What to do if an Online Casino Won't Pay Your Winnings

Casinos reserve the right to deny payouts to members who violate their terms and conditions, making it necessary to learn the dos and dont's on any site you join in 2024. Since the rules are clearly stipulated in the fine print, which you must agree to in the sign up process, players have no excuse when denial is effected on legitimate grounds. This guide highlights the steps you can take to help you keep what you win from reliable online casinos and possible courses of action in case you cannot get your winnings.

Written by Amanda Evans 10 minute read Last Updated: Wed. Dec. 11, 2024

Online Casino Bonuses and Why Casinos Won't Payout Your Winnings

Anytime a casino denies you access to your payout, there must be a valid reason. But the good thing about playing online is that regulations require operators to clearly inform users of all terms, making it possible to avoid getting caught up in a tussle for your money with the cashier. In many cases, claiming bonuses causes the denial since promos come with additional terms, which are different from the general terms and conditions you agree to when setting up your account. Violation of the rules applicable to promos on the player's end automatically leads to the cashier refusing to play winnings.

payout denied

Top 10 Reasons Casinos Deny Payouts

In the unfortunate circumstances of being denied your payout by an online casino, the best move is to investigate the reasons behind the denial and, hopefully, adjust a few things to meet the terms. That might not always be possible since some reasons behind the denial are irrevocable. All factors considered, your best bet to access your winnings with no hitches is to avoid any mistakes that give the operator leeway to hold on to what you win. In this regard, the Top 10 Casinos crew went looking for reasons why members were denied payouts, and advises serious players to steer clear of these top 10 common mistakes.

1. False Account Information

Accurate information is required when creating your online user profile with casinos to prevent fraud and protect members. Therefore, any false details used on your account give grounds for the casino to deny your payout request. Attempts to falsify your details to play on sites that are restricted in your country lead to automatic denial of payouts when found, and further legal action can be taken depending on the severity of the violation. So take time to verify that the information entered during sign up is correct before hitting the completion button.

2. Creating Duplicate Accounts

Using duplicate accounts counts as a violation on every gaming site since it gives one player multiple chances to claim bonuses meant for single use. A common rule you will find in many casinos is restrictions that tie one user account to one IP address or one household to curb duplicate accounts by one player. You might get away with creating several accounts and playing games for a while, but periodic audits on Internet traffic easily flush out duplicate accounts and the necessary course of action taken to punish the perpetrators.

3. Account Not Verified

Verifying your account is a mandatory step in the cash out process, completed by sending copies of identification documents to the casino. Only fully verified accounts can successfully receive payouts from the cashier, while unverified accounts can make deposits, play real money games, and claim bonuses. Verification helps to update any changes that might have taken place between registration and cashing out, such as moving to a new location and secures your account by confirming that the person who is requesting the payout is the actual account owner.

4. Violation of Bonus Terms and Conditions

Claiming a bonus means you agree to all the terms and conditions that apply to the offer, and violating any rules can block you from getting a payout. Due to this, Top10Casinos advises members to go through the fine print before claiming any promos to know what they sign up for when claiming a promo. Some of the rules to watch out for include applicable wagering requirements, expiry dates, maximum payout from a bonus, and maximum bet limits.

5. Using Someone Else's Credit Card to Deposit

All transactions must be done in the name of the account holder and match the details supplied to the casino during registration and verification. Online gaming sites have strict anti-money laundering rules that require members to give evidence of the source of funds deposited to the cashier. Following this, operators prefer to deal with the person registered on their data stores. If you use another person's card or account to make a deposit, prepare for a tough time since that goes against the rules and can cause you to be denied access to your winnings.

6. You've Been Caught Cheating

Gambling attracts all kinds of players, some of whom have vast experience in how games work and systems that can tip the odds in their favor. Cheating goes against the fairness stance upheld by reliable online casinos, and anyone caught taking unfair advantage of loopholes and glitches in the system is liable to punishment. Cheating on a massive scale greatly affects the casino and can lead to legal action against the culprits if caught. Knowing this, you are better off playing by the rules to earn an honest win when luck flows your way.

7. Using a VPN When It's Not Allowed

Virtual Private Networks are great inventions that help to mask a user's IP address for privacy on the Internet. However, misusing VPNs to gain access to offshore sites from a country that is restricted counts as a violation that a casino can use to deny you a payout. Since the assigned IP address when using a VPN changes automatically, operators have built detection signals that easily identify traffic coming from masked IP addresses. Before using such technologies to access a site, read through their terms and reach out to support for instructions on whether you can legally play and cash out when using a VPN.

