Bitcoin Forum

Good morning.

The only thing I feel right now is pity, disappointment and frustration for having fallen into online betting.

I'm going to summarise a bit first of all.

A couple of years ago, being bored without too much work, I started to register in online houses to play slots or online roulette, but low amounts (100-400€) was not something too far-fetched. And in a few days when I lost about 800 or 900€, I self-excluded from casinos at the DGOJ [Spanish Gambling Regulator] so that I couldn't register at any other online casino ever again. So far so good, it's a manageable loss (all this in .ES and regulated casinos).

The thing is that last year, with my life savings, I started looking for websites where I could play blackjack online. And this is where my downfall began.

Being Spanish and living in Spain, no website would let me register and many of them would not even let me access (Spanish users can only play in regulated casinos .es in my case, I registered in a cryptocasino licensed in Curaçao because it had games that the Spanish one did not have, for example online blackjack).

The thing is that I found one that did let me.

And here, with the savings from all the time I have been working, I started to make deposits and more and more deposits (in cryptocurrencies).

It was around August 2023. And in one week, I lost approximately ~150.000€.

I ran out of money and had to take out a loan from the bank to keep my monthly expenses, which fortunately were low, slacking off.

Until a few days ago, specifically at the beginning of last week, I received €500,000 [in crypto] from a company that owed me money, and the first thing I did was to pay off the loan and start gambling again. Daily deposits of €50,000 - €100,000 or more.

I have a gambling problem and I didn't know how to stop in time, luckily I still have 1/3 of that payment in my possession.

I have been in contact with lawyers and they have recommended me to talk to the casino, as it is quite popular (I prefer not to say the casino for the moment, if the case arises I will say it and ask for your help, I will draw lots among those who can help).

I sent a private message yesterday to a member of another forum where all these online casinos are and where they mediate between problems that often arise, for example I have evidence that users who have had Spanish connections, have had all their winnings withdrawn and only their deposit refunded.

And this user is in constant contact with the co-founders of this casino that generates around €1m/day.

<...>

I am already in psychiatric and psychological treatment for this gambling addiction.

Apparently, users from Spain were not allowed to play/register but I was put on a white list as I was depositing a lot and at the same time losing it.

I am also in contact with the DOGJ.

Also when I asked them for my account information as I was retrieving as much information as possible, they have closed my account as they say I am in breach of the ToS as I am Spanish, I think they smell that I could not be playing and that is why they are closing it now.

I leave several proofs of deposits and chats with support, I delete logos and certain dates / IPs as it is sensitive information.

<...>

to play slots or online roulette, but low amounts (100-400€)

I received €500,000 [in crypto] from a company that owed me money, and the first thing I did was to pay off the loan and start gambling again. Daily deposits of €50,000 - €100,000 or more.

have had all their winnings withdrawn and only their deposit refunded.

As for seeking legal means for recovering his losses which is what I understand, it is not going to end in his favor.

-snip-
I've seen stories like that and I believe many casinos take advantage of people who break ToS. They are being scammed of their money for small infringements, like having more than one account.
One guy said he lost access to one account so he made another and the casino stole his money said he broke the rules.

This is quite a huge amount to lose in gambling and from his story it was all his savings he had from work, I still wonder why people think gambling is a way to multiply their funds or take get rich quickly, this should serve as a warning that gambling us not a means to make money, it's all based on luck and it could ruin you, be cautious of gambling addiction.

This is quite a huge amount to lose in gambling and from his story it was all his savings he had from work, I still wonder why people think gambling is a way to multiply their funds or take get rich quickly, this should serve as a warning that gambling us not a means to make money, it's all based on luck and it could ruin you, be cautious of gambling addiction.

the amount is impressive. But the most interesting thing is that for a long time the player was confident that he would win back and cover his losses and in total lost more than half a million. This is the clearest example that it is impossible to win back even with a large deposit in 99% of cases; he hoped for luck, but it let him down .

Got 500k and decided to bet 100k a day just to lose it all fast? I don't get it. With that kind of money he could be gambling for years before running out.

This is quite a huge amount to lose in gambling and from his story it was all his savings he had from work, I still wonder why people think gambling is a way to multiply their funds or take get rich quickly, this should serve as a warning that gambling us not a means to make money, it's all based on luck and it could ruin you, be cautious of gambling addiction.

I have gone over the thread several times and I still don’t get the lawyer part. I don’t understand what he would gain by involving a lawyer to the issue, it’s clear that he has gambling issues and have even requested for self-exclusion in a different casino and now he’s back in a different casino to continue his activities, so what proofs was he speaking about?

 And also “Spanish users have their winning withdrawn and their deposits refunded” is still unclear to me - this sounds like a case that would work if his account was blocked after he won a huge bet but that’s not the case here so I don’t understand why he included it in his post.

