TopGame has a simple recipe to attract players. Start with slow pays, toss in software that cheats players, add two scoops of terrible customer service, and mix it all up. Sounds like a winning formula, right?
TopGame Casinos operate mostly in Costa Rica. Customer support is a total joke and a common theme in a lot of customer service complaints was speaking to the same people over and over, even across different casinos. Three of the worst runs TopGame Casinos are three “R’s” of Rome, Rich, and Royal Kings.
Rome Casino: When in Rome…
As far as casino scams go, Rome Casino stands apart from most due to the sheer volume of complaints lodged online. You can almost fill an entire website with complaints about Rome.
Not only were players victimized by the common slow and no-pay tactics, they were also forced to deal with rude and creepy customer support. This casino also was famous for a software glitch that caused internet outrage. This article will deal mainly with the software glitch and the creepy chat exchange, but players are encouraged to search online for the full recap of the disaster known as Rome Casino.
Rome Casino was registered as a domain back in May 2002. The site featured TopGame software and some of the absolute worst customer service ever. Even after reading many sources confirming the creepy chat was, in fact, real, we still have trouble believing it is real because it is just so amazing. It was rude, unprofessional, incompetent, and clueless. It bordered on harassment at some points. The list of words to describe it is endless.
Software Malfunction (Or Rome Fraud?)
Rome was caught up in a sea of complaints concerning some of its slots. Players noticed these games were missing “wild” symbols needed to win the jackpot. [1] After the complaints reached a fever pitch, the games were taken down for “repairs” and then back up quickly. Rome did eventually make good with the players who suffered but only because of the outrage posted online. Strike one.
Creepy Chat
Rome customer support offered a perfect example of what not to do when trying to attract a large player. If you can get past the poor formatting (the chat log was just copied and posted online without any edits so it can be hard on the eyes to read), the chat log between the potential customer “Scooter69” and Rome shift manager Michael is truly an amazing read.
The saga is very long and takes hours to play out, using both online chat and phone conversations. [2]
In the chat, Scooter is offered an extra deposit bonus if he makes a large deposit. Michael and Scooter try and work out exactly how big of a deposit and what size bonus would be fair, with Scooter making sure his action will be welcome. He wants to bet big and informs Michael of his six and seven figure swings at other casinos.
To try and summarize Michael’s behavior is almost impossible without laughing uncontrollably.
Michael uses phrases such as “woooooooow,” “lolz,” “ssssspecial dealzz (x),” and literally dozens, if not hundreds more. These over the top remarks are not really necessary and obviously are unprofessional, especially when dealing with a player trying to deposit many thousands of dollars. Michael actually goes as far as calling Scooter “dear” repeatedly even after being asked to stop.
Rome employees assure Scooter that he will receive the bonus immediately, and then after he deposits, they try and urge him to play, play, play while the bonus is on the way. Then, oops, they claim the bonus takes 24 hours. How convenient.
Scooter demands an immediate bonus, or he will withdraw. Rome does not allow him to withdraw all at once, and Scooter then threatens with a credit charge back.
In the end, Scooter is fed up and done, and Michael desperately keeps sending messages in the hopes of reeling Scooter back in. It might be one of the top chat logs of all time for pure hilarity. It is a highly recommended read for laughs, better than most comedy clubs and doesn’t cost anything more than clicking the link. As far as business goes, however, terrible. Strike two.
Current State of Rome Casino
Shockingly, (okay, not really) Rome Casino is currently offline, and when players try to access the website they are greeted with a press statement that details a legal battle between TVMUK and TopGroup that involves millions of dollars and claims of extortion. [3] Strike three. Goodbye.
Rich Casino and Royal Kings Payout Issues
After reading all of the Rome complaints, players won’t be surprised to read that other TopGame casinos have a long history of ripping off customers. The best bet is simply to avoid any and all TopGame software.
Other TopGame casinos such as Rich Casino and Royal Kings, had payment issues coupled with horrible customer service as well. A Rich Casino player was being given the runaround on a withdrawal and posted a thread to the Casino Listings forum. Eventually he was paid but this was the message that accompanied the payment:
“We have certain payments outstanding to more valuable players who are in the withdrawal queue, and this is often based on a number of different factors. As a sign of our good faith we have paid the winnings of this player.” [4]
More valuable players? A sign of good faith? Any reputable casino would certainly not talk down to a customer by calling other customers more valuable. And paying out legitimate winnings is now a sign of good faith? Here we were under the impression that paying winners was business as usual! Unbelievable.
Royal Kings has a lengthy record of poor customer service as well, and also had its own list of players who were being totally ignored when they requested payouts. [5] Seems like they fit in well with the TopGame brand.
Keep Your Money Away From TopGame
We could go on for days with details of every TopGame complaint but by now the final lesson is simple and obvious. Avoid TopGame casinos like the plague. They don’t respect players big or small, and even if you happen to deposit and win you may not be paid quickly, or at all. In the future, we expect nothing but more complaints and trouble from TopGame casinos. There are many well respected casinos happy to provide you with entertainment in a safe environment that welcomes you. TopGame casinos are not up to the task.
[1] Rome Casino and the case of the missing wild symbols – CasinoListings.com
[2] ROME Casino – Top Game Support disaster – Casinomeister
[3] Rome Casino Homepage-WARNING! Criminal complaint made against TG Services Inc. – Rome Casino.com
[4] Rich Casino – anyone paid? – Casino Listings Forum
[5] Royal Kings Casino – Top Game – won’t pay withdrawal – Casino Listings