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5 Tips on How to Get Your Money When an Online Casino Is Not Paying Out
- The best way to prevent an online casino not paying out is to use a safe online casino.
- It’s also important to know if the problem is your fault or the casino you gambled at.
- Gather all your evidence (screenshots, etc.) to have the best chance of getting your money.
Is your online casino not paying out? Did you make a deposit, gamble for a while, then hit the jackpot and try to withdraw it, only to find your online casino denies your withdrawal request?
It happens a lot. “Online casino withdrawal problems” is the most popular reason people cite when complaining about online gambling.
While “huh?” is the most frequent response to this situation (and certainly the least profane), the more helpful reaction is to find out why your withdrawal has been declined.
There will always be exceptions, but the best rated online casinos want to please their patrons, not alienate them.
Unfortunately, you can still run into a few bumps in the road. Let’s figure out what to do when casinos are not paying out.
1. Protect Yourself with Safe Online Casinos
If an online casino is not paying out, then the number one tip for you is don’t play at them in the first place.
That’s obviously impossible after the fact, but either think ahead so this problem doesn’t arise or apply it to your checklist the next time you’re searching for the most trusted online casino.
This also sparks the question, “Can a casino keep your money,” and the answer is yes. You truly don’t want to have this happen to you, so it’s essential to use a safe and reputable online casino.
Gambling forums and casino reviews (and the comments to the same) are good places to start your research, but your best sources for casinos to avoid are the blacklisted online casinos maintained by watchdog sites.
Unlike gambling forums, which often feature anonymous allegations that may or may not be accurate, these blacklists are curated by organizations with a vested interest in providing accurate and honest assessments of online gaming operations.
If your online casino refuses to pay out, consider moving to more reputable sites like the ones below. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck saying, “An online casino stole my money!” and you’ll be out of luck.
2. Verify the Validity of the Withdrawal Denial
If you don’t know what to do when casinos are not paying out, the first step is to find out if there’s even an issue on the casino’s end.
There are many legitimate reasons for denying a withdrawal request. Each issue is going to be different, so it’s important to know exactly who is at fault. Instead of the casino having a potential problem, it might be the man in the mirror.
It’s a good idea to take a second to make sure you aren’t somehow responsible for the payout issue, especially if you can resolve it on your own. Consider the following if you’re having issues with a gambling site not paying out.
- 1. You have attempted to withdraw an amount below the minimum withdrawal amount required by the online casino.
- It costs money and time to process a withdrawal request, regardless of the amount involved. It takes the same amount of time and money to process a request for $20 as it does for $2000. It costs the online casino $1.50 in time and workforce to process a withdrawal request.
If you take $2000 out in a single withdrawal, the casino spent $1.50 on completing the process. If you took out that 2000 in twenty-dollar increments, however… I think you know where I’m heading with this.
- 2. The gambling software malfunctioned.
- This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
The reason it’s rare is that the companies that develop and lease gaming software to online casinos are typically heavy hitters in the industry. Any malfunctions in their software create a cloud of doubt about their entire line of products. Their bottom line is predicated on reliable, honest games.
- 3. The casino’s accounting software malfunctioned.
- Even bad casinos take their accounting systems seriously, so this rarely happens. And when it does, the online casino is the first in line to see it gets corrected.
- 4. You have failed one or more of the criteria for doing business with the online casino.
- This is a catch-all category for all those little things like being underage or using a friend’s Discover card to open an account.
Of course, you and I would never be guilty of this faux pas, but some people sign-up with online casinos using credit cards that do not belong to them.
Others sign-up while being under the legal gambling age for their jurisdiction. Still, others figure out ways to cheat the game.
Some people use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to open an account with an online casino. There’s only one reason one might use a VPN to visit online casinos, and that is to conceal their actual geographical location.
Which unsurprisingly turns out to be a country, state, or province where online gambling is not permitted or gambling on that particular site is not permitted.
Hey, no judgment here, but seriously, you have to know that breaking published rules will result in heartache for you and your bankroll, so avoid the pain. Read the rules and follow them.
