Complaints at Spinia Casino

Problems with casinos are often very frustrating for online gamblers. After all, the casino is usually in a position of power over its players, such as access to their bankroll. Players sometimes encounter situations where they disagree with the way things are going. In these cases, it falls on them to act. It’s important to know what options you have in such cases. We’ll therefore inform you in this article about some options in case of complaints, and how Spinia Casino in particular deals with complaints. What should you pay attention to? Who can you turn to? And: how do you prevent problematic situations (as much as possible)?

Casino complaints occurring in different areas…

When you’re gambling online, you might run into some dissatisfactory circumstances. These circumstances can range from a large array of different problems. Here are some examples:

• The software of an online gambling game suddenly malfunctions, causing you to lose money or not be able to continue in a bonus game you won.
• An online casino refuses to pay out due to ‘violation of Terms & Conditions’. An example could be that they consider you to have too many accounts.
• An online casino takes an unnecessarily long time to accept or execute a payout request.
• An online casino’s bonus terms strike appears to you as extremely unreasonable.
• A casino’s responsible gambling policy is problematic for you: they don’t have a system for self-exclusion, for example.

The above list is not exhaustive: complaints about an online casino can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes!

So where should I file my casino complaint?

You want to report a complaint about the conduct of an online casino. Here, it is important to know exactly where to start. Below, we’ll give you some tips on how to express your ‘online casino complaint’.

1. Start the complaint with the online casino itself

It would be wise to first go to the casino themselves. If the casino is reputable, they will likely be interested in solving issues that their players experience. This might seem a bit strange considering the situation is caused here, but there might be something happen that the casino is not aware off. Regardless, when you make a clear complaint, it is often the case that the casino looks at it more seriously. Below are tips regarding filing a complaint with an online casino:

• Do not submit the complaint through the online chat service (you have probably used this before submitting an actual complaint). While online chat services are often very convenient, they do not offer the best outcome when it comes to filing a complaint. Casinos tend to take queries concerning complaints less seriously when they come through the online chat function as well.
• It doesn’t mean the chat is useless, however. You could use it to ask for the exact e-mail address where complaints can be e-mailed to at the online casino, for example. The chat is most suited towards dealing with simple and quick questions. Sometimes the correct e-mail address for complaints cannot be found (properly); and the online casino may indicate that it did not receive the complaint properly. This in turn makes the procedure take longer.
• It’s important to save all communication with the online casino: save emails, take screenshots of chats. This might be important later on if the casino refuses to cooperate.
• Make sure your complaint is perfectly worded. Provide a structured document that meets the requirements of the casino in question. Check for spelling mistakes and sloppily constructed sentences as well. A professional looking complaint will be taken more seriously than something that was quickly written together in two minutes.
• Make sure all necessary information is named in the complaint: username, email address, if applicable the game you played, date of the incident, the device you played on, the browser you played on and more. Anything relevant in the context of the complaint can be important!
• Always ask for acknowledgement of receipt. It’s important to know whether your complaint was received. If you do not receive acknowledgement, send another message.

Assume that it may take some time before your complaint has been processed by the casino. Therefore, wait at least 5 to 7 days before contacting them again. It is wise to remain as reasonable as possible in your communication! It is understandable that you may be frustrated, but for a solution to the problem it is still wise to try not to let your emotions take over.

By the way, good to know: does your complaint concern a software problem at one of the gambling games? In these cases, the online casino is responsible for solving it. So you don’t have to turn to the software provider.

2. Report the complaint to the gambling authority

Does the online casino not provide a suitable solution to the complaint you have expressed? Are you of the opinion that the incident is serious and unreasonable? Then report the complaint to the gaming authority, which has granted a licence/permit to the casino in question. Some examples of authorities:

• The UK Gambling Commission.
• The Belgian Gaming Commission (although a limited market, still good to know that Belgium also allows certain online games of chance).
• The Malta Gaming Authority (many online casinos illegal in the EU are licensed from Malta).
• The Swedish Gaming Authority.
• The Dutch Gaming Authority.

Unfortunately, most of these only record the casino complaints and don’t do anything with them further. They register the reports and base their investigations into providers on that. So by reporting a complaint, you do help address the problem! For personal help, however, you might have to go elsewhere.

3. Fraud Helpdesk

Are you of the opinion you are involved in an actual scam? Then it might be wise to contact your local police department, and report this as fraud. This is generally only applicable if you are dealing with a casino that is based in the same country as your country of residence. This also is not necessarily a guarantee that something will happen, but notifying the police of suspicious activity generally doesn´t hurt.

4. Making your online casino complaint known online

Complaints that are made publicly are very annoying for the online casinos concerned. Bad ratings and public complaints can give the online casino a very bad reputation, which they want to avoid at all costs. Several websites can be found online where you can publicly voice your complaints, from privately hosted forums to entire communities on Reddit.

With these public reviews, do try to give well-reasoned criticism. A comment like, “Bad casino, don’t play here!” gives little information to the reader of your review, and won’t reach that many people.

Important: always be aware of online casino terms and conditions!

Ideally, of course, you want to avoid or otherwise dodge unfortunate situations so that it won’t be necessary to voice a complaint. Therefore, always be on your guard when gambling online. Keep in mind that not all online casinos act fairly and transparently. Before gambling, make sure you acquire information about online casinos. How is the online casino known? Does the casino get a good rating regarding customer service? In addition, it is always important to observe a casino’s terms and conditions. Read the terms and conditions before depositing money, for instance. And especially when depositing large amounts or accepting bonus money: read the T&C and bonus terms and conditions beforehand! 

Spinia Casino’s complaint procedure

Spinia Casino states that customers are free to contact their customer service team according to the instructions found on their website to give them any complaints regarding their services.

Complaints are handled in the support department and will be escalated in the organisation of the Casino in case the support personnel is unable to solve the case immediately. The customer that lodged the complaint shall be informed about the state of the complaint to a reasonable level.

If the dispute is not resolved at the casino management level, Spinia Casino says customers are free to contact any independent body, gaming authority or the licensing regulator listed on their website.

Spinia Casino records all logs of communication between their customer service representatives and the customers. They will use these logs to judge the situations, and reserve final judgement purely based on the information contained within these logs. Spinia Casino has an appointed Alternate Dispute Resolution entity. This is thepogg.com, which is where customers can send complaints when they cannot be solved through direct contact with Spinia Casino.

If the issue can still not be resolved through contact with thepogg.com, customers are encouraged to contact the Maltese Gaming Authority. This can be done through https://www.mga.org.mt/support/online-gaming-support/. Spinia Casino generally tries to resolve issues withing ten calendar days, but this can be extended if necessary.