I would like to bring here a thread seen in a famous Spanish-speaking forum. I am going to translate part of the OP, but I would like to clarify first that throughout the thread the OP has clarified quite a few things and has provided evidence, so I, who have been in that forum for years, believe that the story is true.

Thread: I lost +500.000€ in the casino (https://forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=9996653)

It's about a casino operating in a country where it had no license to offer gambling products.

this might be a little intrusive on my part but is it possible to share the evidence the OP of that thread shared? I tried clicking the link you shared to see the evidence he provided but I was met with a message that I need to be registered on the forum for three months and has 100 written messages.

I am really curious about which casino the OP of that thread is talking about. Also, if the evidence he shared is sufficient enough, the casino that let him play because he is a big spender needs to be held accountable. the OP also needs to be accountable for his stupidity.

It's about a casino operating in a country where it had no license to offer gambling products.

The EU laws and some EU country laws are pretty straightforward (I don't know the case of Spain) but major gambling sites like Unibet were ordered in court to pay back sums lost by people in the Netherlands and bet365 lost a few cases also in Belgium.
Germany is trying to find a way to reimburse losses on casinos not licensed in the country and find a mechanism to force the country that the casinos are registered in to cover the cost also,  a pain in the ass since we have Malta and Gibraltar but there might be some way to do it.

Anyhow there is a precedent in getting your money back from a casino, not sure what chances this guy has but when we take about half a million it might be worth a shot!

According to what we read. But we do not know if that is very true or I am not getting it correctly.

So, being in contact with the authorities for supposedly not being able to register but still being allowed to lose 500k?
If Spain gives a common sense ruling in favor of the casino I think it'll be much more business friendly for casinos because such incidents truly make casinos have to face nonsense regulations.

I do believe in gambling protection but if someone has the means to generate 500k and gamble it away then I don't think they're in dire need of support.

Interesting point, why was this post written? Has the player realized that he is at the end of his game, or will he continue to play? It’s good that he had such a sum of money that he regularly spent, and as I understand it, he didn’t owe anyone any money. Well, he lost and lost, the main thing is that others were not harmed. After all, how many good people sometimes lend money to players, then run after the debtors for years?
The amount is, of course, huge, but it was his choice and his choice of how to live further. If we talk about a refund, I feel sorry for the casino, since the casino allowed him to play, although he perfectly understood that he was breaking the rules. And now, because of his addiction, the casino must also return to him what he lost according to the rules.
Dependent people must sign agreements that they bear their risks and no one else owes them anything.

According to what we read. But we do not know if that is very true or I am not getting it correctly. It is possible that a gambling site may not be providing any gambling service for people in some countries and clearly stated in their terms of service but some people will just want to bypass the restriction and use VPN or other ways to make sure the casinos will not noticed them or trace their IP until the gambler makes a mistake. I guess because that man was not be able to gamble in his country because of the self-exclusion and look for other ways to gamble that got him into a problem.

So, being in contact with the authorities for supposedly not being able to register but still being allowed to lose 500k?
If Spain gives a common sense ruling in favor of the casino I think it'll be much more business friendly for casinos because such incidents truly make casinos have to face nonsense regulations.

This topic is very interesting Don Pedro Dinero. What strikes me most at first is the fact that a company owed him €500.000: in Spain, that's the salary of decades of work. On the other hand, I doubt he would have paid taxes, so for the amount in question it could even be a tax crime. I think the guy should think very carefully about what to do before making a move, it may be in his best interest to accept the loss, indeed.

Secondly, about addiction, it never ceases to surprise me that there are people who are so irrational as to take risks of such caliber. And that, if they do take them, they are not consistent with their decisions. I guess the proverb "what easy comes easy goes" is right.

I also think as what could potentially lead some people who live in a country for example where 500.000 Euros are a very good value,you can even go to retirement before time with that amount considering the cost of living in such country and people who happen to have and own this amount they go and lose it all.Of course this guy needs psychiatric treatment in the first place as he can be called a "psycho" for real,no sane person with a sounded mind would go and lose 500.000 Euro not only in a crypto casino but in whatever casino.The licenses for me are secondary option to discuss here,that is the problem of the casino and this guy,the main problem is how on earth a person who could have gone in retirement with that amount in the country where he lived has gone and lost it all in gambling,that is the real problem of our society nowadays,probably exceed greed.

This is quite a huge amount to lose in gambling and from his story it was all his savings he had from work, I still wonder why people think gambling is a way to multiply their funds or take get rich quickly, this should serve as a warning that gambling us not a means to make money, it's all based on luck and it could ruin you, be cautious of gambling addiction.

Just another story of losing money from gambling addiction and borrowing money just to support this addiction.

I didn't read the full story of this Spanish guy but it seems a very stupid and childish behavior to risk all his life saving in gambling and think they he can make money from such acts. Such gamblers usually lose money and they are the ones, responsible for their losses. I wonder where is the mind and heart of people who take such big risks  ???

