Can a Casino Refuse to Pay Out? Why It Happens & What to Do About It

Can a Casino Legally Refuse to Pay You?

A casino can refuse to pay your winnings. However, this usually happens if you violate the terms and conditions or engage in suspicious activities.

🚨 Please Keep in Mind We strongly advise you to never play at unlicensed casinos because your personal information and money may not be safe. Furthermore, the casino may deny your withdrawals without providing any legitimate reasons for it.

The Most Common Reasons Why You Cannot Withdraw Money From the Casino

There are several reasons why a casino can refuse to pay your withdrawal request, from incorrect personal information to failing to meet the wagering requirements. Some reasons behind the payment rejection are more severe than others.

✅ If your withdrawal is denied, you’ll typically receive an email outlining the details of the rejection and providing instructions on how to resolve the issue, especially if it’s not a permanent block.

If you are still waiting to receive an email, contact a customer support agent for full details.

Below are 15 primary reasons a casino can reject your payment request:

1. You’ve provided false or incorrect information
2. You’ve used a payment method that isn’t yours
3. You haven’t met the bonus requirements
4. You haven’t completed the KYC
5. Using a VPN to access an online casino
6. Your betting sessions have been flagged as irregular play
7. Suspicious transactions
8. Suspicious account activity
9. You have opened duplicate accounts
10. You’re underage
11. You cheated
12. You violated the Bonus Terms and Conditions
13. Consistent Winning
14. Your request isn’t within the payout limits
15. You self-excluded from a casino

You’ve Provided False or Incorrect Information

You’ll encounter payment complications and even denial if you create your casino account with inaccurate details. Casinos flag incorrect information, as it leads to complications with verification and other security protocols in online gambling.

What Happens if You Register With Incorrect Information

At the start, you can get away with registering your account with the incorrect information.

🚫 Please keep in mind: Casinos perform additional checks during withdrawals, leading to account restrictions for players who have provided the wrong details.

Incorrect registration details can sometimes occur as a mistake. In such instances, a support agent may contact you about the issue. Alternatively, you can reach out via live chat or any other support channel.

CasinoSherlock’s Advice: When filling out the online casino registration form, always cross-check your details before hitting the sign-up button.

You’ve Used A Payment Method That Isn’t Yours

It’s against the terms and conditions of online casinos to use a payment method that belongs to someone else. You can only use a banking option that belongs to you to request withdrawals.

🔎 Casinos verify your withdrawal requests using a name-matching system to ensure you own the account. It’s a security measure to avoid third-party withdrawals from your account.

Thus, using a different payment method will lead to payment rejection.

You Haven’t Met The Bonus Requirements

A casino can refuse to grant your payout request if you fail to meet the bonus requirements for requesting a withdrawal. You need to go through the terms and conditions of a bonus carefully to avoid ending up with payment restrictions or even a disqualification.

Always Check The Bonus T&C, Especially the Wagering Requirements

Check the terms and conditions before claiming the promotion to evade withdrawal rejection.

📋 The most important rules to look out for are the wagering requirements, wagering contributions, bonus validity, and minimum deposit.

CasinoSherlock Tip: To meet the wagering requirements of your bonuses quicker, use your funds on games with a 100% game contribution only.

You Haven’t Completed The KYC

KYC (Know Your Customer) guidelines ensure identity verification of customers to maintain a safe and secure payment relationship. This process complies with the initiatives to reduce money laundering activities and regulate the financial sector.

When requesting a withdrawal, casinos must verify your location, age, and identity before confirming your payment request.

This verification process involves completing a KYC check, where you submit certain documents for authentication purposes. These documents include:

1. Your government-issued ID card (passport, driver’s licence, or voter’s card)
2. Bank statement
3. Recent utility bills

Using a VPN to Access an Online Casino

Each country has a set of rules and regulations regarding online gambling. If you reside in the UK, using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access online casinos is unacceptable. It can lead to complications that’ll have your account blocked.