If you’re looking for more helpful tips for an easy withdrawal, check out the post below.
3. Read Each Online Casino’s Fine Print
Can a casino keep your winnings? The short answer is yes, they sure can. All online casinos—even the good ones—have a list of rules patrons must agree to abide by while gambling there.
This includes playing rules and Terms & Conditions, perhaps even Bonus Terms & Conditions, and for some sites with downloadable gaming software, End-User Licensing Agreements (EULAs).
When you sign up, you must check a box stating that you have read and agree to abide by those rules, terms & conditions, and EULAs. This isn’t ninth-grade history class, where you can fudge a book report by watching the movie.
You are effectively swearing you will abide by all of the casino’s restrictions. As the old-yet-very-true saying goes, ignorance is no excuse.
Read the Sign-Up Bonus Fine Print
For the uninitiated, almost all online casinos offer generous sign-up bonuses (often two to four times your deposit amount)—but they give you access to that bonus amount only after you have played a specific multiple of your initial deposit plus your bonus.
Before you elbow me out of the way to sign-up for that free $400 bonus for your $100 deposit, read this excerpt from an online casino’s actual terms & conditions.
Hmmm. What’s that “40X” all about? I’ll tell you, Grasshopper. It means 40 times, as in “n multiplied by 40.” Worse, the n in that equation is your deposit and the bonus amount combined. So, your “playthrough” to make a withdrawal is:
($100 + $400)*40, or as we English majors say, $40,000. That’s right – you’ll need to wager a total of $40,000 before you get to use that bonus or withdraw your original deposit—or your winnings.
There are often time constraints, usually two weeks to 30 days. So, you best quit readin’ and get a’wagerin’, Tex.
Instead of ditching online casino bonuses entirely, it’s wise to shop around and choose sites with the very best options.
If you’re not sure where to find them, you can always hang your gambling hat on the best casino bonuses found online.
4. Prepare Your Defense
Now, odds are, I’ve already addressed the reason(s) for your online casino not paying out. But what if you followed all the rules I noted above, and your online casino still refuses to comply with your withdrawal request?
If you’re convinced that A: You have done nothing to warrant the withdrawal denial, and B: there is no other legitimate reason for said denial, then it’s now officially Time to Complain (TTC).
Now, you want to make sure you know how to file a complaint against an online casino if you want to get anywhere.
One of the best ways to enhance your argument is to have literal evidence. It’s easier for casinos to get away with not paying out if there’s nothing stopping them.
To prevent this from happening, you could record your gambling experience. If you want to be as safe as possible, you should record every second that you are in the casino.
Whether you want to strap a camera to your forehead or not, recording yourself can be a very effective practice. This way, you would have all the evidence you need to win your case.
If you don’t feel comfortable recording your entire experience, I would recommend taking a picture of your winnings. You could also confirm that it’s your jackpot by taking a selfie.
Be sure to use the safest online casino sites to prevent something like this from happening in the first place.
Your next line of offense here is to gather evidence showing you have conformed to all the rules, terms & conditions that the online casino has in force.
This would include your deposit history, bank statements, as much info about your actual play as you can find, a copy of the casino’s rules, terms & conditions, and EULAs you agreed to abide by when making your deposit.
Yeah, that’s a lot of info, but like the judge said, “I’ll decide after reviewing the paperwork.”
Remember, you’re not Clarence Darrow, and your argumentative skills will not win this for you. And don’t try crying, either. That won’t work, or so I’ve heard.
One of the best ways a gambler can protect themselves is by knowing how to file a casino complaint. Make sure to arm yourself with this knowledge to prevent any future issues.
5. Complain to the Right Party
After acquiring all the evidence you have, the next step would be to complain to the right party. There are a lot of different ways to contact someone about this issue.
That said, you don’t want to waste your energy by telling someone all your online casino withdrawal problems when they simply can’t help you.
It might be a good idea to write up a draft, especially since you might have to talk to a few different people about this. Here are all the different parties you’re going to want to contact if a gambling company is not paying out.
Contact Customer Service
Now that you have all your facts in a row, contact the online casino’s customer service department.
