Deposits at an unlicensed casino while in self exclusion scheme

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.

Lamento toda esta situación y que después de tanto tiempo hayas caído en esto.

Desafortunadamente, el casino no puede saber que usted tiene algún problema con el juego si no se lo ha dicho usted mismo, ya que no opera bajo la DGOJ.

Este casino acepta jugadores de su país, pero no tiene permitido promocionarlo en su país, por lo que es bastante difícil decir si es ilegal o no, ya que no somos abogados y no podemos investigarlo.

Sin embargo, si me lo permite, si alguna vez le ha mencionado al casino que tiene problemas con el juego, nuestro equipo de quejas podría intentar ayudarlo.

Así que, por favor, háganoslo saber y esperamos que podamos hacer algo. 🙏

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

Lamentablemente, aunque entiendo lo que dices, el casino no tiene acceso a todas las bases de datos donde se excluye a los jugadores. Sería genial, y así se podrían evitar muchos problemas, pero la verdad es que no es tan fácil.

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Hola,

Si juegas en un casino sin licencia, es probable que pierdas tu dinero. Incluso si ganas, estos lugares no te pagarán. Por eso no tienen licencia.

En lugar de eso, concentra tu energía en no jugar.

Hablo por experiencia propia de perder mucho dinero en este tipo de lugares.

mantenerse seguro.

Charlie