German Online Casino Player Denied Jackpot

Casino Club, an online casino in Germany, is refusing to pay a local player who won a €167,500 progressive jackpot. The casino claims that the unnamed German gambler won the jackpot prize using funds that he had “illegally” won while playing one of their blackjack games. The winner is being accused of working with another player to defraud the casino.

The player denies these charges, and complained to the Maltese Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA), which licenses and regulates Casino Club (In situations like this, where the player is gambling at an offshore casino, German gambling laws have no meaning at all). LGA, whose job it is to provide player protection when these sorts of discrepancies arise, told the German that they cannot help him, because Maltese laws clearly state that gambling debts are not enforceable.

To make matters even worse, the jackpot money that was confiscated from the player’s account has disappeared. It should have been returned to the progressive jackpot pool, but this does not seem to have happened. Casino Club is powered by Boss Media software, and it is the software company that supplies the prize money for the jackpot. Whether or not Boss Media has become involved is not clear.

After speaking to a lawyer, the German jackpot winner was told that his only recourse is to take the case to a court in Malta and require that the casino prove all allegations against the player.

Meanwhile, players are left wondering if other online gambling sites in Germany and around the world which are licensed out of Malta are safe for players. If it is true that LGA cannot enforce their licensees’ obligations to pay players, then the “player protection” they provide is not as protective as it appears.