|
Eldorado Palace
Going three steps further than Catch 22
by Steve Russo
January 2010
Eldorado Palace has a rule that will stop you from collecting your winnings. Perhaps it should be called "Catch 25" as it goes three steps further than Catch 22.
Catch 22 merely made it impossible for someone to do whatever he wanted. Catch 25, as Jani K of Espoo, Finland, learned makes it impossible for you to withdraw your winnings, but also works retroactively and, to top it off, can not be discussed -- at least by the casino's management or support.
Jani's experience at Eldorado Palace started off well. On 6 Nov, he deposited $100, got a $285 bonus, and was required to bet $17,100 before he could cash in. As the casino counts bets at blackjack at only 50% value, he actually had to bet $34,200. He played considerably more than that -- he estimates that he played through $40,000.
The same day, when he was ahead $3,500, he withdrew $1000. It was approved the next day and he continued playing with the remaining $2,500 in his account. That, apparently, is where he ran afoul of Catch 25.
He received his first $1000 withdrawal, but after winning another $500 and trying to withdraw the $3000 he was now up, Eldorado Palace told him that he could not get his money because he was in violation of its rules.
"I asked which rule I had broken," he told Gambling Grumbles, "and they could not state the rule."
He made a screenshot of the casino's Terms and Conditions and couldn't find any rule on it which he had broken. However, he said, two days later a rule appeared on the T&Cs saying, "Players are not allowed to continue wagering if any amount of funds posted for withdrawal and/or pending to be withdrawn is detected by the Casino. Such activities are considered violation and are subject for all pending withdrawals to be void at Management's discretion."
Firstly, of course, this is a very strange rule. Casinos generally want you to gamble as much as possible, after all, that's how they make their money. Why would the Eldorado Palace want you to stop playing while they process your withdrawal?
Secondly, how can they make up a rule and announce it only several days after it has gone into effect?
Thirdly, why would this rule apply to the $2500 Jani had left in his account when he made his $1000 withdrawal? Even if the bets he made after that were in violation of the rule, those made before that withdrawal were not.
Of course, this is all working under the assumption that this is the rule which the casino feels that Jani violated. It won't tell him if it is -- and when Gambling Grumbles wrote asking about it, the Eldorado Palace did not bother replying.
|