Interfering with unlicensed online casinos is never a wise idea, yet on rare occasions, things end up quite well for players. Wanting to see whether MGM Vegas Casino is one of those exceptions, our “From the Players, for the Players” team sent a tester to register and go through the standard procedure.
The sign-up process was quick and simple, but one couldn’t say the same for the rest of the test. As the investigation unfolded, it turned out that this stage, and the gaming session, were the only ones where no issues emerged.
Before diving deeper into the matter, allow us to introduce you to crucial moments of the investigation:
As seen from these highlights, the investigation wasn’t the smoothest one. Withdrawals were requested multiple times, two were rejected and the last one never got processed, plus, the tester experienced some issues with KYC. If you want to find out what exactly happened at this BTC-friendly platform, stay tuned for the full MGM Vegas Casino test report!
The US-friendly MGM Vegas Casino describes itself as a place where players can “take advantage of top promotions, games, and other perks along the way”. Thanks to the partnership with BetSoft, and a couple of other inventive studios, the operator accommodates quite a colorful collection of adventures.
Exploring the section where promotions are displayed, one shall notice a wide variety of offers such as boosts on the first three deposits, b-day campaigns, deals for players who deposit in Bitcoin or MasterCard, and so on.
However, this platform has one major disadvantage- it runs with no license. But it turned out that this shortcoming is just the tip of the iceberg.
On December 7, 2022, our tester registered at MGM Vegas Casino. Having entered some basic info, he became a member of this unlicensed platform.
Following a hassle-free sign-up process, the tester went on to replenish his account. He selected Bitcoin to make a deposit of USD 200. To ensure the transaction is successful, he enabled pop-ups and allowed notifications.
Expressed in the cryptocurrency of his choice, the amount was 0.01107955 BTC. As far as the notification indicated, the tester was supposed to enter the amount in BTC instead of USD.
As the transaction could not be processed, he decided to reattempt to deposit. This time, the sum in Bitcoin differed a bit from the initial one. The sum to be added to his casino balance was 0.01108312 BTC.
However, after a couple of minutes, the tester was notified that something went wrong with his transaction.
To check what caused the issue, the tester reached out to the live chat support department. As far as the support agent explained, a free chip was added to his account, but the tester wasn’t interested in claiming any bonuses.
Actually, the tester clarified that he never saw any free chip in his account which would prevent him from depositing. However, the live chat support agent insisted that the welcome free chip must be used, pointing out that a deposit can be made only after the balance drops below $5.
Yet, the tester insisted that the funds were already sent from his wallet, so he wanted to know whether the sum will eventually be deposited into his account.
In the meantime, he briefly checked the status of his transaction, only to reveal that it was still pending. Interestingly, the amount was different once again, which he mentioned while speaking with the live chat agent as well. It displayed 0.01110235 BTC, or $186.56.
A bit later, when he checked, the funds appeared on his casino balance, with the very first transaction still being labeled as “pending”. His casino balance was $200, the exact sum he wanted to deposit.
The minimum amount to deposit is USD 30, while the maximum is USD 200. To fund the account, players can opt for cards or Bitcoin, but keep in mind that the availability varies from one country to another.
Having resolved the issues with the deposit, the tester visited the operator’s colorful lobby to check out some slot games. His first choice was Alkemor’s Elements, after which he explored Buffalo Bounty and Lava Gold, in which he triggered FS multiple times.
The next in line was the Tower of Fortuna, followed by Primal Hunt, Tigers Claw, and Stampede. After these adventures, he launched Slots Angels, Safari Stampede, and Play with Cleo. Wanting to diversify a bit, he ventured into American Roulette, but quickly switched to American Diner.
A couple of days later, on December 19, 2022, the tester contacted the live chat department to inquire about ID verification. While waiting for the agent to respond, he played Genie’s Riches, Rise of the Titans, and Sleighin’ It.
After 12 days, on December 29, 2022, the tester made a request to withdraw. While typing in the desired amount to cash out, which was USD 100 in BTC, he noticed that he was supposed to meet insanely high wagering requirements. The sum he was supposed to roll over was USD 18,000, of which he met USD 381.20. Also, there’s a mandatory fee of USD 3.
