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Subject: Urgent complaint against WinShark – Serious violation of self-exclusion obligations and request for immediate refund

Dear Casino Guru Complaint Team,

I hereby wish to file a formal and urgent complaint against WinShark for a serious breach of responsible gaming policies.

On [07/07/25], I specifically requested the permanent closure of my account due to gambling addiction, requesting immediate self-exclusion. Despite this clear and unequivocal communication, the casino failed to close my account, allowing me to continue making deposits.

I reiterated the request on [07/07/25], without any concrete protection measures being taken. The account remained active and fully operational.

Following my initial self-exclusion request, further deposits totaling €2,650 were accepted. These amounts were cashed out despite the casino already being formally aware of my condition and my desire to permanently stop gambling.

I consider this behavior a serious violation of the obligations to protect vulnerable players and the responsible gaming regulations applicable to online casinos.

I therefore ask:

1. Immediate review of the casino's conduct.

2. Full refund of any amounts deposited after the first self-exclusion request.

3. The permanent and irreversible closure of my account.

In the absence of a quick and satisfactory solution, I reserve the right to proceed with:

- Formal reporting to the regulatory authority responsible for the casino license;

- Initiation of civil legal actions for the recovery of the sums;

- Reporting to the competent Italian authorities for consumer protection and gambling.

I have all the documentation (emails, screenshots, deposit history) proving the above and am ready to provide it.

I trust in your intervention to restore conduct that complies with legal obligations and player protection principles.

Oggetto: Reclamo urgente contro WinShark – Grave violazione obblighi di autoesclusione e richiesta rimborso immediato

Gentile Casino Guru Complaint Team,

con la presente desidero presentare un reclamo formale e urgente contro WinShark per una grave violazione delle politiche di gioco responsabile.

In data [07/07/25] ho richiesto espressamente la chiusura definitiva del mio conto per motivi di ludopatia, chiedendo l’immediata autoesclusione. Nonostante tale comunicazione chiara e inequivocabile, il casinò ha omesso di procedere alla chiusura del conto, consentendomi di continuare ad effettuare depositi.

Ho reiterato la richiesta in data [07/07/25], senza che venisse adottata alcuna misura concreta di tutela. Il conto è rimasto attivo e pienamente operativo.

A seguito della mia prima richiesta di autoesclusione, sono stati accettati ulteriori depositi per un totale di € [2650]. Tali somme sono state incassate nonostante il casinò fosse già formalmente a conoscenza della mia condizione e della mia volontà di interrompere definitivamente il gioco.

Ritengo questo comportamento una grave violazione degli obblighi di tutela dei giocatori vulnerabili e delle normative sul gioco responsabile applicabili ai casinò online.

Chiedo pertanto:

1. L’immediata verifica della condotta del casinò.

2. Il rimborso integrale delle somme depositate successivamente alla prima richiesta di autoesclusione.

3. La chiusura definitiva e irreversibile del mio account.

In assenza di una soluzione rapida e soddisfacente, mi riservo di procedere con:

- Segnalazione formale all’autorità di regolamentazione competente per la licenza del casinò;

- Avvio di azioni legali civili per il recupero delle somme;

- Segnalazione alle autorità italiane competenti in materia di tutela del consumatore e gioco d’azzardo.

Sono in possesso di tutta la documentazione (email, screenshot, cronologia depositi) comprovante quanto sopra e sono pronto a fornirla.

Confido nel vostro intervento affinché venga ripristinata una condotta conforme agli obblighi di legge e ai principi di tutela del giocatore.

Important notice:

Casino Guru will never ask for payments or access to your accounts to complete KYC. If someone claims to be from Casino Guru and does that, do not share any information.

We only contact players through this official complaint thread or via @casino.guru e-mail addresses. Always check the sender’s domain and verify your complaint resolver’s e-mail address by clicking on their avatar visible inside the official complaint thread.

If anything seems suspicious, contact us directly.

Stay safe.

Hello,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience with Winshark Casino.

Please allow me to ask you a few questions so we can better determine how to assist you.

• Is your account currently accessible to you?
• Have you received any response to your self-exclusion request?
• After you learned the self-exclusion request wasn't processed, have you contacted live chat support and asked for assistance?
• When was the last time the casino allowed you to deposit?

If your account is currently not blocked, as the next step, I recommend you contact the casino with a self-exclusion request via email at support@winshark.com, and at the same time, include me in the copy of the email at tomas@casino.guru

When applying for self-exclusion, clearly state the reason for deactivating your account and specify the period. Additionally, the email subject should be marked and easily recognizable, as the casino support receives many requests per day. If it is marked visibly, you will stand a better chance of having your request granted as soon as possible.

