Einzahlungen bei einem nicht lizenzierten Casino während eines Selbstausschlussprogramms

Hello everyone,

I've been reading a lot of forums for several days now, and I decided to share my story in case anyone has been through a similar situation and can shed some light or advice on how this might end.

Since 2020, I have been registered with the General Registry of Gambling Access Prohibitions (RGIAJ) in Spain, meaning I have legally self-excluded from online gambling. Thanks to this self-exclusion, I have been completely free from gambling for years, calm and recovered.

But a few months ago, I received an ad on my phone for the online casino Wazamba, which piqued my curiosity. I visited their website thinking they wouldn't let me gamble, but to my surprise, they let me register without verifying my identity, asking for my ID, or blocking access. And that was the beginning of a serious relapse.

Over the course of four months, I ended up making over 300 deposits, racking up losses of over €17,800. In a moment of desperation, I checked the casino and discovered it wasn't licensed by the DGOJ (General Directorate of Legal Entities of the Spanish Government), and therefore not authorized to operate in Spain.

I immediately filed a claim with my bank (Banco Santander), requesting a chargeback for all transactions, providing:

The bank statement with all charges marked.

My updated self-exclusion certificate.

A full explanation of the case, acknowledging the relapse, but emphasizing that I should never have been able to play or register.

I've also written to Mastercard support to see if they can help me with the process.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Is it possible to recover money in such cases, even if the deposits were made voluntarily but in an illegal environment?

I'm trying to close this phase with strength, because I've hit rock bottom financially and emotionally, and I want to start a new life.

Thanks to everyone who can share their experience or give me guidance.

Hola a todos,

Llevo varios días leyendo muchos foros y decidí compartir mi caso, por si alguien ha pasado por una situación parecida y puede arrojarme algo de luz o consejo sobre cómo puede terminar esto.

Desde el año 2020 estoy inscrito en el Registro General de Interdicciones de Acceso al Juego (RGIAJ) en España, es decir, legalmente autoexcluido del juego online. Gracias a esa autoexclusión, estuve años completamente alejado del juego, tranquilo y recuperado.

Pero hace unos meses recibí una publicidad en el móvil del casino online Wazamba, que despertó mi curiosidad. Entré en su web pensando que no me dejaría apostar, pero para mi sorpresa me permitió registrarme sin verificar mi identidad, sin pedirme el DNI ni bloquear el acceso. Y eso fue el inicio de una recaída muy dura.

Durante unos 4 meses terminé haciendo más de 300 depósitos, acumulando más de 17.800 euros perdidos. En un momento de desesperación, revisé el casino y descubrí que no tiene licencia de la DGOJ, por lo tanto no está autorizado para operar en España.

Inmediatamente he reclamado a mi banco (Banco Santander), solicitando el reembolso de todas las operaciones mediante chargeback, aportando:

El extracto bancario con todos los cargos marcados.

El certificado actualizado de mi autoexclusión.

Una explicación completa del caso, reconociendo la recaída, pero destacando que nunca debí haber podido jugar ni registrarme.

También he escrito a soporte de Mastercard, por si pueden ayudarme a respaldar el proceso.

¿Alguien ha pasado por algo similar? ¿Es posible que se recupere el dinero en casos así, aunque los depósitos se hicieran voluntariamente pero en un entorno ilegal?

Estoy intentando cerrar esta etapa con fuerza, porque he tocado fondo económicamente y emocionalmente, y quiero empezar una nueva vida.

Gracias a todos los que puedan compartir su experiencia o darme orientación.

I am sorry for this whole situation and that you slipped after so long into all this.

Unfortunately, though, the casino couldn't know that you have some gambling issues if you haven't told them so yourself, as they do not operate under the DGOJ.

This casino is accepting players from your country but is not allowed to promote in your country, so it is quite difficult to say if it is illegal or not, as we are not lawyers and can't see into this.

If I may, though, if you have ever mentioned to the casino that you have gambling issues, our complaint team could try to help.

