Hello,
This happened last week. I hadn't gambled in over 2 months and I was sitting at home, bored and quite stressed from work, so I decided to make a bet on the cricket.
I signed up to bookmaker SunBets and instantly sent them my drivers license so that if I won, I wouldn't have any issues withdrawing. The drivers license with all my details gets verified
I lose around £1,000.
Later that evening I seem to remember I may have had an account with this bookmaker as I recall receiving the similar tragic promotional emails then do once you are a new customer
So I check my old email address and it turns out I have had an account and this was in fact self excluded a few years back forever
Although my email address and where I live has changed, my license which got approved had all the same details as the self excluded account (name,DOB, address)
I then went on live chat and told them about this, they disabled my account immediately and forwarded the enquiry to the relevant team (on Thursday)
Do I have any grounds that they were irresponsible and that they shouldn't have allowed me to carry on depositing once they had seen my documents? Have they failed to protect me? Can I claim back losses or report them?
Thoughts Please?
Hi MH123
It seems you were stressed and used gambling to help you through a difficult time. You might like to consider speaking to one of our Advisers on Freephone 0808 8020 133. We also offer a free counselling service if you would prefer speaking to someone over a few weeks. http://www.gamcare.org.uk/support-and-counselling.
To help you with your online gambling you can upload a blocking software to help block any access to future sites. http://www.gamcare.org.uk/get-advice/what-can-you-do/blocking-software#.VCA52fldXww
Finally for an impartial adjudicator on this dispute you could contact IBAS (Independent Betting Adjudication Service) http://www.ibas-uk.com/
Kind regards
Cade
Forum Admin
Personally i would feel I was due the money back under these circumstances.
May be some form of small print in the terms & conditions which they use to get around cases like this though.
The protections and safeguards compulsive gamblers have are well documented but logic only makes so much difference when you are talking about addiction and illness.
I'd encourage you to keep looking for more help to stay off this addiction (counselling, GA, other treatments) and keep posting and being honest with your recovery. tri
Hi MH.
Welcome to the forum but this is more a question of what you are doing to ensure you are taking the right measures and get the full support in recovery.
Im sorry but getting your money back is a side issue and will depend on what their policy is. You are dealing with a gambling den and I will word it that way. They are not your friends and the dream they are selling you is vastly different to the reality based on calculated odds.
If you cant control your gambling you would have gambled it away again anyway. You should realise that this is far more than getting one set of losses refunded.
If self exclusions dont really work for you, then you should be looking at other ways of breaking the time location money triangle. This will involve control of your finances or other factor that makes it impossible to gamble while you heal.
You will get some tough talking here because we actually care about you unlike the gambling dens.. My sensibilities are slightly upset because this essentially isnt a refund helpline. I see the deeper issues you need to resolve. You can contact the den as you see fit and its up to them if you have a legal fight on your hands
I do hope you are going to work on being gamble free or you will continue to relapse time and time again.
Please phone Gamcare and keep talking it through on the forum because you seem very prone to urges and temptation.
Best wishes from everyone on the forum
Hello MH
I agree with Triangle and Joydivider. I think you don't have a chance of getting your money back and the more you think on it the more likely you are to gamble.
You still placed that bet regardless so i think you should own it,more on and focus on getting gamble free.
Harsh words I know but I've been there.
I wish you all the best.
Conradnose
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