Example:

Email subject: Self-exclusion:

Player’s info:

First name:

Last name:

Date of birth:

Casino login:

Email address:

"Greetings Winshark Casino Support,

I’m writing to inform you that I wish to be immediately excluded from this casino and from receiving any gambling-related marketing material permanently.

The reason for my decision is that I am suffering from gambling problems.

I acknowledge that I will not be allowed to rescind my self-exclusion during this period and that the self-exclusion cannot be lifted before the end of the agreed period."

In the meantime, check other resources and information in our responsible gambling guide found here: https://casino.guru/responsible-gambling-guide

I hope we will be able to help you resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you very much in advance for your reply.

Best regards,

Tomas

Thank you for your response and attention to my case.

My account is still accessible. However, I would like to emphasize that my primary request is a refund of all the money I deposited into the casino.

I believe this situation was not handled properly, and for this reason, I am asking for your support in helping me recover the full amount of my deposits.

I would appreciate it if you could continue to follow up on my case and assist me in the process of obtaining my refund.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards

Grazie per la vostra risposta e per l’attenzione al mio caso.

Il mio account è ancora accessibile. Tuttavia, desidero sottolineare che la mia richiesta principale è il recupero di tutti i soldi che ho versato nel casinò.

Ritengo che la situazione non sia stata gestita correttamente e per questo motivo chiedo il vostro supporto per aiutarmi a recuperare l’importo totale dei miei depositi.

Vi sarei grato se poteste continuare a seguire il mio caso e assistermi nel processo per ottenere il rimborso.

Resto in attesa di una vostra risposta.

Cordiali saluti

Thanks for your reply.

Kindly share your most recent communication with the casino on the topic of self-exclusion and refunds. Emails exchanged, and chats with live chat support should be sent to my email at tomas@casino.guru

Please confirm you sent a new self-exclusion request according to my previous recommendations.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Good morning,

Thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately, I don't have an email address to share because my communication with Winshark Casino took place via the site's live chat. I didn't take screenshots of the conversation at that time.

However, during the chat, I had clearly informed casino support of my gambling addiction and requested account closure/self-exclusion. Despite this notification, the casino continued to allow me to make deposits and play.

I'm sure the casino keeps a history of live chat conversations in their archives, so it should be possible to verify what I told their support.

As advised, I resubmitted a self-exclusion request to the casino asking for my account to be permanently closed due to my gambling problems.

I remain available for any further information and reiterate my request for a refund for deposits made after my self-exclusion request.

Best regards

Buongiorno,

grazie per la vostra risposta.

Purtroppo non ho email da condividere perché la mia comunicazione con il casinò Winshark è avvenuta tramite la chat live del sito. In quel momento non ho effettuato screenshot della conversazione.

Tuttavia, durante la chat avevo chiaramente comunicato al supporto del casinò la mia situazione di ludopatia e richiesto la chiusura del conto / autoesclusione. Nonostante questa segnalazione, il casinò ha continuato a permettermi di effettuare depositi e giocare.

Sono certo che il casinò conservi lo storico delle conversazioni della chat live nei propri archivi e quindi dovrebbe essere possibile verificare quanto ho comunicato al loro supporto.

Come consigliato, ho inviato nuovamente una richiesta di autoesclusione al casinò chiedendo la chiusura definitiva del mio account a causa di problemi di gioco d’azzardo.

Resto disponibile per qualsiasi ulteriore informazione e ribadisco la mia richiesta di rimborso per i depositi effettuati dopo la mia richiesta di autoesclusione.

Cordiali saluti

Thanks for your reply.

Was your player's account closed as a result, since the last post?

Have you requested a refund due to failed player protection from the casino directly? With what result?

Please share the most recent communication between you and the casino. Please make sure to include the responses coming from the casino as well.

My email is tomas@casino.guru

Dear Ettore,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.

Good morning Tomas, as you asked, I replied to you via email.

Buongiorno Tomas come da te chiesto ti ho risposto tramite e-mail

Thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately, I am missing context that is relevant for the complaint to continue. I apologize for any misunderstanding.

Kindly confirm the last time you contacted the casino with a self-exclusion request. Provide a date here in the thread.

Kindly confirm whether your account was closed. Provide a date when it was closed here in the thread.

Good morning, I'm forwarding you the screenshot of the email I sent.

buongiorno vi inoltro direttamente lo screenshot della e-mail inviata

Regarding your request, I confirm the following:

I contacted the casino to request self-exclusion on July 7, 2025, clearly expressing my desire to cease all gaming activity and close my account.

Despite this request, I did not receive immediate and transparent confirmation that my account had actually been closed, nor did it appear that all necessary measures were taken in a timely manner to prevent further access or use.

