Home / Capital & Crypto / [Updated] Bitcoin Casino Delivers 5 BTC Winnings After KYC Standoff

[Updated] Bitcoin Casino Delivers 5 BTC Winnings After KYC Standoff

Last Updated May 4, 2023 6:13 AM
P. H. Madore
Last Updated May 4, 2023 6:13 AM

Update: BitStarz contacted CCN.com with additional information about the settled payout.

As you might heard, average withdrawal time on BitStarz is around 10 minutes. The payment for this particular player got stuck because he had only made small cashouts in the past, and they have been processed automatically in our system.

 Then, afterwards, the player requested a bigger cashout as he was awaiting a manual check. Our security team has noticed that the player had a card used in the past which was not verified.
As per our terms, we needed to get this verified and the player eventually got the documents in. Because of the time-zone difference, it took a bit longer for him to read our reply and after he
sent us the docs he was paid in full without ant questions.

The player actually went out on reddit and recommended BitStarz  still despite what happened.

Again, we’re very transparent regarding this and we’re not dodging any questions, all we ask is that people see this from both perspectives. It’s easy to point the blame at someone but we
think it’s fair that both parties gets to voice their opinion and their side of the story so people can make an education decision as to what is reasonable.

Furthermore, BitStarz is an advertising partner on CCN.com. Readers with any queries or concerns about BitStarz can reach out  to ensure a swift reply or resolution from the BitStarz team, as exhibited in this case.

Reddit ser DjPxH recently took to the Bitcoin subreddit to complain  that digital casino BitStarz, a regulated entity of the Caribbean island Curacao, was withholding a recent sizeable win of around 5 BTC he had achieved.

DjPxH wrote in distress:

I don’t mind providing address, bill utility (as I already did), bank account statement, but they are asking me for credit card proofs of deposits done in over 1 year (which I threw out as they were prepaid, or with old bank accounts…) (I made about 5 deposits (2 CAD, 1 USD and 2 EURO and these were made months and years ago). I was not asked for any proofs until I won today… Now BitStarz refuses to pay, states their ToS, when it’s literally fraud. If my account was such a problem, why would they have been accepting my deposit for the last year and approved all of the minors payments I receive.

The post received a lot of attention. Various users warned against the use of this casino, citing their Bitcointalk trust reputation, where many people have had issues with it. One user even claimed to have been bilked out of 20 bitcoins. However, Bitstarz itself also paid the post a great deal of attention, and repeatedly stated that it was trying to stick with regulatory requirements in its jurisdiction. A representative from the company told DjPxH:

All we need to make sure here is that no stolen card has been used, and you’re of course free to mask the first 12 numbers of the card if you feel uncomfortable showing all the numbers (which we totally understand).

I’m not going to discuss publicly (for your own safety as I’m not going to out your private information online) why we came to this conclusion as I believe you’d like to hear this in private instead of it being posted on a forum. But in general terms I have no problem explaining why a casino ask for proof of deposits and a copy of your card.

I’m just putting all the facts out from our end as well and then you and other people here can make an educated decision as to if it’s reasonable or not, but I’m simply telling you the obligations of us as an operator.

Overall, there seemed to be confusion amongst Reddit users as to why the company was demanding proof of verification for a credit card the user hasn’t used in quite some time. The representative continually repeated that the company is bound by local licensing laws to get certain information. Interestingly, the representative said that Curacao does not require the casino to gather any know-your-customer information before a deposit is made, but only when trying to pay out winnings.

Given all the negative things that are said about the casino on Reddit and elsewhere, it is questionable how the outcome would have gone had the user not reached out and pressured them. After all, paying out $3,000 is nothing compared to losing hundreds of potential new users forever. Thus, the result is that DjPxH was paid within 24 hours of making his post. He notes that he did make verification documents available, which seems to be the source of the confusion from the first.

Another post in the thread also raises concerns for potential BitStarz gamblers. User Mikadilly said  that he played there in good faith, believing he’d done everything right, but then his winnings were withheld due to an obscure part of the casino’s terms of service:

Had kind of similar experience as well. Won 6 btc using their bonus. Made a 40x rollover requirement. Tried to withdraw – all my winnings were confiscated, because I bet more than 0.025 per spin. Which is in their terms and conditions. But still – unethical business practice.

gambling

This raises concerns on more than one level. The author is an experienced gambler both online and in real life, and the rules of any good casino are always clear and up front. As one commenter said, a digital casino should obviously not even allow behavior which would disqualify a cashout. It’s only going to lead to lingering posts like Mikadily’s. Imagine going to the racetrack and placing a $1,000 bet on a 7-to-1 horse, winning, but then being told that $1,000 was over the betting limit. Why did they take the bet then?

Experiences like those of DjPxH and Mikadily can be avoided by going to other casinos, clearly, and familiarizing one’s self with the rules of the place before wagering. In any case, while Mikadily’s 6 BTC remains in the hands of the casino, user DjPxH had a happy ending in this story, and when there is such incentive to cut and run for organizations with murky ownership in gambling-friendly island nations, that can sometimes be the best outcome one can hope for.

Update: The user’s comment after receiving the payout reads as follows:

I was paid in full following the submission of my proof of ID.

I always have been a fan of BitStarz and despite the incident of the last 24 hours, I would recommend it to everyone.

I also want to thank everyone that helped me, your replies on reddit and private messages were extremelly appreciated. I was made aware earliet today that a few users contacted BitStarz regarding my withdrawal. Thank you very much! The bitcoin community amazes me.

 

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Image from iStock/Todor Tsvetkov .