In the meantime, the tester submitted the bank statement for KYC twice, but never received a confirmation whether this was approved.
On January 10, 2023, the tester contacted the live chat support department once again, seeking clarification on the status of his documents and the overly high playthrough requirements he was supposed to meet. As shocking as it may sound, the agent said that she cannot help in this case.
He attempted to make a cashout request once again. This time, the wagered amount differed a bit, it was USD 481.20.
On January 20, 2023, our tester received an e-mail that his proof of address was not valid, so he was required to submit another one in PDF form.
Five days later, the tester asked about the status of his documents, pointing out that he’s already supplied them multiple times. Two days later, the casino responded, once again asking him for proof of address in PDF form, stressing that they haven’t received it yet.
He resubmitted the utility bill on January 27, 2023, and finally had it verified a couple of days later, on January 30, 2023.
Regarding ID verification, the Terms state the following:
“Only English-language KYC papers should be given to us. A legal attestation in English from a lawyer/attorney/legal adviser should be provided as proof of accurate verification if a player's KYC documents are written in a language other than English.”
On January 30, 2023, when the tester visited the cashier, he saw a notification that informed him that his transaction cannot be processed as there was a pending withdrawal request. Strangely, the wagered amount differed this time as well- it was USD 681.20, with a total of USD 18,000 to be wagered.
Upon checking the cashier, he noticed that two of three of the requests he placed, dated December 29, 2022, and January 10, 2023, were canceled for “lacking/wrong data” on January 2, 2023, and January 12, 2023, respectively. The third request was placed on January 18, 2023.
On February 13, 2023, when the tester accessed the cashier, he noticed that the status of the transaction remained the same. However, some other details were changed. While the amount he wagered was still USD 681.20, the sum he was supposed to roll over was notably lower- USD 6,000.
Once again, he contacted the live chat support, but the agent wasn’t of much help as the only thing he said was that the “withdrawal request is in process” asking the tester to “kindly wait for an update from the cashout team”.
Even after a month after this conversation, the tester didn’t have his request processed, meaning the overall waiting period amounted to almost 2 months. On March 17, 2023, he reached out to live chat support, only to discover that the request was still under processing.
As a small reminder, the request was placed on January 18, while the KYC was finalized on January 30, 2023. The agent told the tester that his request will be forwarded, asking him to “kindly wait for an update via mail”.
Many days and weeks went by, but the tester still hasn’t received his money. On one occasion, he contacted the live chat support, only to be told that his request was still under review. As an excuse, the agent noted that the casino has a huge number of withdrawals, which is why they are “a bit behind”.
To date, the tester hasn’t received the money he requested.
The minimum amount to cash out is USD 50, while the maximum is not announced on their website. To prevent money laundering, a player needs to play through the deposit amount at least once before they become eligible to request a withdrawal.
Here are some significant rules to bear in mind:
“Withdrawal minimums and maximums: The deposit amount is the single factor that determines the maximum withdrawal amount.”
“The maximum time to process any first withdrawal is 21 days. This is due to Risk and Compliance verification and KYC Verification.”
“A single withdrawal request is processed at a time; only the first withdrawal request is processed; all subsequent withdrawal requests are immediately denied.”
Unlike in many previous tests, where our reviewers would receive their funds after numerous ups and downs, the MGM Vegas casino investigation wasn’t successful at all.
Though having three channels of communication with the support department sounds good, they weren’t of much help. None of the conversations our tester helped him resolve the issues, so unprofessional and slow is what this casino’s customer support department is.
Many questions are still waiting to be answered, but these are the burning ones:
Be that as it may, we strongly advise our players to be extra cautious if planning to play at this iGaming site. Some serious improvements are required if the company is interested in establishing itself as a brand players can trust.
Have you had the opportunity to visit MGM Vegas Casino? Was your experience equally negative as our tester’s or did you manage to cash out? Your first-hand insights are always appreciated, so don’t hesitate to share them with us in the comments section below.
Gamble responsibly!