You are probably familiar with Murphy’s Law – whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. If you gamble online long enough, mishaps are a matter of when and not if. And it does not mean there is anything necessarily wrong with your preferred online casino. It happens with the most upstanding casinos in the industry.
One of the errors you may have to contend with are inaccurate charges. The charges could occur due to an honest mistake or as a result of fraudulent action. Irrespective of the cause, it is important that you understand your rights, the options you have and what steps you should follow. We take a look at what you need to know and do when disputing online casino charges.
Understanding Online Casino Charges
Financial transactions are at the core of your engagement with a casino. You need money for real gameplay and your winnings are transferred to you as real cash. Online casino charges will typically appear on the statement of your casino account, bank account, credit card, mobile wallet or other account you use to fund your casino activity.
Actual charges vary from casino to casino, and are applied to different events throughout your interaction with the platform. The transactions may appear with names and/or descriptors that are different from the online casino’s, a fact that can make them harder to identify. It’s important to understand these charges to distinguish legitimate entries from unauthorised ones.
The most common online casino charges include the following:
Identifying Fraudulent or Mistaken Charges
Staying ahead of erroneous charges comes down to how well and how quickly you can identify them. Fortunately, there are telltale signs. Regularly monitor the financial accounts linked to your online casino profile while looking out for any of the following red flags.
Steps to Dispute Charges with Your Bank or Credit Card Issuer
The exact process for disputing charges and recovering your money will vary depending on your bank or credit card issuer. Nevertheless, the general chargeback process will be as follows:
Gather Supporting Documentation
Consider that the other party may provide grounds to reject the chargeback. Collect all evidence that could be useful in the dispute. That should include casino account statements as well as screenshots of relevant correspondence.
Contact Your Bank, Credit Card or Web Wallet Issuer
Get in touch with the bank, credit card or web wallet provider to lodge your dispute. Provide specifics on the transaction(s) in question such as date, amount and all the documentation you have gathered so far.
Provide Additional Information
The documentation you provide may be deemed inadequate. Prepare to give the financial institution any additional information they may ask for to verify your claims. These could be identification documents, signed affidavits and the merchant (online casino) name.
Follow Up
Most financial services providers will share timelines on when you should expect a response. Don’t leave the matter to chance. Be proactive. Follow-up regularly (e.g. weekly) to keep tabs on current progress. Still, recognize that resolution could take time.
What to Expect
As the financial services provider investigates, the disputed amount could be temporarily placed on hold. The institution will get in touch with the casino for their response on the chargeback.
Time is of the essence. The quicker you can initiate the chargeback process, the greater the likelihood of a correction. Most financial institutions have a window within which chargebacks can be initiated – often between 60 and 120 days.
Engaging with the Online Casino
Addressing the problem at the root is always the best route before you need to engage a third party. It could very well be an honest mistake. In which case, talking to the online casino directly could get it resolved faster even if you have already engaged your financial services provider.
To get the process rolling, contact the casino’s customer support via the contact information indicated on the website. That could be email, live chat, help desk ticket or phone call. Prepare and submit an account of the disputed charge and the documentation showing why it is incorrect.
Keep a copy of all correspondence with the casino including date/time of interaction and the identity of the customer representative you talked to. This isn’t just useful for your own record but ensures you don’t have to repeat the entire issue to each new support you deal with.
Legal Avenues and Consumer Protection
Contacting your financial services provider and online casino does not guarantee that the issue will be investigated and resolved to your satisfaction.
As a consumer, the law outlines legal protections when you are disputing charges. That includes the right to a fair hearing and to be reimbursed for unauthorised transactions. Depending on jurisdiction, you may have the right to cancel a transaction and get a refund if the commensurate service was not rendered or if the contract has unfair terms.
In case you do not think the matter was handled fairly and in line with the rules of legal and natural justice, consider obtaining legal advice to explore your options. Your options may mean filing a complaint with a consumer protection agency, exploring arbitration for an amicable conclusion or filing a lawsuit for breach of contract or fraudulent activity.
Conclusion
You are under no obligation to accept every transaction an online casino charges to your financial accounts. If you do not accept a certain transaction’s validity, you can file a dispute with your financial service provider and the online casino itself. Your chances of success are heavily dependent on how fast you file the chargeback, how robust your evidence is and how well you follow the correct procedure. Remember to keep copies of all correspondence throughout the dispute resolution process.