It was added to their terms and conditions on September 27 2023 to be exact. On this same day they removed all Australian marketing content from their website and based on the automated email I received restricted all Australian accounts.
Sadly, that is not going to be easy to prove. I did see the screenshots you posted but there is no way to verify when they were taken. It's your word against theirs.
The 1BTC was deposited and lost. However the deposits were in response to the marketing email misrepresenting themselves as an Australian licensed operator.
Some guy inboxed me before asking, would you be complaining if you won. Not at all, however as per the reddit post I referred to, cloudbet initiate KYC after substantial wins and void bets if found to be playing from a prohibited jurisdiction. So I may have won, but who’s to say I would have actually been able to get my hands on it.
I understand what you are saying. And thanks for being honest about the fact that you wouldn't have problems taking the money while being in Australia. Still, you begin the thread by saying that Cloudbet cost you 1 BTC. But that's not completely true. You played and you lost. Cloudbet didn't withhold your winnings or refused to pay you any profits.
You shouldn't have been allowed there in the first place, and hopefully no Australian will find their way to Cloudbet in the future. If you had won and they refused to pay, I would be on your side and consider it a clear scam. Them not updating their terms or restricting Australian players is their mistake, and you shouldn't have to pay for their intentional or unintentional actions.
LCB.org moderators attempted to reach out to Cloudbet to have them refund me. In the complaints thread that can be found online (prior to the 27th) the moderators confirm that Australia was not in the terms and conditions as a prohibited jurisdiction and that Cloudbet is at fault.
In my opinion, they did cost me 1BTC. I would never have dabbled on their website (eventually resulting in losses) if it weren’t for their marketing. In most first world countries there are strict rules with what you can and can’t advertise regarding gambling. It’s a sensitive subject given the amount of problem gambling that exists that’s ruining peoples lives. In this case, we have Cloudbets maliciously false advertising with clear cut bad intent, any court would rule losses as a fault of the operator.
What I found on their website is that this website is prohibited for gamblers from Australia. Now if they are also sending marketing emails to customers in prohibited countries in their T&C, then that is another matter which is not acceptable in any way. Because it is a crime to do marketing in the country where their site is prohibited. On the other hand, you didn't read the T&C before registering on this website, which is really a big mistake. Now it is difficult to conclude this allegation.
7.1.2. We do not accept registration from persons resident in jurisdictions that prohibit you from participating in online sports betting, gambling, gaming, and/or games of skill, for and/or with Cryptocurrency.
7.1.3. You agree that at all times when using the Website, including making requests for withdrawal or transfers of funds, you are not physically located in any of the following countries:
• Australia;
• Belgium;
• China, Macau, Hong Kong SAR;
• Curaçao;
• Lithuania;
• Netherlands;
• Singapore;
• the United States of America and its territories;
• United Kingdom;
Source : https://www.cloudbet.com/beta/casino/en/content/help/termsAustralia was added to their terms and conditions after I raised a complaint with Cloudbet and their master license holder.
They basically admitted guilt by doing that and removing all of their Australian targeted marketing content however chose to stop replying to me.
The 1BTC was deposited and lost. However the deposits were in response to the marketing email misrepresenting themselves as an Australian licensed operator.
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So I may have won, but who’s to say I would have actually been able to get my hands on it.
I don't see any scam in the fact that you lost 1 BTC gambling, only to find out later that your country is on the black list, and then you thought what would happen if you made a profit. We can only guess what would happen then, but who says that you wouldn't be able to get at least your deposit back?
What is by no means disputed is the fact that that casino did not warn potential players from your country in a very clear way that they cannot open an account at their casino.
I'm just wondering if you created your account using the IP of your country, or maybe you used a VPN?
Hi Lucius,
Warn players from my country? They did the opposite of that, lured us in which is why I believe they hold a fair amount of blame.
If you look at the screenshots I’ve posted, there’s website content targeted at Australians..
Theres also a screenshot of the chat operator falsely claiming that Cloudbet is licensed, regulated and fully compliant in Australia.
I also never used VPN. The way I found out I’m in a prohibited jurisdiction is when I lost access to their website, because the Australian government blocked the URL through the internet providers.
[moderator's note: consecutive posts merged]
