The official name of the site is “The Virtual Casino,” but most gamblers leave off “the” when talking about it. No matter what you call it, however, this establishment is a prime example of the sometimes shady nature of the Internet.
Licensed in the jurisdiction of Costa Rica, the site operates as part of the Virtual Casino Group, which is also known as “Gambling Wages.” Their sister websites include the following: Club Player, Cirrus Casino, Palace of Chance, Cool Cat, Prism, Party City, Ruby Slots, Slots of Vegas, and Wild Vegas. All of these casinos employ Realtime Gaming software, and each has an equally dreadful reputation among astute players.
Over the years, Virtual and its affiliated sites have racked up a staggering number of complaints ranging from slow-paying customers to providing inadequate customer service. Accounts are shut down without warning, bonuses aren’t paid, and less-than-ethical affiliates flood the inbox of gamblers with spam.
Recent efforts have been made to rehabilitate the reputation of the casino group, but the path to redemption has been a long and winding affair. While a number of outstanding complaints have been resolved to the satisfaction of customers, new problems continue to crop up. And even though management may be making a good faith effort to change their perception within the industry, they’re continually hounded by a combination of past misdeeds and new gripes.
List of Complaints about Virtual Casino
If you were tasked with tallying up all the gripes against online gaming establishments, you’d likely find the sheer volume to be overwhelming. Not only would there be players with legitimate complaints, but there would also be a significant number who equate customer success with site fairness.
The same statement applies to Virtual Casino. Among the vast number of complaints about their business practices, some are legitimate and others erroneous. In order to save you as much time as possible, I’ve sifted through a collection of grievances and listed several that give an overall impression of Virtual Casino’s failings.
Licensed in Costa Rica – Let’s be honest: being licensed in Costa Rica is like having no license at all. As long as the government gets their payment, they’ll sign off on anyone. While legitimate people do conduct business within the nation, it’s also a hotbed for dodgy online operators.
Slow Payouts – Throughout the history of the site, slow payouts have been a consistent point of contention with players. According to research conducted by one leading gambling site, anyone making a withdrawal should expect to wait at least two months before receiving their winnings.
June 2005 – After meeting all wagering requirements, a player requested a withdrawal of $400. Despite requesting that the winnings be sent via overnight mail to their current address, the player learned that the money was instead sent to an account that had been closed for nearly two years.
After repeated emails and phone calls, the player was told that the old account had been deleted from the company’s database. When Virtual finally tried sending the payment a second time, it was again sent to the old account.
After dealing with a rude customer service representative, the player asked to speak with a manager. They were told to call back after a review period, and this turned into a game of phone tag. The player was never able to speak to the manager again, and their $400 was never received.
November 2009 – After receiving coupons for discounted play at the casino, a customer was informed that their winnings would not be paid due to multiple coupons being used. Oddly enough, the player had only tried to use one coupon, and this request had been denied.
May 2011 – After receiving a $100 no deposit bonus code, a player ran their account up to $428.46. Soon afterwards, they noticed that their account balance had dropped to $99.55 and a withdrawal request had been made for $328.91.
It was later learned that the casino had implemented the withdrawal, but that the customer was only entitled to the $99.55 in their account. After being told to withdraw their remaining money and play elsewhere, the customer found that their account had been locked before any funds could be requested. Out of $428.46, the player received nothing.
April 2013 – When a naïve player meets a shifty casino, bad things are bound to happen. In this case, a first-time Internet gambler signed up with Virtual and was informed via a pop-up chat box about a special 300% deposit bonus. The player was only interested in baccarat, and the customer service rep assured them that baccarat was an available game.
What they failed to mention, however, was that the player’s game of choice didn’t satisfy the requirements for withdrawal. After the player won and tried to get their money, they were informed of the bad news.
To make matters worse, their account was eventually shut down, eliminating all hopes of getting their money back. The player took their complaint to various Internet forums, and Virtual eventually claimed to refund the initial deposit. The customer, however, claims to have never received the money.
This example underscores the importance of reading the fine print at any online casino. Of course, approaching players via online chat about “special bonus offers,” also smacks of entrapment.
June 2013 – A customer tried to withdraw winnings to no avail. They sent the required documents several times and even talked with a casino rep on the phone.
Virtual stated that the money was on the way, but the customer never received it.
January 2014 – A player requested a $200 withdrawal after meeting the site’s requirements. They were then required to send the same paperwork to the casino on four different occasions, only to later learn that it was done correctly the first time.
Virtual then informed the customer that he had used coupons back-to-back, thus rendering his winnings invalid. The customer, however, claims that his one use of a coupon was well within the terms and conditions.
October 2014 – During the month of September, a customer made three withdrawal requests. Despite the site claiming that all requests are approved or denied within 10 to 15 business days, the customer still hadn’t heard from the casino after 23 business days.
Eight days after posting a complaint online, the player was contacted by a casino rep and informed that the money was on the way. Several days later, the customer was still sitting outside by their mailbox, waiting in vain for a check.
A Final Word
Most sane players want a gaming session that’s free of drama. If you fall into this category, then I suggest staying far away from Virtual Casino and its sister sites. While they have been making recent efforts to salvage their reputation, there are plenty of reputable sites that have never felt the need to scam players or engage in other unethical behavior.