In light of this, I believe there were serious shortcomings in the handling of my self-exclusion request, an essential element for player protection.

I look forward to hearing from you, including confirmation of the effective date of account closure and the actions taken following my request.

In merito alla vostra richiesta, confermo quanto segue:

Ho contattato il casinò per richiedere l’autoesclusione in data 07/07/2025, esprimendo chiaramente la mia volontà di interrompere ogni attività di gioco e di chiudere il mio account.

Nonostante tale richiesta, non ho ricevuto una conferma immediata e trasparente circa l’effettiva chiusura dell’account, né risulta che siano state adottate tempestivamente tutte le misure necessarie per impedire ulteriori accessi o utilizzi.

Alla luce di ciò, ritengo che vi siano state gravi carenze nella gestione della mia richiesta di autoesclusione, elemento essenziale ai fini della tutela del giocatore.

Resto in attesa di un vostro riscontro dettagliato, inclusa la conferma della data effettiva di chiusura dell’account e delle azioni intraprese successivamente alla mia richiesta.

Dear Ettore,

Please note these are not responses to my questions. Without your cooperation regarding the issue, the complaint won't progress.

We already recommended that you contact the casino again once the complaint was filed here with a new self-exclusion request. A single email as a response to a cashback offer might have been overlooked. We are unable to confront the casino if you only sent one email to the casino overall and made no further efforts to seek protection from the casino. I hope that clarifies our position. I encourage you to provide relevant new information about the status of your player's account, as well as a description of your further attempts to seek protection from the casino.

If you don't understand what I am asking, please let me know.

Looking forward to your reply.

Dear Ettore,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.

Good morning Tomas,

Thanks for the reply.

I would like to clarify the situation better:

I explicitly requested the closure of my account due to gambling problems (as per the email already sent to the casino).

Despite this request, my account remained active and accessible.

After my request, I did not receive an actual self-exclusion confirmation or account blocking.

The casino even sent me offers (cashback), a sign that my status was not treated as a vulnerable user.

Following your suggestion, I have sent a NEW formal self-exclusion request to the casino, clearly reiterating my condition and my desire to be excluded.

I believe the casino failed to comply with responsible gaming principles by allowing me to continue to log in and deposit funds despite a specific request alleging gambling addiction.

I look forward to hearing from you and am available to provide further evidence of the communications sent.

Best regards

Buongiorno Tomas,

grazie per la risposta.

Vorrei chiarire meglio la situazione:

Ho richiesto esplicitamente la chiusura del mio conto per problemi di ludopatia (come da email già inviata al casinò).

Nonostante questa richiesta, il mio account è rimasto attivo e accessibile.

Dopo la mia richiesta, non ho ricevuto un’effettiva conferma di autoesclusione né il blocco del conto.

Il casinò mi ha persino inviato offerte (cashback), segno che il mio stato non era stato trattato come utente vulnerabile.

A seguito del vostro suggerimento, ho provveduto a inviare una NUOVA richiesta di autoesclusione formale al casinò, ribadendo chiaramente la mia condizione e la volontà di essere escluso.

Ritengo che il casinò non abbia rispettato i principi di gioco responsabile, permettendomi di continuare ad accedere e depositare fondi nonostante una richiesta esplicita legata a ludopatia.

Resto in attesa di un vostro riscontro e sono disponibile a fornire ulteriori prove delle comunicazioni inviate.

Cordiali saluti

Dear Ettore,

Thank you for your cooperation and for providing all the necessary information. I truly appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken to share everything with us so far.

Your complaint will now move to the next stage of our process and be handled by your dedicated Resolver, Igor (igor.p@casino.guru). This is a standard step in our procedure, as the Resolver will take over communication with the casino directly and manage your case from this point onward.

No action is required from you right now. Your Resolver will reach out through this thread if any additional details are needed. You can rest assured that your case is in very capable hands.

I wish you the best of luck and hope your case will be resolved to your satisfaction soon.

Kind regards,

Tomas

Dear Ettore,

My name is Igor and I will be assisting you with your case.

I am sorry to hear about your problem with the Winshark Casino and I hope that together we will come to a successful resolution of your issue.

Now I would like to invite a Winshark Casino representative to join this conversation and participate in resolving this complaint.

Dear Winshark Casino,

Could you possibly provide additional information regarding the issue and clarify the situation?

I would also appreciate it if you provided us with any and all relevant evidence.

Thank you in advance for providing the information.

Hello, Igor and Ettore,

Thank you so much for waiting.

Dear Igor, we've sent an email with additional information regarding this case to your personal email.

We'd be very grateful if you could find that email from us and reply.

We'll be waiting for your response.