So, please let us know, and hopefully there will be something we can do. 🙏

Thank you for your response and understanding. I understand the situation is complicated, but I want to clarify some important points:

While it's true that the casino has no way of knowing if I have a gambling problem unless I tell them, this doesn't justify allowing me to register and make deposits, even though I'm registered with the General Registry of Gambling Access Prohibitions (RGIAJ), which prohibits me from playing on such platforms. This is one of the reasons why I believe the casino has violated my rights.

Furthermore, although this casino isn't operating under the DGOJ (General Directorate of the Judiciary of the Spanish Government), I have evidence that it isn't licensed to operate legally in Spain, making it an illegal casino. This fact is an important factor to consider, since while they can't openly promote themselves in my country, if they operate and allow access to Spanish players, they are violating local regulations.

As for the advertisement, if I recall correctly, I received it via an Instagram story, which indicates that the casino is making a conscious effort to attract Spanish players. In my case, as a player who made numerous deposits, I was considered a VIP, which gave me a personal manager with whom I communicated directly via WhatsApp. On several occasions, I mentioned that I felt like I was falling into a hole again and that I was accumulating a lot of debt, asking for a ban on my access to that casino. The response I received was that I should send a request to an email to proceed with my self-exclusion request, something that never happened.

Finally, I want to make it clear that I will fight to get my money back from my bank and Mastercard, since, according to both banks' policies, the charges were made to a company operating illegally in Spain. This fact reinforces my claim, and I am convinced I have sufficient grounds for them to proceed with the refund.

I appreciate your attention again and will continue to fight to resolve this situation with the arguments and evidence I have.

Greetings

Gracias por tu respuesta y comprensión. Entiendo que la situación es complicada, pero quiero aclarar algunos puntos importantes:

Aunque es cierto que el casino no tiene manera de saber si tengo un problema con el juego a menos que se lo diga, esto no justifica que me hayan permitido registrarme y realizar depósitos, a pesar de que estoy inscrito en el Registro General de Interdicciones de Acceso al Juego (RGIAJ), lo cual me prohíbe jugar en plataformas de este tipo. Esta es una de las razones por las cuales considero que el casino ha vulnerado mis derechos.

Además, aunque este casino no esté operando bajo la DGOJ, tengo pruebas que demuestran que no tiene licencia para operar legalmente en España, lo que lo convierte en un casino ilegal. Este hecho es un factor importante que se debe considerar, ya que, si bien no pueden promocionarse abiertamente en mi país, si operan y permiten el acceso a jugadores españoles, están incumpliendo las normativas locales.

En cuanto a la publicidad, si no recuerdo mal, la recibí mediante un story de Instagram, lo cual indica que el casino está haciendo esfuerzos conscientes para captar jugadores españoles. En mi caso, como jugador que hacía numerosos depósitos, me consideraban como VIP, lo que me otorgó un gestor personal con el cual me comunicaba directamente por WhatsApp. En varias ocasiones, le mencioné que sentía que volvía a caer en un pozo y que estaba generando muchas deudas, pidiendo por favor que me prohibieran el acceso a ese casino. La respuesta que recibí fue que debía enviar una solicitud a un correo electrónico para proceder con mi solicitud de autoexclusión, algo que nunca se llevó a cabo.

Por último, quiero dejar claro que voy a luchar para que mi banco y Mastercard me devuelvan mi dinero, ya que según las políticas de ambas entidades, los cargos se realizaron a una empresa que opera de manera ilegal en España. Este hecho refuerza mi reclamación, y estoy convencido de que tengo los argumentos suficientes para que procedan con la devolución.

Agradezco de nuevo la atención y seguiré luchando para resolver esta situación con los argumentos y pruebas que tengo.

Saludos

Unfortunately, even though I get what you say, the casino doesn't have access to every database where players get excluded from playing, you know. It would be really great, and this way many issues could be prevented, but it is not that easy, actually.

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Hello,

if you gamble on unlicensed casino then you should expect to lose your money. Even if you ‘win’ these places will not pay out. This is why they don’t have a license.

Focus your energy on not gambling instead.

I speak from experience of losing too much money on these kind of places.

stay safe.

Charlie