casinos, I was made to feel that Casino Dukes actually valued my custom - I may not be the biggest gamer in the world or a high roller but their support staff genuinely made me feel that I count - and that alone is priceless.
Play now and claim £25 free
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Casino Complaints - how to complain about online gambling sites
If you have a complaint about an online casino, poker room, bingo hall or sports book, in the first instance you need to contact the operator. In many cases, customer services will be able to resolve your complaint quickly and to your satisfaction. But what happens when you are not happy with their response or if they are simply ignoring your complaint?
Luckily there are a number of dispute resolution services who can help when a player has a dispute with an online casino or gambling operator. The first thing to take note of is where the casino is licensed. Most licensing jurisdictions have their own casino complaint mediation service although they will want to ensure you have firstly attempted to resolve your problem with the gambling site itself. If the casino is licensed in the UK, under the rules of the Gambling Commission they must have an effective complaints and dispute service. Any casino which advertises to or accepts UK players must from October 2014 hold a license awarded by the UK Gambling Commission.
You can check whether a casino holds a UK licence by looking at the home page. All UK license holders should have a Gambling Commission logo displayed at the bottom of the page. You can also check for a UK license here : http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/Find-licensees.aspx
Firstly, ask for a copy of the gambling sites official complaints procedure. They are duty bound to provide this to you. Next take your complaint through their disputes procedure and await the response from the operator. If you are unhappy with their resolution of your complaint, then the operator should provide you with the details of their Alternative Disputes Resolution service. The ADR is an independent third party to whom your complaint can be referred for investigation. The ADR may request further information or documentation regarding your dispute.
There are a number of ADR’s and which one your complaint will be referred to depends on the terms of the license issued.
If your complaint does not concern a casino or gambling operator which is licensed in the UK, then there may be other entities who can help. Make note of two key pieces of information - where the casino is licensed and what software it uses. All the big casino software providers have their own dispute resolution services - however these may be over ridden by the licensing jurisdiction. For example Microgaming software have their own disputes mediation service but if you are dealing with a Microgaming casino which holds a UK license then you will need to go through the ADR entity of that particular casino.
You can find more information on the software providers dispute services and those belonging to the main licensing jurisdictions here - http://www.casinovamp.com/articles/casino-complaints-and-dispute-resolution.html
Don’t forget too that if you saw the casino advertised on a casino site such as casinovamp.com you can enlist the help of the webmaster to solve your complaint. We will always assist with complaints about casinos who are listed on our pages and if we are not able to solve it for you then we can usually point you in the right direction of where to go next.