Your Betting Sessions Have Been Flagged as Irregular Play

Irregular play is a broad term that covers a lot of activities, from decreasing your wager in a pattern to placing specific bets at certain times. Different casinos have their definitions of irregular play. Some casinos flag uneven wagering patterns, while others flag too much game-switching and other unusual activities.

For example, at 21LuckyBet, low margin bets fall under ‘Irregular Playing Patterns’, and so does covering 24 or more of the 37 available numbers; betting on red and black; and betting on odds and evens in roulette.

To avoid a ban, ensure you carefully review the terms and conditions page of the casino before opting in to start betting.

Suspicious Transactions

Gambling sites carefully analyse player accounts and payout transactions to maintain safety and credibility. Making a massive first deposit in your player account can raise suspicion. Casinos closely monitor and flag transactions when a player tries to withdraw the deposits without placing and winning any wagers.

Engaging in such suspicious transactions can lead to a permanent ban on your account.

Suspicious Account Activity

Casinos keep track of your account activity to keep your data safe. You can use their mobile app or desktop site on different devices without restrictions.

❗ However, if there’s unusual activity and irregular log-ins on devices from different locations, the casino will cancel your withdrawal request as a security measure to safeguard your funds.

Unusual account activities raise suspicion of a potential hack attack or online theft.

You Have Opened Duplicate Accounts

Duplicating your player account to claim multiple bonus offers is an offence. If a casino finds out you’re guilty of it, you’ll get a permanent ban or withdrawal restriction on your account. After violating this rule, you cannot open a new account with your details. In most cases, bonuses are available for players to claim once. Breaking this rule will only leave you in serious trouble.

You’re Underage

In the UK, you must be at least 18 to register an account with a betting site.

🔞Since underage gambling is illegal, online casinos go the extra mile to verify player identity and ensure all registered players are of age.

There’s a growing interest in gambling among UK teenagers. Some of these teenagers manage to bypass and gamble with fake information. However, most online casinos often find out during the withdrawal phase. Once a casino finds enough evidence to prove you’re an underage gambler, you receive a withdrawal restriction and permanent ban without any options to resolve the issue.

You Cheated

Online casinos work similarly to regular software systems, so occasional glitches or bugs may occur. Exploiting these bugs and capitalising on them for personal gains is an act of cheating in online gambling. To ensure you do not violate the rules of a casino, always go through its terms of usage.

You Violated the Bonus Terms and Conditions

Most online casino withdrawal problems UK players face come from violating bonus rules. Casinos are strict with their bonus rules and players must follow them to make a successful withdrawal. Even a minor oversight can be considered a mistake, but casinos do not overlook players who violate these rules.

Make sure you understand the bonus rules, such as the validity durations, wagering requirements, game contributions, and the maximum bonus conversion limits.

CasinoSherlock Tip: Most casinos disqualify players who request withdrawals without meeting wagering requirements.

Consistent Winning

Casinos operate on a secure system that uses RNG software to ensure randomness. Winning too often can leave the house questioning the credibility of your gambling activities. Casinos are in it for the money, so if you consistently win big, they might start watching closely.

Who Does This Apply to?

This rule applies to players who consistently win over a long time. Since the system favours the house, landing these consistent wins will lead to a withdrawal restriction for further investigation. Moreover, consistent wins give casinos the impression that you’re utilising software to cheat the system.

Your Request Isn’t Within The Payout Limits

Each casino sets its payout limits, varying from one platform to another. External factors like the payment method can also influence these limits.

🎁 If you’re using a bonus offer, there may be restrictions on the amount you can withdraw subject to a specific limit.

CasinoSherlock Tip: You cannot exceed casinos’ withdrawal restrictions and limits. Your withdrawal requests must be below these limits to avoid complications.

You Self-Excluded From a Casino

Self-exclusion completely stops all gambling activities on your player account. If you’ve recently activated this option on your account, the betting site will block all your payout requests and refuse to pay until your account is no longer in self-exclude mode.

