What Happened
A high-volume player from Argentina asked Stake to refund about 1.44 million USDT lost over several months. The player says VIP hosts noticed their anxiety in chat and kept offering bonuses instead of a break, that they were hospitalised for a gambling disorder in April 2026, and that Stake only applied an indefinite self-exclusion in August. They also say promo messages kept arriving afterwards. The mediator found no message in which the player had told Stake outright about a gambling problem, and rejected the claim.
How It Developed
- 2026-09-06Complaint opened with a large bundle of chat logs, a hospital certificate, deposit records and screenshots of bonus offers sent after the self-exclusion.
- 2026-09-08The mediator asked whether the account was still accessible, for the messages in which the player had disclosed a gambling problem, and what Stake had said about a refund.
- 2026-09-15The mediator explained that Casino.guru only pursues refunds when the player clearly told the casino about a gambling problem; heavy play or begging for bonuses does not count, and the licensing question is outside its remit.
- 2026-09-15Over the next two days the player added more chat extracts, a regional self-exclusion certificate and an argument that Argentina is a banned country in Stake's terms.
- 2026-09-29The complaint was rejected: the evidence did not show an explicit disclosure that would have obliged Stake to protect the player.
Rejected
The mediator found no explicit disclosure of a gambling problem to Stake, so Casino.guru would not pursue the 1.44 million USDT refund.
What Has (and Hasn't) Helped
Nothing moved the case. The mediator's line was clear: a casino's duty to step in starts when the player tells it, in plain words, that they have a gambling problem. If that applies to you, send one email headed self-exclusion that states the reason and the period, keep a copy, and do it before you deposit again. Chat messages about anxiety or asking for bonuses were not treated as that notice.