Following a losing session, a player on 888poker decided to blow off a bit of steam by sending an email to support telling of the hardships he would now have to endure as a result of using their service. Though a Senior Support Representative suspected the email may have been in jest, the serious nature of the comments prompted a six month suspension of the player’s account.
“I played because I knew I should be winning [...] How am I supposed to feed my kids? My wife? My pets?” the player wrote.
“Such comments demonstrate a willingness to pursue losses,” the Senior Support Representative replied, “which can lead to further losses, and could be an indication that you might develop a gambling addiction and that you are undergoing financial difficulties due to the use of our service.”
Responsible Gaming is a hot topic in legislative efforts surrounding online gaming globally. To preserve a healthy business image it is imperative that companies such as 888 Holdings – one of six applicants for an online gaming licence in Nevada – maintain the highest standards relating to problem gambling.
“As a company that actively promotes responsible gambling we feel it is our duty to try to avoid that our members develop personal and/or financial difficulties due to the use of our service,” the customer service representative added.
Decisive action in this case may also have been prompted by the player’s threat to file a lawsuit. Though the attempted intimidation was related to the legitimacy of the games operated on the site, a recent lawsuit filed by a problem gambler accusing the French Government of failing to protect him from accessing online gambling sites may have factored into the decision by 888 to intervene.
