Stake Casino - Igrač zahteva nadoknadu nakon zatvaranja naloga.

I want to share my experience with Stake.com to bring attention to their actions and the significant legal and public consequences they could face if they fail to address this matter. My goal is not only to highlight their negligence but also to ensure this message reaches as many people as possible in Switzerland and beyond—and potentially initiate a civil lawsuit, supported by the Swiss Federal Gambling Commission (ESBK), and take further criminal action based on unjustified enrichment.

1. How I Discovered Stake.com and Signed Up

I came across Stake.com through a TikTok advertisement, which many users in Switzerland (or elsewhere) may have also seen. It appeared to be a legitimate platform, so I registered with good intentions. As part of the registration process, I completed the KYC Level 1 (Know Your Customer) requirements, providing all necessary personal information, including my name, address, and email, which I also verified.

Once my account was set up, I was allowed to deposit funds and start gambling. Over the course of two years, I played regularly, achieving Platinum 3 status—a level that reflects significant gambling activity.

2. The Bonus Offer and Sudden Account Suspension

After losing a substantial amount of money, I received an email offering a $250 bonus if I completed additional KYC verification (Level 2/3). Trusting the process, I immediately submitted the required documents (including my Swiss ID). However, right after completing this, my account was abruptly suspended, with Stake.com citing that I was accessing the platform from a "restricted territory."

This explanation is baffling because Stake.com knew my location from the moment I registered. They accepted my Swiss address, allowed me to deposit funds, and facilitated my gambling activity. Now, after I’ve lost a significant amount of money, they claim I was in a restricted territory—a justification that is not only unacceptable but also potentially illegal.

Why would they let me play in the first place? If I had won, let’s say $100,000, they would never have paid it out. So how is it acceptable for them to knowingly take deposits from restricted players while turning a blind eye?

I have had small wins and withdrawals to recover some losses. For example, I might deposit $500 and lose it, then deposit $1,000 and lose that as well. Occasionally, I withdrew smaller amounts, such as $600 or $1,000. However, these withdrawals did not even cover my losses, which were substantial. Over time, my losses escalated as my bets increased. My average bet sizes ranged from $2 to $4 in slots and higher amounts in table games.

If I had hit a significant win—such as a 40,000x payout on a slot—they would have flagged the account immediately and refused to pay. Yet, they continued to allow me to deposit and gamble without issue, only stepping in to suspend the account once I had lost a large amount of money.

3. Violation of Swiss Gambling Laws

I later discovered that Stake.com is on Switzerland’s blacklist of unlicensed online gambling platforms (ESBK blacklist). Swiss law prohibits unlicensed casinos from operating in the country, and platforms like Stake.com are explicitly barred from offering their services to Swiss residents.

By allowing me to register, deposit money, and gamble—and obviously lose it—Stake.com clearly violated Swiss gambling regulations. Under Swiss law, contracts formed under illegal circumstances are deemed null and void, which means I am entitled to the return of all funds lost on their platform.

4. Breach of Stake.com’s Own Terms of Service

Stake.com’s Terms of Service state that users from restricted jurisdictions (including Switzerland) are prohibited from accessing their platform. It is their responsibility to enforce these restrictions by blocking registrations from such regions and verifying users’ locations during account creation.

Despite these obligations, Stake.com failed to block my account, verify my location adequately, or prevent me from gambling. This constitutes a blatant breach of their own terms and highlights their negligence in upholding compliance measures.

5. The Financial and Legal Stakes

Due to Stake.com’s actions, I have lost approximately $40,000 USD—a devastating amount, especially as I was unemployed at the time. Most of this money came from my unemployment insurance, making the situation even more troubling. On average, I deposited 75% of my monthly income, amounting to $1,000 to $3,000 per paycheck, and lost it within a week.

I am seeking compensation amounting to at least 75% of my losses ($30,000 USD) if an agreement is reached—or 100% through legal channels.

I have deleted some of my inital statements on this document to comply with the 5000 word implication.

Dear edondoko,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience. We accept the situation when the casino allows players from restricted countries to open an account as long as they don’t use this as an opportunity to later cancel the player’s legitimate winnings. Simply said – if the casino allows players from restricted countries to deposit and play, they should pay out their winnings as well. However, if the player personally chose to make deposits and lost, we believe they are not eligible for any refunds because they could lose their deposits in the same manner at any other casino. We share more in one of our article:

https://casino.guru/fair-gambling-codex-for-casinos#restricted-countries

Therefore, I would like to emphasize, that we investigate further and help only those players, whose funds or winnings have been confiscated due to being from a restricted country. Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem that this is the case here, but correct me if I am wrong, please.

Furthermore, we do not handle complaints related to licensing regulations and policies. While I understand your perspective, unfortunately, we are not in a position to provide assistance in this matter. Our role is that of an independent online casinos database that acts as a mediator in resolving players' disputes. However, we lack the authority to enforce the legality of rules. 

If your aim is to seek a refund of lost deposits solely on the grounds that the casino lacks a valid license, we are unable to assist you. In each review, we provide users with license information, and it ultimately falls on each player to make an informed decision regarding their choice of casino. If your preference is to play in licensed casinos exclusively, I strongly recommend checking our list of recommended casinos at https://casino.guru/top-online-casinos#tab=RECOMMENDED and utilizing available filters to find the most suitable casino for your needs. 

Unfortunately, based on the information received thus far, we will not proceed further with this case.

Please, if there is anything else, we could help you with, do not hesitate to contact us, otherwise, we will close this complaint.

Thank you for understanding.

Best regards,

Kristina

Dear edondoko,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.

Unfortunately, the player has not responded to our messages and questions. Consequently, we are unable to investigate further and have no choice but to reject this complaint.

The player can reopen this complaint at any time.