If he think his rights have not been respected or the casino can provide assistance in the case, it is right for him to proceed.
I have no idea how to handle such situation by the way...

these stories are always very sad.
unfortunately in this case there Is a clear example also for other players even with huge amount.

Even more childish is the fact he is now hiring a lawyer to claim the casino has to give him the money back, because it didn't have a license to allow spanish citizens to access the platform. If he had won and profit was coming in, he wouldn't go against the casino for that reason, but since he is into heavy debt, that is his personal vengence against the casino...

I feel it's not right what this gambler is trying to do, although at same time I also keep in mind he is a sick individual who needs help, and receiving back at least part of that total sum of lost money could pay for his treatment's costs.

This topic is very interesting Don Pedro Dinero. What strikes me most at first is the fact that a company owed him €500.000: in Spain, that's the salary of decades of work. On the other hand, I doubt he would have paid taxes, so for the amount in question it could even be a tax crime. I think the guy should think very carefully about what to do before making a move, it may be in his best interest to accept the loss, indeed.

I am really curious about which casino the OP of that thread is talking about. Also, if the evidence he shared is sufficient enough, the casino that let him play because he is a big spender needs to be held accountable. the OP also needs to be accountable for his stupidity.

I would like to bring here a thread seen in a famous Spanish-speaking forum. I am going to translate part of the OP, but I would like to clarify first that throughout the thread the OP has clarified quite a few things and has provided evidence, so I, who have been in that forum for years, believe that the story is true.

~snip~

classic I told you so my friend. He knew well and is aware that he has a problem with gambling, and now instead of dealing with it with discipline and logic, he figured he should splurge and use up 2/3 of the money he has? That's just stupid lol. Although the way Spanish Guy's handling this after the breakthrough is actually smart. He added himself in the addicted list which means he is to not be given access to casinos no matter what, and now that he gained access and lost most of his money somebody else besides him has got to be accountable for what happened. Didn't see how that would work though, especially if the casino he's playing is initially banned in Spain, with which the Spanish guy would be caught to use a VPN.

I need more updates regarding this lol, I wanna find out what transpires next and see if Spanish guy's got a chance at getting some recompense for the money that he himself threw away.

We should learn from this story. This is what will likely happen to us if we don't gamble with what we can afford to lose. This amount may be too huge for most of us, but even if it's a lower amount, it can still negatively affect our lives. We should not let that happen.

They say we learn from our experiences, sometimes the hard way. Actually, it's not necessary to learn the hard way...just reflect on the stories and experiences of other gamblers and learn from them so we don't have to lose before we learn.

I'm always very shocked when these people addicted to gambling lose everything and then blame the casino they were playing at, he knew from the beginning that he couldn't create an account at the casino because he is a Spanish citizen and the casino's TOS tells him prohibited, so when he says he hired a lawyer. What does he expect? Does he expect his lawyer to sue the casino and get all the money he lost back? he knows that the casino has a Curacao license, probably and that means that the casino is respecting the laws of Curacao, the guy lost money because he was irresponsible, and he will lose more money paying for a lawyer, paying for a plane ticket for him and the lawyer to travel to curacao, pay for a hotel in curacao and how many days or weeks or months does he intend to live in curacao until the end of the whole process? Because there are many levels of courts in Curacao, if he loses or wins the case in the court of first instance, the casino or he can appeal to the court of second instance and each trial takes a long time and this is very costly. I hope he focuses on curing his addiction to the doctor he is receiving treatment from and doesn't blame the casino for his illness

The thing is that I found one that did let me.

Let us take a lesson from this tale, an indication of what is apt to transpire should we fail to wager with losses we can bear. Even if seemingly meager, it could cast a negative pall over our lives; thus, the essence of betting within affordable losses cannot be overstated. While the quantum of loss is subjective and varies for each individual, its repercussions can universally be pernicious, let us pre-empt such an outcome.

It is said that we learn from experience, sometimes the hard way. But in reality, there is no need to learn the hard way at all. Simply ponder over the narratives and journeys of other bettors; extract wisdom from their tales and sidestep repeating their missteps. Thus, we can acquire knowledge without having to go through substantial losses beforehand.

I would like to bring here a thread seen in a famous Spanish-speaking forum. I am going to translate part of the OP, but I would like to clarify first that throughout the thread the OP has clarified quite a few things and has provided evidence, so I, who have been in that forum for years, believe that the story is true.

Thread: I lost +500.000€ in the casino (https://forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=9996653)

I would like to bring here a thread seen in a famous Spanish-speaking forum. I am going to translate part of the OP, but I would like to clarify first that throughout the thread the OP has clarified quite a few things and has provided evidence, so I, who have been in that forum for years, believe that the story is true.

Thread: I lost +500.000€ in the casino (https://forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=9996653)