I had already posted about this subject a few years ago under Slotastic casino, so I am not looking for any additional support from Casino Guru. I have simply decided that since Slotastic and Grande Vegas are owned by the same company that I wanted to duplicate notice of the situation to readers here as well. I do realize there is a long gap in time, but I remain unpaid and this situation still bothers me. A few years ago, I was unaware of Slotastic's sister brands.
Henceforth, Grande Vegas/Slotastic shall simply be referred to as "they" or "their".
Deposited $150. Redeemed slot coupon. Bet limit was $10. Kept my wagers to $5. Met rollover. Got to $4770. Requested payout. Payout was rejected.
They claimed 3 of my ~3500 bets were over the $10 limit. This was most likely the result of me toggling from another window and accidentally activating extra paylines when I did so without being aware. All my over-limit wagers were after I had won $5000 on a spin. Betting big, especially early, can give a player an unfair advantage, but that was simply not the case here. I was essentially locked into the meeting the rollover in full, and I would've derived no strategical benefit from wagering over the limit at that point. I did not become aware of the over-limit wagers until after I had cashed out, and, frankly, the setup of the casino is rather conducive for accidental bet sizes to happen. There were no locks in place. Some games, when you reopen or refresh them, automatically reset your bet size to maximum which you could easily overlook momentarily. Also, if you accidentally clip a pay-line marker, every lesser pay-line becomes activated which quickly and inconspicuously balloons your bet size.
Their rule was worded, "The maximum bet for all bonuses (including cashback) must not exceed $10. Any winnings, plus bonus amounts derived from bets higher than this limit will be voided". All 3 of the $11+ bets were losers. Thus I "derived" no winnings from them and do not consider their rule applicable here. This I consider to be the most important point. Further, I do not consider the wording of their rule to be ambiguous. I will go into great minutiae on that point. If they had simply stated the maximum bet was $10, I would consider their ruling harsh but ultimately justifiable. Rules are meant to protect each party. Who is this confiscation protecting?
Even after multiple detailed communications, essentially, their only response was "Whether or not winnings were had from the specific bet, if bets above $10 are made when a coupon is active, the winnings are voided." They chastised my "playing style", i.e., the 3 accidental bets. They reiterated I be familiar with the T&C (as though I weren't). I had always bet well below the $10 max bet throughout all my deposits.
Only after extensive public pressure did they budge from their position. Even so, they did not make right. They admitted I had a "valid" case but reinstated less than half my win. They tested how this response played with the public. A solid majority agreed with my position. Some felt the rule a bit ambiguous. Some felt it was an industry standard an over-the-limit bet got your balance voided. As I see it, if there were any ambiguity (there wasn't), the norm is for that ambiguity to benefit the party that didn't write the rules. Otherwise, there'd be an obvious incentive to write ambiguous rules. Also, any specific rule should override any industry norm.
The casino was satisfied a minority opinion was adequate enough that it would be more profitable for them not to pay the rest. Casinomeister deemed the response adequate. Casino Guru ruled against them. To me, the casino's response is a classic example of a casino probing around to see what they can get away with in an environment of lax oversight where there is little downside for them to do so.
I went on record that I refused to dignify the response. All these years later, I still have collected nothing. I may choose to stop making periodic $0.01 bets for 6 months so that my balance is voided. I said years I ago I would not litigate this case further. I do not consider this post litigation. I consider the situation hopeless.
The relevant rule was later updated to reflect the callous way they actually act. Their new rule validates the voiding of all promotion winnings in all circumstances where any bet over $10 is made before playthrough is completed.