Best regards,

Winshark Casino

Dear Winshark Casino,

Thank you very much for your email and for joining this complaint.

I have reviewed your email and requested further clarification in my response.

Please let us know once you have had time to reply. Thank you.

Dear Igor,

Thank you for your response.

We have reviewed your email and sent you a reply.

We'll be waiting for your reply.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Winshark Casino

Dear Winshark Casino,

Thank you very much for your cooperation and the evidence you have provided so far.

To answer the question from your email, no further steps are required from your side for now.

Dear Ettore,

The casino has provided evidence showing that no deposits were made into your account after July 7th, 2025.

Could you please provide us with any evidence or screenshots showing payments made to your account?

Thank you.

Good morning,

I acknowledge your position, but I cannot agree with the conclusion of the case.

I believe the review is focusing exclusively on the lack of evidence relating to the deposits, neglecting the main and most relevant aspect: the handling of my request for self-exclusion for gambling addiction.

I would like to reiterate that:

I requested the closure of my account due to gambling addiction on 02/03/2026

The account was closed only on 03/10/2026

During this time, my account remained active and accessible, with no immediate safeguards being implemented.

In my opinion, this represents a clear lack of protection against a user who has explicitly declared a vulnerable condition.

Furthermore, I would like to point out that the payment structure used by these operators, often through intermediaries with names not directly attributable to the casino, makes it objectively difficult for the user to accurately reconstruct transactions, while the casino has complete and verifiable data.

For these reasons, if the case is closed without a thorough assessment of the casino's responsibility in handling the self-exclusion, I will be forced to:

make my experience public on review and consumer protection platforms

Report the case to the competent authorities, including the Customs and Monopolies Agency, highlighting the operations targeting Italian users and the failure to apply responsible gaming measures.

share all available documentation relating to the management of my account

However, I remain available for a fair resolution to the situation.

Best regards

Buongiorno,

prendo atto della vostra posizione, ma non posso condividere la conclusione del caso.

Ritengo che la valutazione si stia concentrando esclusivamente sull’assenza di prove relative ai depositi, trascurando l’aspetto principale e più rilevante: la gestione della mia richiesta di autoesclusione per ludopatia.

Desidero ribadire che:

Ho richiesto la chiusura del conto per motivi di ludopatia in data 02/03/2026

Il conto è stato chiuso solo in data 10/03/2026

Durante questo periodo, il mio account è rimasto attivo e accessibile, senza l’applicazione di misure immediate di tutela.

A mio avviso, questo rappresenta una chiara mancanza di protezione nei confronti di un utente che ha dichiarato esplicitamente una condizione di vulnerabilità.

Inoltre, segnalo che la struttura dei pagamenti utilizzata da questi operatori, spesso tramite intermediari con denominazioni non riconducibili direttamente al casinò, rende oggettivamente complesso per l’utente ricostruire con precisione le transazioni, mentre il casinò dispone di dati completi e verificabili.

Per questi motivi, qualora il caso venisse archiviato senza una valutazione approfondita della responsabilità del casinò nella gestione dell’autoesclusione, mi vedrò costretto a:

rendere pubblica la mia esperienza su piattaforme di recensione e tutela dei consumatori

segnalare il caso agli enti competenti, tra cui Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, evidenziando l’operatività verso utenti italiani e la mancata applicazione delle misure di gioco responsabile

condividere tutta la documentazione disponibile relativa alla gestione del mio account

Resto comunque disponibile a una risoluzione equa della situazione.

Cordiali saluti

Dear Ettore,

The casino provided clear evidence showing that no deposits were made after July 7th, 2025.

Additionally, regarding your email from July 7th, 2025, we cannot consider this message sufficient, as it was not sent in the required way. You only replied to a promotional email, which is not the correct way to request self-exclusion. I am writing this message to explain that is important to properly request self-exclusion in the future, should you encounter any gambling-related issues.

The first time you properly requested self-exclusion was when this complaint was already open, following Tomas’s detailed explanation and guidance.

In your very first message, you stated: "I have all the documentation (emails, screenshots, deposit history) proving the above and am ready to provide it."

Since no further evidence, apart from two screenshots, has been shared so far, please send any and all relevant documents to igor.p@casino.guru. Once any relevant evidence is provided, I will reopen this complaint.

Due to the aforementioned reasons, we will now proceed to reject this complaint. Thank you for your understanding. I am genuinely sorry that we were not able to assist you more effectively in this particular situation, as we always aim to help players resolve their issues whenever possible.

Please remember that you are welcome to contact us again if you run into any problems with this or any other casino in the future. Whether it is a question, a concern or a new issue that needs to be looked into, our team is here and ready to support you.

Best regards,

Igor.