[Mobeezy]

I posted this on 2+2 and it was suggested that I post on this forum. Even though Ignition does not offer sports betting, they are affiliated with Bovada/Bodog and my situation shows how scummy their organization is. At the very least, my story will serve as a warning for others who play on the Bodog/Bovada/Ignition network.

Cliff’s:

I played blackjack on Ignition regularly from 9/26 til 11/3. I was winning consistently and receiving timely cashouts. Ignition kept sending me promotional emails and upgraded my rewards status to Platinum on 11/1. With Platinum Rewards (50% Bitcoin deposit bonus) I had my biggest win on 11/3. Rather than pay out my big win, Ignition Casino disabled my account on 11/16 to conduct an investigation for “suspicious activity”. During the course of their investigation, I called in twice and was subjected to interrogations during those calls. Per their demands, I submitted 3 utility bills and 4 selfie pictures. Despite answering all of their questions, supplying every piece of documentation they requested no matter how ridiculous, on 1/19, I received an email from Ignition stating that they found conclusive evidence of “Bonus Abuse”, permanently disabled my account, and confiscated all of my funds ($12,800).

Full Story:

I started playing on Ignition Casino on 9/26 after reading about their special Bitcoin promotion (100% deposit bonus up to $1,000). That promotion ended a few days later. I continued to play in October after learning about their Rewards Program, where I was a Silver Rewards member at the time. I played enough in October to become a Platinum Rewards member for November.

I made a withdrawal request on 11/3 for $9,500 and this is where things got shady. After not receiving my withdrawal for a full week, I emailed them on 11/10 to get an update.

On 11/10, I received this generic response: Your withdrawal with Reference Number xxxxxxxx, requested on November 3 via Bitcoin for $9,500, is still being reviewed. This takes approximately 48 hours; however, this is just an estimated timeframe and it may take a bit longer than that.

On 11/16 at 2:09 PM, I received the following email message: Your account has been temporarily disabled and under investigation after we found some suspicious activity in your account. We ask that you please contact us at your earliest convenience at 1-855-370-0600.

On 11/16 at 2:18 PM, I received the following email message: Our casino team has reviewed your account and has recognized you as a skilled player who does not need the aid of promotional money in order to win. Your Ignition Casino account will no longer be eligible for promotions and will not accrue reward points; however, we will continue to offer the same level of customer service and fast payouts that you've come to expect. Thank you for choosing Ignition Casino.

On 12/1, I called in to get an update. Ignition asked me to send in a proof of address, a selfie picture holding my ID, and a picture of my ID outside my house and showing the house number.

On 12/1, I emailed the documents per Ignition’s request over the phone. I had recently graduated college and moved a couple of hours away for a new job, so the address on my license was still my college apartment address. I submitted a picture of my license (old address), a selfie holding my license showing my house number (new address), and a screenshot of my electricity bill (new address).

On 12/4, Ignition emailed to ask me to send in:

1. A selfie photo of you holding your ID in front of your house. We request that you let someone else take a picture of you so the house itself and the house number are both visible in the picture.
2. The actual copy of your utility bill as a proof of address (e.g. phone/mobile bill, electricity bill, water bill, gas bill, cable bill etc.). The document should include your name, logo of the issuing company, your current address, recurring charges and the date when it was issued. The document should be up to date.

On 12/8, I emailed the documents per Ignition’s 12/4 request, with my Chase bank statement instead of my electricity bill.

On 12/11, Ignition emailed to ask me to send in:

1. Another copy of your proof of address in a form of utility bill (such as water or electric bill).
2. A picture of yourself holding your ID in front of your old address. Make sure you also capture the house and the house number (282 etc).
3. A picture of yourself holding your ID in front of your new address. You mentioned before that you moved to a new address, so we want you to send a proof for that matter.

I was so fed up at this point since I had to drive 2 hours back to my old address but I had no choice.

On 12/18, I emailed the documents per Ignition’s 12/11 request.

On 12/24, Ignition emailed to ask me to call in again. I was out of the country at the time for the holidays. I called in on 1/9. Ignition told me that they received my documentation and were concluding the investigation.

On 1/19, Ignition emailed me the following:

The investigation into your account has concluded. After a full review of the play in your account, we have found conclusive evidence of Bonus Abuse. As your actions were in violation of our players terms of agreement, your account will now remain permanently disabled, and all funds in your account have been forfeited. Please note that any accounts opened by you, or that are found to be linked to you will also be disabled, and any funds in those accounts will also be seized.

Here are some answers to some questions that may come up:

I played blackjack and blackjack only.
I only used the bonuses and promotions that showed up on my account under the gift box icon.
I used Bitcoin to deposit and withdraw.
I won $21,144.66, not including the $12,800 that’s still owed to me.
I feel it’s hopeless to call them again.
Here is a link with screenshots of all of their emails to me https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dzrg5v90d...k14QxCWDa?dl=0


As I mentioned earlier, I recently graduated college so this money means A LOT to me. I would really appreciate any help with getting Ignition to pay me my account balance. This is outright theft by Ignition Casino.

Thanks to everyone in advance for your help and advice!

