EmpireDrop Sends Free Balance to Self-Excluded Player, Sparks Outrage!

This post on X recently came across my timeline, and has sparked a heated debate about player protection and the ethics of targeting vulnerable users. A tweet from @alpacahere2 recently went viral, revealing how EmpireDrop mistakenly sent a promotional email offering €200 free balance to a user who had already self-excluded from their platform.

https://x.com/alpacahere2/status/1822664490686525693

The email from EmpireDrop hilariously read: “We are pleased to inform you that we have credited your EmpireDrop account with €200.” In the same tweet, @alpacahere2 sarcastically thanked EmpireDrop for sending the email, despite being banned from the platform for self-exclusion.

@alpacahere2 confirmed that the email was not an automated newsletter, stating that he’d unsubscribed from EmpireDrop’s emails months ago.

EmpireDrop did end up responding and admitted the mistake, clarifying that it was an automated email sent in error. They acknowledged that the promotional offer was meant for active users, but assured that the self-excluded user would not be able to claim the balance due to their ban. A follow-up message from the company stated: "We will address this issue to ensure it doesn't happen again. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Why This Is a Serious Issue

Self-exclusion is an incredibly important feature on gambling sites, and one of our core pillars of a legitimate casino here at AGGC. Sending such generous promo offers to a self-banned user heavily undermines the integrity of the self-exclusion system.

This incident raises questions about how seriously gambling platforms take their responsibility towards self-excluded users. Automated promotional emails may seem like harmless marketing tools, but for someone battling gambling addiction, receiving such offers can be damaging and counterproductive to their recovery.

The Potential Legal and Ethical Ramifications

While the crypto gambling space is still very much like the Wild West, most casinos are still enforced to follow some sort of regulation, so mistakes like these are not only heavily frowned upon, but could potentially breach the regulations they’re required to follow, leading to potential fines or reprimands for failing to safeguard self-excluded players. While EmpireDrop claimed this was a simple “technical glitch”, they are incentivised to bring back old inactive users that have wagered a lot on their site in the form of generous promotional offers, and it’s hard to believe they simply accidentally sent this out to self-banned users, with all the data showing that they are potentially high spending customers.

What EmpireDrop Needs to Do (But Likely Won’t)

EmpireDrop needs to take serious accountability, but their current apology feels hollow. If this was genuinely an error, a meaningful response would be more than just an "oops." Offering the affected player financial compensation, like $50 in crypto, would show they are genuinely sorry and committed to fixing their safeguards.

However, rather than compensating the user, EmpireDrop’s response suggests they see even self-banned users as potential profit makers. This raises questions about how they treat player safety overall. Such shameless behavior reflects poorly on their approach to responsible gaming.

With gambling addiction becoming a growing concern, incidents like this highlight the urgent need for stricter regulations and better enforcement of self-exclusion protocols. EmpireDrop’s error serves as a harsh reminder that protecting vulnerable users should be at the forefront of any gambling platform’s operations — not just a side note. Until then, players need to stay cautious and remember that the house always seems to want its players back, no matter the cost.