HIDDEN , COMPLEX AND OBSCURE TERMS Joachim Timmermans , co-founder of Quickspin and director at Print Studios , shares a personal experience that underscores the impact on players .
“ Most of us want to deliver top-notch services and products ,” Timmermans says . “ In this quest it ’ s important to recognise we aren ’ t always the typical player . I bridge this by regularly signing up with various operators and trying new slot games . Usually , this is enjoyable , but occasionally , the experience is far from ideal .
“ When I tried to withdraw my winnings , a casino accused me of breaching the SEK50 (£ 3.74 /€ 4.39 /$ 4.77 ) maximum stake limit .”
It highlights a significant issue in the igaming industry , he says . That is to say the use of hidden , complex and obscure terms to justify confiscating winnings from genuine players . When challenged , operators are generally unwilling to discuss the matter rationally .
Timmermans says discussions on forums such as Casinomeister and CasinoGrounds show a trend of casinos confiscating winnings from those that unintentionally break one of the many complex rules .
“ Often , the community response is dismissive – ‘ too bad , you broke the rules , your loss ’ – an attitude I find unreasonable ,” he continues .
“ I eventually managed to resolve the issue , but only after feeling compelled to share my frustrating experience publicly . The resolution came through leveraging the affiliate I used and it ’ s likely that my industry position played a role in the outcome . This is a recourse that a typical player does not have .”
GENUINE PLAYERS SUFFER , BONUS ABUSERS PROFIT Unlike typical players , bonus abusers diligently study the terms and conditions . The primary form of bonus abuse is multi-accounting , where an individual uses multiple identities to exploit an operator .
These multi-accounters often belong to broader bonus abuse networks , forming a highly interconnected counterindustry where information circulates rapidly . Aware of the risks , bonus abusers typically violate maximum stake terms only if they ’ re confident of evading detection , a scenario requiring just a single test to determine whether the collective will breach the term or not .
iGB L ! VE 2024 • ISSUE 136 • 61