8. You Did Meet the Wagering Requirements

Wagering requirements apply to bonus use and require you to spend a given amount of real money on games within a specified time. Failure to meet wagering requirements voids your bonus winnings, leaving nothing to withdraw. Luckily, your loss only affects the bonus funds and the cash used to claim the promo. Any winnings from subsequent real money deposits are paid out as long as you don't break any other rules. So, make sure you have enough cash to meet playthrough requirements after claiming bonuses for unrestricted access to your winnings.

9. You are Not of Legal Age to Play

Access to gaming sites is restricted to adults. So, determined minors who devise ways to access online casinos illegally go against the rules. If you are found playing online without having attained the minimum age required by the operator, your account is flagged and payouts denied. Since the legal age varies on different sites, you need to check the terms to know if you meet the requirements to play. The majority of the sites indicate 18 years as the required age, but that can go up to 19 or 21 years, depending on where the casino's headquarters are located and the license they own.

10. The Casino isn't Reliable

Online gaming opens up space for many operators to co-exist, some of which cannot be trusted. Rogue sites that hide in plain sight can deny your payout even if you follow all the rules. Owing to this, Top 10 Casinos puts in the work to advise players on which sites have a good reputation and which sites to stay away from. Choosing an honest operator comes down to a careful analysis of the kind of promos available, the licensing body, and whether the services pass audit checks by professional bodies. In addition, consider the awards earned by the operator and whether the banking section has reliable banking methods.

reasons for denial

Most Common Types of Bonuses Cause Void Winnings

Enticing offers by online casinos are given lots of hype highlighting what you can get in free spins, no deposit bonus cash, promo chips, cashback, or loyalty points. But the same effort does not go towards making players aware of the applicable terms and conditions. Therefore, you can innocently claim an offer, hoping to make real money winnings, only to be denied access to your payout if you break a rule. For outcomes that work to your advantage, take time to read the fine print on each offer you claim and only proceed to redeem bonuses with user-friendly terms. To help you navigate the gaming market with confidence, Top 10 Casinos checked various promos commonly found online and noted that some were rampant in voiding winnings.

Beware of Fraudulent or Blacklisted Sites if You Want to Cashout Your Winnings

Big money in the gaming industry attracts both legit and unreliable operators, making it necessary for players to filter out the good from the bad. With help from Top 10 Casinos reviews, you can easily tell the best online gaming sites, where quality is guaranteed from rogue sites that will likely deny you access to your winnings. A few of the things you should check for when joining a gaming platform include operating licenses for your country and authority stamps from recognized firms like eCOGRA and iTechLabs. Any doubts you have about an operator should be cleared by the customer support team on reliable online casinos. So, if you have trouble reaching out to support agents, consider that a red flag and tread carefully.

Our Top10 Tips on How to Get Your Money When Casinos Deny Payouts

Even though we recommend reading every line in the fine print of the terms and conditions, we understand that you might unintentionally break a few rules, leading to the cashier holding on to your winnings. Experienced punters understand that being denied a payout does not mean that all is lost. Our team gathered opinions from players with decades of experience, who shared their best strategies for requesting cashouts from online sites. So, if you ever find yourself in such a murky situation, use the following tips to get your payout from the cashier.

  1. Always Use Safe Online Casinos : Look into the history of any online casino you join beforehand and consider your safety by only using trusted sites. A good place to start if you don't know what to look for is Top 10 Casinos, where we list the best operators by country and give you a preview of their services and game collections.
  2. Verify That the Withdrawal Denial is Valid : Scammers use creative ways to entice you into sharing your private details, like impersonating the casino and sending messages with details about big payouts as soon as you verify your identity. Only use the correct emails to communicate with the operator and only be excited about winnings that you have actually won, and ignore any unsolicited messages about invalid winnings.
  3. Read the Casino's Fine Print : Top rated casinos only deny your withdrawal if you have violated the rules outlined in the terms and conditions. Therefore, take one more look at the terms to verify that you satisfy all conditions for withdrawal. While at it, pay keen attention to the bonus rules in case you claim any promo and confirm that your bets are within the allowed bet limits.
  4. Prepare Your Defence : Once you verify that you have every right to get your winnings, prepare evidence to prove your case to the cashier. This can include screenshots of your account and records of all transactions with the casino, copies proving that you are the true account owner, and your account balance.
  5. Complain To the Right People : Online sites have a dedicated page with details of the active communication channels you can use to reach out to different factions of the casino. For example, there could be a dedicated email address for payout issues, which is a much better way to resolve your denied payout than initiating an instant chat session with a support agent. If unresolved, escalate the issue to an alternative dispute resolution provider like eCOGRA.

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Amanda Evans
Written by
Amanda Evans - Chief Editor

Amanda has been involved with all aspects of the content creation at Top10Casinos.com including research, planning, writing and editing. The dynamic environment has kept her engaged and continually learning which along with +15 years iGaming experience helped propel her into the Chief Editor role.

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