[unusialsusp5]

i sincerely doubt anyone on here can help you with this issue. i would suggest that if you are so good at blackjack to play at u.s. land based casinos in the future since you seem to have the ability and means to travel quite often. hard to believe an online casino would allow this (you winning) without plugging in their dealer gets all the right cards program to thwart this.

[rkelly110]

You already got 21k from them. Laugh it off. You have their number and they know it.

[gauchojake]

The whole "winning consistently" part is where I got confused

[BetweenHerCheeks]

Not surprising, I hope they all die

[gauchojake]

http://www.sportsbookreview.com/sportsbook-complaint/

Fill this out and SBR might look into it - I do not work for SBR despite my glorious PRO status. Your story seems surprisingly legit. There is another Poker Fraud Alert forum that you might also want to cross post at since the owner has a boner for Bovada/Ignition and he might help you too.

[funnyb25]

Whenever these posts arrive it's a brand new join date. Is this a coincidence?

[Sam Odom]

Whenever these posts arrive it's a brand new join date. Is this a coincidence?

no

[Crusherrr]

Honestly this has happened to MANY players that I know personally and I've heard your story many times over. For the mods and SBR let me explain what OP is doing and why he was "consistently" winning.

On Bovada(Ignition) what you're able to do is deposit and get a bonus. Example: Deposit $1,000 and get $1,000 bonus. You can sit with that $1,000 that you deposited at a Poker table. Let's say he sits at a $1-$2 Limit(Fixed) Hold'em table with the $1,000 and sits out and isn't playing against someone. He then can take the $1,000 cash from the bonus to the casino and if he loses there is no hold(rollover) left to clear on his $1,000 that he deposited and it's like nothing happened.

Tomorrow, he can deposit and get ANOTHER bonus and do the same thing. Basically he's not risking ANY of his OWN funds and only the bonus money that has been given to him on the deposit. This is the bonus abuse that they are describing. I've seen many players have their accounts closed, many have had their funds confiscated all for doing exactly as I've described.

We all know OP isn't some mastermind BJ player who is legitimately beating the house in a rigged game. I think that's obvious. While I would feel bad if OP was oblivious to what he was doing and was casually taking advantage of the bonus but it's pretty clear he hit it hard and had no regrets. You won't get this money back because it was not won fair and square. Ignition is a legitimate site owned by Bovada/Bodog and if you took them for $20,000 they'd pay every cent if you did so on your dime and not their own.

If you WIN with the bonus it isn't too difficult to clear the rollover and the funds are able to be withdrawn. Ignition obviously looked at his play and saw he was abusing the bonus without risking his own funds.

[Fire in da hole]

Thanks for the clarification Crusherrr... If OP was doing what Crusher described above, he shouldn't get the money anyway.

[Crusherrr]

Thanks for the clarification Crusherrr... If OP was doing what Crusher described above, he shouldn't get the money anyway.

It's without a doubt what happened. I've seen it time and time before with Bovada and then Ignition after the switch. It's stupid that they allow this loophole to begin with because if the players lose they don't care and if they win they take the funds because you discovered their loophole and took them for money. Either way, it's their rules, and if you abuse it and get caught you don't deserve the money.

[Sam Odom]

if one does not break a long standing rule or rules then one is NOT "abusing" the book

[gauchojake]

He stated he only played BJ but we all know how that goes. Good info Crusherrerrerr

[sweep]

any utility bills with your name on them and college address?

[Sam Odom]

too many shit books have nebulous rules on purpose...

Player wins: take his $$$ on "abusing" the unclear rule

Player loses: Hahaha

[USCPHILLYGUY]

Cant believe they make you take a selfie in front of your house

the utility bill and DL are not enough

[Fire in da hole]

too many shit books have nebulous rules on purpose...

Player wins: take his $$$ on "abusing" the unclear rule

Player loses: Hahaha

Sam, I do agree that many shit books create rules with the intent of screwing the player. By no means am I an advocate for the books.

However, its kinda common sense that you are abusing the rules if you deposit money, never risk your own money, then continue to get new bonuses without ever having to risk your own money. If your argument is, well its the books fault, then look at Phil Ivey.

He played the gray area and the courts ruled against him.

[Fire in da hole]

Cant believe they make you take a selfie in front of your house

the utility bill and DL are not enough

He failed to mention the selfie was nude...

[vividjohn45]

I called ignition casino help. A long time ago and disabled their casino. Just play poker there. Now my only concern is pokerbots. Rather then blackjack dealer bot. Id disable sbr.s casino if shari would let me as there is no doubt. Sbr.s blackjack dealer wears a name tag with Bob. On it.

[Sam Odom]

Fire...

book should change bonus rules or refuse UP FRONT the bonus to certain players.

if a player is too much of a hassle... close his acct and send him his balance

[gauchojake]

If what Crusherr says is what happened then word got out that you could clear the deposit funds without actually wagering them and take shots with the bonus money. If that is what OP did then he should be happy he got any money out. He says that he never played anything except blackjack which could be technically true if he just sat at the table with the other funds.