UK Gambling Commission’s Advice on How to Complain if You Can’t Withdraw Your Winnings

If you encounter payment denial when trying to withdraw your funds, contact the gambling brand involved. You can complain in person or request a copy of their complaint policy. You can also submit a complaint with the help of a free online Resolver tool. Since Resolver is an independent company, the Gambling Commission will not be involved in their mode of operation.

After eight weeks of submitting a complaint, the casino should be able to resolve your issue or reach out to you on their final decision. If you’re still unsatisfied with the final decision, you can escalate the case to an ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution).

❗ Important You need to go through all the prior steps before being eligible to submit your complaint to an ADR.

How to Solve Online Casino Withdrawal Problems in the UK

As long as you play at a licensed casino, there must be a valid reason that warranted them to reject your payment. But, if you feel there’s a mistake or you want them to resolve the issue, below are 6 ways to go about it:

1. Reach out to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
2. Open a public dispute
3. Use a complaint tool
4. Contact the UKGC
5. Contact customer support
6. Seek legal advice

Reach out to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

The ASA is the body in charge of regulating the advertising sector across all media in the UK. If you think a casino misled you into claiming a false bonus of any type, you can contact this body. You can start the process by visiting the official ASA website.

Open a Public Dispute

Online casinos hate being called out negatively in public, so if they’re at fault in your case, calling out a public dispute is another way to go about your withdrawal rejection. You can carry out this process on an online forum where the casino brand is active or on their social media pages online.

You can resolve the issue via this method if you provide sufficient details.

Use a Complaint Tool

If you want a quick way to send a complaint to a casino, you can use a Resolver to reach the brand directly. A Resolver serves as an intermediary between you and the casino.

Contact The UKGC

If you fail to resolve the issue via the proceeding steps, you can forward your complaint to an ADR approved by the UKGC. You can find a list of approved ADR providers on the official website of the UK Gambling Commission.

Contact Customer Support

The simplest approach is to contact customer support. Usually, you can resolve minor issues through this method. However, you may need to follow the additional steps for more serious cases.

Seek Legal Advice

As a player, you can sue a casino if you have enough evidence to prove they are into some falsehood. It can be either by promoting a fake bonus offer or refusing to pay a massive win for no reason. You can seek further advice on how to proceed from a local attorney.

6 Ways to Can You Ensure an Online Casino Pays You

Below, we’ve listed 6 best practices to get your payouts when gambling online:

1. Only play at licensed casinos
2. Always read the Terms and Conditions
3. Complete the wagering requirements
4. Use accurate data during the KYC
5. Do not cheat or use VPNs
6. Choose your payment method wisely

Only Play at Licensed Casinos

Play at reputable casinos licensed under the UK Gambling Commission only. You can choose from the list of reputable casinos we recommend on this site or do adequate research to pick the one that suits your gaming needs.

Always Read the Terms and Conditions

The T&Cs page of a casino contains all the information you need to know about the dos and don’ts of the platform. Carefully go through the sections of this page before even creating an account.

Complete the Wagering Requirements

Casinos disqualify the payment requests of users who request payout without completing their wagering requirements. If you decide to claim a bonus, you must carefully study its terms and conditions and calculate your bets to ensure you’ve not exceeded the limit before withdrawing your money.

Use Accurate Data During the KYC

Ensure you provide all the documents needed for the KYC process. These documents include your ID, utility bills, and bank statements. Always ensure you use accurate information, as it’ll save you from complications during withdrawals.

Do Not Cheat or Use VPNs

If a casino is inaccessible in your region or isn’t regulated by UK Gambling Commission, do not attempt to register and play at it. Do not try to access a casino with any VPN software, as it can lead to complications.

Choose Your Payment Method Wisely

To avoid issues with your withdrawals, cross-check to confirm the payment options available for cash out. Remember to choose your option wisely; it can also affect your payout experience. For example, bank transfer withdrawals may take longer, while e-wallets are the fastest way to receive your funds.

Also, some casinos require you to withdraw your winnings via the same method you’ve used for depositing.