Bear in mind that while online chat representatives will likely be your first contact here, these folks are only trained to help with the more common problems facing patrons.
Those problems include knowing where to find the Lucky Sevens slot machine or how to use the casino’s UI (User Interface, doncha know).
They almost certainly don’t include reasons why your withdrawal request was denied.
Hey, do you expect the guy at the drive-thru window at Wendy’s to know the proper short position to take on Wendy’s stock?
Right, so don’t expect the minimum-wage CSR pulling all-night chat duty to explain why your BitCoin withdrawal is taking weeks to happen.
You may need to call the customer service department to get through to a higher-level employee who can help you find out why this gambling company is not paying out.
Call the Online Casino’s Accounting Department
Our next (and almost inevitable) stop is to telephone the casino’s accounting department to get the answers you seek. This will almost certainly have to take place during regular business hours.
Unlike CSRs, accounting employees have families and expect to get weekends off for barbecues and supervised visits.
And when you call, have a pen and paper handy to take notes, just like you did in history class—except this time, take notes. Hey, this isn’t the Battle of Hastings. This is important.
Email the Casino
Unless the accounting department resolves your problem to your satisfaction—which means they either provide undeniable proof you cannot make the withdrawal—or they agree to approve the withdrawal, your next step is to write an email to the casino.
Be sure to mention that you have met all of the casino’s rules relating to deposits, play, and withdrawals. Request a detailed explanation of why the casino believes its denial of the withdrawal is correct and proper.
After you send this email, memorialize it by cutting and pasting it into an MS Word document. Do this with all communications with the casinos or any of its representatives or employees.
The importance of doing this accurately will become evident if you have to proceed to the next step.
Contact the Appropriate Gambling Commission
You have thoroughly vetted your online casino choice if you have followed my advice (and virtually everyone else on the internet). You are well aware of where that casino is licensed.
Different licensing jurisdictions have different ideas of appropriate casino behavior, e.g., some are only concerned with meeting a minimum level of competency and honesty concerning gambling and treatment of patrons.
Others have long lists of stringent rules that their licensees (the online casinos) must adhere to.
Sue the Online Casino
This will be your last—and most intensive and time-consuming—step in attempting to recover your deposit or get that withdrawal request honored.
It’s never a fun time to get lawyers involved, but sometimes it’s necessary. If your gambling site is not paying out and you have a legitimate argument against them, I would consider taking legal action.
Lucky for you, you took my earlier advice to heart and already have detailed records of your commerce with the online casino. Why? Because no attorney will take your case on contingency—you’re going to be paying upfront for this.
Naturally, if the withdrawal amount in dispute is many thousands of dollars, this step might be worth it, but a disputed amount less than five figures is probably less than what you’ll pay in legal fees.
If you have the means and the sum is worth it, I would consider getting your lawyer to take over the case.
Some sites can front as a reputable site, but could be backstabbing you the whole time. It’s unfortunate, but a very real possibility.
I’d also recommend reading more on the topic with these safe online gambling tips.
What to Do When Your Casino Is Not Paying Out
I truly hope you never find yourself saying, “An online casino stole my money!” Hopefully, you now know what to do when your casino is not paying out.
You first want to ask yourself if you are the problem. Sometimes you miss a step when it comes to your side of the agreement.
Understanding all the rules is also crucial to getting your money back. If you know how to make a complaint against a casino, your chances of getting your money back are much higher. Yelling into the void isn’t going to get you anywhere.
Finally, you are going to want to contact customer services. They could tell you directly what the problem is if you truly don’t know.
It’s a long and painful process to fix this issue, but it could all be worth it. Luckily, you’ve come across my tips for when an online casino doesn’t pay.
Gambling is meant to be a fun experience. There are little things that can mimic the feeling of winning a jackpot. All the fun and excitement could end in a heartbeat if your gambling company is not paying out.
Casino gambling for beginners can be tough. Make sure you are fully prepared for the experience by checking out the guide below.
Footnotes:
- Avast.com provided details on how VPNs work.
- Customer support tips provided by customerzone360.com.