[unde0087]

I love when casinos and sportsbooks try to play the victim card when they have screwed people over for years in anyway they can

[RudyRuetigger]

I saw original thread on 2p2

Fill out complaint form but I don't see sbr helping as they do not offer sports

[pologq]

they paid you already over 9k you said, i would be happy you got something unless you can prove you didn't do the bonus rigging as described.

[Mobeezy]

Honestly this has happened to MANY players that I know personally and I've heard your story many times over. For the mods and SBR let me explain what OP is doing and why he was "consistently" winning.

On Bovada(Ignition) what you're able to do is deposit and get a bonus. Example: Deposit $1,000 and get $1,000 bonus. You can sit with that $1,000 that you deposited at a Poker table. Let's say he sits at a $1-$2 Limit(Fixed) Hold'em table with the $1,000 and sits out and isn't playing against someone. He then can take the $1,000 cash from the bonus to the casino and if he loses there is no hold(rollover) left to clear on his $1,000 that he deposited and it's like nothing happened.

Tomorrow, he can deposit and get ANOTHER bonus and do the same thing. Basically he's not risking ANY of his OWN funds and only the bonus money that has been given to him on the deposit. This is the bonus abuse that they are describing. I've seen many players have their accounts closed, many have had their funds confiscated all for doing exactly as I've described.

We all know OP isn't some mastermind BJ player who is legitimately beating the house in a rigged game. I think that's obvious. While I would feel bad if OP was oblivious to what he was doing and was casually taking advantage of the bonus but it's pretty clear he hit it hard and had no regrets. You won't get this money back because it was not won fair and square. Ignition is a legitimate site owned by Bovada/Bodog and if you took them for $20,000 they'd pay every cent if you did so on your dime and not their own.

If you WIN with the bonus it isn't too difficult to clear the rollover and the funds are able to be withdrawn. Ignition obviously looked at his play and saw he was abusing the bonus without risking his own funds.

This isn't what I did at all. As I stated in the OP I only played blackjack. I never even sat down at a poker table. I risked my own funds and had plenty of losing sessions. Here is a screenshot of me getting $255 in cash back.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jgqepgv4b0...hback.png?dl=0

If I was doing your poker table trick, I wouldn't have lost over 5k that week. Maybe they decided to group me with the poker table abusers as a pretext to stealing my money, but my play was completely legit. I don't think I'm a BJ mastermind, but it's not hard to win just playing basic strategy when they are giving you 100% bonus. I'm sure I did get very lucky...is that in their terms too that if someone runs too hot they can just confiscate?

[sweep]

where's Bodog Becky

[Mobeezy]

Cant believe they make you take a selfie in front of your house

the utility bill and DL are not enough

They started off with fairly reasonable requests - selfie, scan of ID, utility bill. As I provided them they just made me jump through more and more hoops. The later demands were absurd - drive to your old address and take a selfie in front of the house. WTF! I can't believe the stole my money even after I complied with their ridiculous demands.

[Mobeezy]

The whole "winning consistently" part is where I got confused

I misspoke when I wrote “winning consistently”. I meant I was withdrawing consistently. I was losing close to $8k the first couple of weeks in October. Ignition had no problem with me playing then. In fact they kept sending me promotional emails and even upgraded my rewards status to Platinum.

[Fire in da hole]

Well, this definitely changes things up... He says he was wagering his own money as well, so he should get the money.

[RudyRuetigger]

2p2 are the people that should help him

[Goat Milk]

Dang this is crazy.... If they are Bovada's casino I think SBR should intervene here. Bovada is a well known sports book. If what you're saying is true, it should also affect their SBR Rating. No exceptions. Even if they conclude they were wrong, and end up paying, their rating should be affected because it means they were trying to get away with scamming someone.

Justice must be served here.

[Optional]

This isn't what I did at all. As I stated in the OP I only played blackjack. I never even sat down at a poker table. I risked my own funds and had plenty of losing sessions. Here is a screenshot of me getting $255 in cash back.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jgqepgv4b0...hback.png?dl=0

If I was doing your poker table trick, I wouldn't have lost over 5k that week. Maybe they decided to group me with the poker table abusers as a pretext to stealing my money, but my play was completely legit. I don't think I'm a BJ mastermind, but it's not hard to win just playing basic strategy when they are giving you 100% bonus. I'm sure I did get very lucky...is that in their terms too that if someone runs too hot they can just confiscate?

Shoot in a Sportsbook Complaint form and SBR may be able to find out a bit more about why this is happening for you.

[Sam Odom]

Shoot in a Sportsbook Complaint form and SBR may be able to find out a bit more about why this is happening for you.

[CWD]

Dang this is crazy.... If they are Bovada's casino I think SBR should intervene here. Bovada is a well known sports book. If what you're saying is true, it should also affect their SBR Rating. No exceptions. Even if they conclude they were wrong, and end up paying, their rating should be affected because it means they were trying to get away with scamming someone.

Justice must be served here.

ditto

and no doubt there are many others that this happens to that do nothing but sit back and take it because that is really all you can do besides file a complaint here, which im sure most do not know about.

[franklee168]

I just wish I had the chance for an online casino to confiscate my money. That would require me winning.