I understand that most likely many will say that I am to blame for this situation, but shouldn't an online casino stop accepting bets if it sees that the "gears of the game" are not spinning as they should? After all, this is a game for real money of the gambler.
I still remember playing on an old Android phone. In the middle of a game, the screen would suddenly freeze and I couldn't access the casino for several hours. After fixing my phone and checking my balance, nothing changed as the game would freeze when the tab was not open.
That's why some casinos don't run in the background. I think this is a great way to avoid issues like the OP experienced, where the issue occurred mid game.
While OP is having issues even though he is not in open tab mode due to his laptop crashing meaning the casino is still running in the background.
You might feel guilty, but casinos should also implement a system that stops games from running in the background. For example if you're playing and open a new tab the game will automatically pause.