UNRESOLVED: PlayHub Casino rights for UK based player

Hi all. I'm really unsure if this is the right place to post this, but I'm at a loss --

My  has been using this casino for some months and has lost a few thousand £.

3 things are concerning;

1) He's UK based and PHC only have a Curacao license

2) He's GamStop registered, which I thought would exclude him from any casino offering gambling in the UK

3) He has made deposits with credit card, which should also not be possible in the UK under recent laws

I suppose I want to know if there's recourse for claiming money back (either from casino or bank), or threatening legal action.

In my mind, it's clear that an addict should not have been able to gamble in this way -- but I'm acutely aware that he's a grown man and that these cowboy casinos exist above the law...

Any guidance is welcome. Cheers all!

Hi Jdotparka, 

Really sorry about your friend's experience with this brand. Unfortunately, this is not a sole case since there are many complaints from UK players that experienced the same. They do allow UK players to register and deposit and they never pay out their winnings. Please note that they do not want to provide any assistance on our forum. Unfortunately, our hands are tied. There is nothing we can do to help you guys. You can file a complaint to their licensor and see if there is anything they can do to help you. 

Hi Jdotparka,

Have you got any update from the casino? Could you please let us know if there is any progress regarding your complaint? 

Hi there,

Apologies for the lack of response, and thank you for your initial help! I hearf back from the UK gambling commission, who told me the following;

"We have checked our public register here and it does not appear that this operator holds a licence with us. Please note that it is illegal to transact with, or advertise to, consumers in Great Britain without a licence."

To me, this means PHC are breaking the law - and therefore any money they've taken (via deposits) from UK customers is ill-gotten...

UKGC advised me to contact PHC directly, and then escalate to their licensor if necessary. However, I've heard from a few people that PHC are extremely dismissive, so I've contacted Curacao instead. No response so far.

Will keep you all posted.

KR

Thanks a lot for your feedback, Jdotparka. Yes, they accept UK players although they don't have a UK license. It is against the rules of course. They take players' deposits and when they want to cashout, here comes the problem. 

Please let us know if you hear from Curacao. They should take some action. 

Look forward to hearing from you. Hope it will be sorted in the end. 

Hi all. Brief update from my side;

I heard back from Curacao eGaming, who basically just created a 3-way support with PlayHub Casino and myself included. They asked PHC to respond to my complaint within 7 days.

Later that day, PHC (represented by the old favourite "William Dornat" sent a fiesty response saying the allegations levelled at them are a disgrace whilst issuing my buddy a lifetime ban.

Their defense was that Ts and Cs were agreed to upon sign-up. One one hand that's fair enough -but on the other, their Ts and Cs might be against the law. I think that's where our whole argument rests.

Fiesty Mr Dornat is very responsive on the support ticket, using the phrase "case closed" time and time again. I've had to remind him that the case isn't his to close. I've asked Curacao eGaming to give a definitive response as to whether they are OK with PHC's actions. Remember, the UK Gambling Commission have advised that PHC shouldn't be doing what they're doing. I'm not really sure why they're not taking action having had it flagged by me.

Will update if anything new arises. Feel free to share your comments or where you think we stand legally. I know this is likely going to lead nowhere, but if I can get them to stop accepting self-excluded players from the UK it would be well worthwhile.

Thanks all.

Thank you for the update, Jdotparka. 

Yes, this is usually the reply from casinos that you agreed with their T&C upon sign up and that the case was closed since you breached their T&C and there's nothing they could help you with. However, many players don't read T&C and they don't think about consequences afterward. Players need to check casino gaming licenses, especially ones that come from the UK. 

There are lots of cases on our forum that are still unresolved. Players have the same issue as you do but we hope you'd get some help from Curacao. 

Please keep us posted. 

Curaçao egaming won't do anything.. You can expect an email from them soon stating the case is closed.. How these casinos are still accepting UK players illegally is beyond me and there regulator doesn't care what so ever! Hopefully no one else falls victim to these casinos nd the famous William dornat.. 

Hi Jdotparka,

Do you have any updates for us?