I also posted this in poker as i want to let as many people know about the business practices of Partypoker / GVC:
I want to warn other gamblers about partypoker. They basically stole more than 100k of my money, 50k of which were deposits. They can do this really easily, especially in Germany (as I will explain later).
This warning is not just about Partypoker as the parent company (GVC) holds more big brands. For example:
Bwin
Ladbrokes
Coral
.....
I played there for 2 or 3 years. I was also constantly increasing my wager over time.
At the end of october 2019, they locked my account and put it under security review. They also ask for documents which I already had sent in before. Nevertheless I sent them again.
After some emails back and forth they gave me my christmas gift. This is the original Email:
"Dear XXX,
We are contacting you regarding your partypoker account "XXX".
An investigation into your account has highlighted suspicious activity related to your account.
This activity is in breach of points 4, 6, 13 and 16 of the terms and conditions of partypoker.
The full terms and conditions are available at:
https://help.partypoker.com/en/gener...and-conditions
As a result, your partypoker account has been closed and the funds remaining in your account will be confiscated.
Please be aware that you are no longer permitted to create or use any account on the partypoker network.
Kind Regards,
Poker Operations Team"
They quoted half of their terms and stole my money. I ask for a reason and for proof, which was not given at any point.
By the way I was not playing poker but casino games, most of the time Black Jack, not even card counting, which they might deem as illegal (which it clearly isn't).
I also messaged the regulators in Gibraltar, they took a few month and also basically said they are fine with the way party handled the situation, at least they said what they are accusing me of:
This also is the original email:
"Good morning XXX,
I write with regards to your complaint against Party Poker.
Please be advised that I have been in dialogue with Party Poker on the matter, who have provided me with a detailed and technical report with regards to your account. I have also made my own enquiries. The substantial and technical material that I have seen indicates that your account is being operated by a third party who is the controller of a series of accounts for the purpose of systematically abusing promotional bonuses. Your account is de facto a proxy account.
There is strong and clear evidence that the identity used on your account and the identities used on the other accounts are all associated. The controller of all accounts knows that they are prohibited from operating any account either directly or indirectly. I will not disclose how all of the accounts have been detected as to do so would be to the detriment of Party Poker and to the advantage of those that seek to circumvent its security protocols. Nevertheless, further information on the Gambling Commissioner’s views on ‘bonus abuse’ can be found here:
https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/finance...ainants#ancla8.
I am satisfied that Party Poker is acting appropriately and in accordance with its terms and conditions and I am unable to recommend that it pays you any monies.This is my Proposed Determination to your complaint. I am also forwarding Party Poker a copy.
I am now inviting you and Party Poker to comment on this Proposed Determination. It is also the opportunity for both parties to bring to my attention any facts or issues either party believes I have omitted or misunderstood in my assessment.
Regards,
John"
Again no evidence was given. It's also hard to defend myself without getting presented with the evidence.
This by the way is complete bullshit, I always have used my account myself and nobody other than me was using it.
I think they used fabricated evidence to not pay big players.
It was even worse than that:
They baited me to play there with a 10% cashback offer on my losses. Before End of November I lost many weeks in a row. Most of the time 50k €. They had a ponzi scheme like promo going. Letting me play until I finally win and when don't pay me anyways. No risk for the house at all, they keep the money no matter the outcome (deposits included).
The Gibraltar Gambling commission is also highly corrupt. They basically don't even want any complaint to get in at all. You can't submit a complaint online. You have to print several pages and fill out everything by hand. They will also ignore your claims until you get really annoying with all your reminders and messages you sent to them, then they will decide in favor of the casino.
I can't even sue the casino, because the legal situation in Germany regarding Online gambling and Online casinos without a licence is ****ed up.
I consulted many different lawyers all telling me not to sue them, because my chances of winning are slim, not because partypoker is right, but because this is deemed illegal gambling and I basically can't get any money back. Even in case of winning it would not be clear if i can get any money back, because Gibraltar is not in the EU where i could enforce GVC to pay what they owe me.
A judge friend of mine even advised me not to sue, because Gibraltar is too corrupt and the legal fees are astronomical.
So neither in Germany I can get what's mine nor in Gibraltar (most probably).
Basically Party knew about the loophole in German law and exploited it. I think especially German Players are in danger, no way they could get away with this in Great britain for example.
CLIFFS:
-Partypoker stole almost 105k of my money (half winnings, half deposits) with a far fetched explanation, which I only got from the regulators after filling a complaint. At no point any evidence was shown.
-The regulators also decided not to hold partypoker accountable.
-Partypoker also used a ponzi like scheme to bait me in and take my money as long as i kept losing, once i had a big upswing, they kept my winnings and deposits anyways.
- Partypoker also knew about a loophole in German law about illegal Gambling and exploited it, in order to get away with "confiscating" (stealing is a better word) my entire balance.