Users of King browser games could not withdraw money for almost six months — all because of the PayPal investigation

At the beginning of the year, users of the Royal Games browser games portal, which belongs to King, faced the inability to withdraw their money from the site. This went on for several months. It turned out that the reason was an investigation by PayPal and the problem of the so-called “skill-gaming”.What is Royal Games?

Royal Games is a website that allows you to launch King browser titles.

That’s where the company’s first Flash games originally appeared. With the development of mobile gaming, the portal has lost popularity, but even today there are more than 6 thousand people online on it.

Now you can still play several projects on Royal Games, including Candy Crush, Farm Witch and Pepper Panic. However, the main feature of the site is the ability to bet real money on winning matches and winning prizes.

In 2019, King closed the possibility for new users to transfer money to their account. Despite this, a small community of old players continued to play with each other for money.

What is the problem?The Eurogamer publication told about the situation in its material.

It all started in January 2021, when PayPal launched an investigation into King. It concerned how the company operates its business and gaming payments in individual countries.

Since it was possible to withdraw money from Royal Games, including through PayPal, the company had to freeze user funds. Thus, the players unexpectedly not only failed to receive the prizes they earned, but also to withdraw the money already on their balance to their account.

The

problem could not be solved quickly. In April, the Royal Games team admitted that the situation turned out to be “more complicated than we initially thought.” Of course, this caused great indignation on the part of users whose funds were frozen. It was also impossible to withdraw them through other services or directly through the bank.

At the same time, King did not disable the ability to replenish the account at Royal Games — old users could still deposit money to the wallet and participate in tournaments. The players were outraged why they could not get their money while the company continues to accept payments.

The problem with “skill-gaming”In May, the Royal Games team again appealed to users and stated that they had made a number of changes to the tournament rules.

Now at least not two, but three people could participate in them. According to the company, this is due to the legal regulation of the so-called “skill-gaming”.

We are talking about online games, the outcome of which is decided by the physical (reaction, dexterity, etc.) or mental (logic, strategic thinking, etc.) abilities of users. Usually such titles imply betting and winning real money. It can be either a regular online poker, or gaming platforms like Skillz and WorldWinner.

It is worth noting that such games are still illegal in some US states. Now there is still no clear regulation of such tournaments from the point of view of legislation. However, “skill” games can be recognized as legal only if their outcome is 100% determined by the skills of the players, and not by chance (as in the case of a casino).

King notes that in light of the PayPal investigation and the problem with “skill-gaming”, the company’s platform must fully meet all the requirements for games from this area. That is why the situation with frozen funds dragged on for five months.

How did the Royal Games case end?According to Eurogamer, in June, the money withdrawal option reappeared on the site.

However, the Royal Games team has not yet announced this publicly. Funds can indeed be transferred from the site to your account, but the process may take time.

“We have notified through the website those users who are waiting for the withdrawal of funds that the money may be received with a delay. We apologize for the inconvenience and regret that we cannot offer alternative ways to withdraw funds,“ King said in a Eurogamer comment.

At the same time, the company did not report anything about the results of the investigation and about possible changes in the work of Royal Games. PayPal representatives also do not comment on delays in transfers and do not disclose details of the investigation into King.