BC: What inspired you to become a Dispute Investigator in the iGaming industry?
KU: My initial motivation was solely the money and the fame, but then I discovered two things: how fascinating the investigation part of the process is and how much no one else wants to do it.
And if no one wants to do it, that sounds both like a challenge and something interesting. Or incredibly boring, but the very meaning of the word “dispute” and the nature of the business both indicate it probably wouldn’t be boring.
BC: Can you share a memorable case you worked on with an unexpected twist?
KU: Two cases spring to mind. The first one was really my “Welcome to the League” moment, as I had to deny someone a nearly 200k EUR payout, which would have truly been a life-altering sum for them, and I was only a few months into the job. I was writing this email, which was drastically going to alter someone’s financial future, while the CEO of the company was standing over my shoulder. I have never been sweating writing an email before or since.
The second one was a case with a Scottish person, which eventually escalated quite badly and culminated in them asking me if I wanted “acid or bullet”. This was in the mid-2010s, around the time of the acid attacks in London and I wasn’t so much worried for my own safety since they didn’t know my identity. Still, I was worried they would find out where the office was, stake outside it and randomly attack someone who had nothing to do with the company or the case.
I reported it to the Metropolitan Police and credit to them, they were at the office the next morning at 0900 to investigate. Since the person had uploaded full KYC and used their real name, phone number, etc., they were able to contact the individual very easily after we went through all the details of the case.
BC: What’s the most unusual complaint you’ve ever received from a player?
KU: People will find a way to complain about pretty much anything, so it’s not so much about what they complain about, but rather the case they make. There are so many people who will submit and/or say anything to try and make their case or to squeeze money out of casinos.
A common go-to is to come up with some horrendous personal circumstance and tell you all about it in great detail. Still, my personal favourites from across the years are the ones who submit documents straight from a Google image search, like a passport with Mr Bean’s picture, for example. It happens more than you’d think.
I also enjoy complaints from players who contact a client absolutely livid when they did not get a bonus when asked and threaten to go to the regulator for “unfair treatment”. The sense of entitlement is sometimes absolutely mind-boggling.
BC: What’s your go-to strategy for staying calm under pressure during investigations?
KU: The nice thing about these kinds of investigations is that they are not usually very time-sensitive, so there isn’t generally any pressure, apart from the obvious pressure to do a thorough job, if you can call it pressure.
So, the strategy is to investigate every possible angle of the case, and that gives you confidence that you have done your job and are being as fair and impartial as possible, even though the end users rarely see it that way.
BC: What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a career in dispute resolution or gaming investigations?
KU: It might sound like a cliche, but you really have to love to dig DEEP into things and leave no stone unturned. And you have to be ready to challenge any piece of information which you may receive, whether it comes from the user or your client. If something does not sit right with you, don’t be afraid to ask further questions until you are satisfied with the answer.
If you are in the gambling industry or any other industry, customer service is a great place to start. You can usually put yourself forward to investigate disputes. They often require a lot of legwork, and if you want to get your hands dirty, I can almost guarantee that the person in charge of them is only doing them because “someone has to” and will accept all help.
Or if they are like me and are enthusiastic about dispute resolution, what a great person to learn from!
BC: What’s a common misconception people have about your job?
KU: Most people have no idea what I actually do when I tell them that I am a Dispute Investigator, so there are rarely misconceptions but rather confusion and questions. After explaining, most people think I just argue with people (which is true), but there is a bit more to it, mainly how in-depth the investigations are and how many things you have to consider.
You also have to be good with your words and articulate things the correct way. You rarely want to talk in absolutes and sometimes ambiguity is the best approach. Play your cards close to your chest until the right moment.
It’s also not only about the facts of the matter, but you have to consider the prevailing regulations of the given licence the operator possesses, the operator’s terms and conditions (Pro tip: you want to make sure they are on point because they are your biggest weapon) and of course you need to trust your investigative mind and the gut instinct that comes with it.
BC: What’s your favourite part of the investigation process?
KU: Because saying “all of it” is a bit of a copout, I would say the very beginning when you begin to compare what the user is claiming and the actual facts of the matter. This reveals how far apart these two are and largely determines the approach you can and/or have to take when formulating your response.
BC: If you had a superpower that could help you in your job, what would it be?
KU: What would make this job quite a bit easier would be a highlighter that would show you all the parts where the individual complaining is lying or exaggerating.
That or the ability to teleport and ask them questions in person. Just pop up into the room where they are writing the email and say, “So here you said the following. Could you elaborate on this for me, please? ” That would expedite the process for sure.
BC: Do you have a favourite guilty pleasure TV show or movie?
KU: I guess what people probably wouldn’t expect when they meet me is that I really enjoy RuPaul’s Drag Race and Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr. I’m not sure if a person who looks like me is their target demographic, but here we are—a big fan of these shows.
Also, any South Korean reality competition show like Physical:100 or Cooking Class Wars. ELECTRIC.
BC: If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go and why?
KU: At this very moment, I would love to go skiing somewhere, either the Alps with a large group of friends or heli-skiing in Japan. The latter one is on the bucket list for sure. I just need some proper winter and snow in my life. I have been severely deprived of this great joy for far too long.
BC: If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be and what would you talk about?
KU: I would love to sit down with Wile E. Coyote and pick his brain on how he never learns that the tunnel painted on the side of the mountain is not actually a tunnel. Or that when dropping an anvil on the roadrunner didn’t work the first 15 times, so why did they think the 16th time was the charm??!
Oh, and ask Thor what his haircare routine is. Plus, that fella looks like he would be a right hoot.
BC: What’s a hobby or interest you have that might surprise us?
KU: My TV shows from above probably already surprised some people, but apart from them, I don’t really have anything that weird in my back pocket. I do listen to a lot of classical music which people often are surprised by. That and the fact that I am militant about having my t-shirts organised by colour, gradually moving from darker to lighter colours in the closet. Also, if I am not watching sports, I watch a lot of anime. Gambare gambare!
BC: What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
KU: Having grown up in the woods in Finland, probably many things we considered somewhat normal are adventurous to many people who grew up, you know, not in the boonies. For example, tracking a wolf in knee-deep snow with snowshoes on or frantically running across a frozen lake in the dark of night with a tyre iron in your hand because your mighty Finnish Spitz decided to pick a fight with a raccoon dog. You know, the usual.
But I guess taking the leap in my early 20s to move to London without ever even visiting the UK prior is a journey that I am still on and that has shaped my life to what it is today. I quite literally wouldn’t be here writing this if it wasn’t for that fateful decision.
BC: What’s one item on your bucket list that you hope to accomplish in the next few years?
KU: We already covered heli-skiing in Japan and marrying the love of my life is scheduled for next summer. Still, if I manage to become as handsome as my good friend Mike de Graaff and reach the coveted position of the top Dispute Investigator at BetComply, I will be pretty pleased.
The project #BeachBody2027 is also well underway, so stay tuned.
