Reasons for Delayed or Denied Online Casino Withdrawals

Funding your online casino account is a quick, hassle-free process, as deposits are usually processed instantly. However, this is not always the case when it comes to cashing out your winnings. Unlike deposits, withdrawals typically take some time to complete. The casino’s financial department must verify and approve the payment before releasing the money from your account.

Apart from processing windows, several other factors can cause delays in your payments. Some are account-related, while others involve bonus participation and payment limits. The following article covers the most common reasons for delayed casino withdrawals and explains how to tackle and resolve this issue if it happens to you.

A Breakdown of the Most Common Reasons for Delayed or Denied Withdrawals

• The withdrawal is still being processed
• The minimum or maximum withdrawal limits have not been met
• The player has not verified their identity and age
• The player has created multiple accounts at the same casino
• The player is attempting to cash out bonus winnings without meeting the playthrough requirements
• The player has bypassed country restrictions via VPN
• The player has entered incorrect payment details
• The player has consistently abused the casino’s terms and conditions

Reason #1 – Withdrawal Processing Is Incomplete

Inexperienced players are often unaware that online casino withdrawals consist of two phases. The online casino must first process the withdrawal request to ensure the money ends up with the right person and that all anti-money-laundering policies have been observed.

Processing times vary across payment methods and are also casino-specific, meaning that each online gambling site has different processing timeframes. Casinos normally notify players by email when their withdrawal requests have been completed. The table below contains the average timeframes for processing across the most popular payment solutions.

*The timeframes are for reference only and can vary slightly depending on the policies of the specific online casino.

Notice that we repeatedly use the phrase “business days.” If you request a withdrawal during bank holidays or on weekends, the casino will further delay your payout. Requests are normally processed Monday through Friday only.

The second phase of the withdrawal starts after the casino releases the funds from your real-cash balance. The payment system you are using then has to process the transaction in turn. Processing windows again vary based on the method you use.

E-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller are the quickest, as players generally receive their funds almost instantly after approval. By contrast, wire transfers usually require a couple more days after the casino processes the request.

Reason #2 – Withdrawal Limits Have Not Been Met

Most online casinos have minimum withdrawal limits with which players must comply. The minimum can be as low as $5 but can climb to $100 or even $150 at the higher end. If a player does not have the minimum required amount in their balance when they request a withdrawal, the online casino will refuse to process the transaction.

Reason #3 – Account Verification Is Incomplete

Incomplete account verification is one of the primary reasons for withheld or delayed withdrawals. All strictly regulated online casinos adhere to stringent KYC (Know Your Customer) guidelines that aim to prevent illicit activities such as money laundering, identity theft, and underage gambling.

In other words, you must first prove you are who you claim to be before you can move any funds from your real-money balance. The verification process covers the following areas:

• Proof of age and identity
• Proof of residential address
• Proof of payment method ownership

To complete verification, the casino will request a set of documents. You can scan them or take pictures with your smartphone camera if you wish. The file format also matters, but PNG, JPEG, JPG, BMP, RAW, GIF, and PDF are commonly accepted.

The next step is to upload the copies, which usually happens through the cashier page in your account. Then navigate to the Verify ID tab and follow the step-by-step instructions. As for the necessary documents, these typically include:

• National ID card, driver’s license, or passport – your full name, signature, and photograph should all be visible.
• Front and back sides of your debit or credit card – card details should be legible, but make sure you obscure the eight middle digits on the card’s front and the three-digit security code at the back.
• Screenshots of your e-wallet account – this is necessary if you deposited with an e-wallet rather than a card. Bear in mind that casinos normally return payments to the same method players used when depositing.
• A payslip, credit card or bank statement, or a utility bill – whichever you choose, your full name and the address you registered your account with should be legible. Make sure you use a recent document (no more than three months old), as this is your proof of address.

Reason #4 – Duplicate Accounts

Online casinos do not allow customers to open multiple accounts. Many cunning players resort to this approach to abuse bonuses, opting in to the same promotion multiple times through different accounts. The operators’ policies restrict players to no more than one account per person, email address, household, or IP address to thwart bonus hunters.

Those who violate the rules usually have their deposits and winnings retained by the house. In some cases, players breach this condition unintentionally, with no desire to abuse promotions. For example, if you have a roommate or a family member and both of you register from the same IP or household address, there is a good chance the casino will freeze your withdrawal. We suggest you contact customer support to try and settle the issue.

Reason #5 – Pending Wagering Requirements

Delays sometimes occur when a customer attempts to cash out money won while playing with a bonus. Most online casino bonuses come with wagering requirements, also known as playthrough requirements. The player must wager the bonus amount a required number of times before the casino transfers it to the real-money balance and the funds become available for withdrawal.

Let’s suppose your chosen online casino rewards you with a 200% bonus, matching your deposit of $50 with $100 in free credits, and sets wagering requirements of 30x. Assuming the deposit itself is excluded from the playthrough, the overall amount you must bet to withdraw the bonus will be equal to:

• Example with excluded deposit: $100 (Bonus) x 30 (Playthrough) = $3,000

Provided that the deposit amount is included in the wagering requirements, the calculations will run like this:

• Example with included deposit: $50 (Deposit) + $100 (Bonus) x 30 (Playthrough) = $4,500

Other violations of the bonus terms can also lead to delayed or denied payments. All withdrawals associated with free play are subject to internal audits to ensure players have not committed any bonus abuse. Many gambling operators reserve the right to retain deposits and seize the winnings of bonus abusers.

Reason #6 – Registration via VPN from Restricted Jurisdictions

Many online casinos implement geolocation technology to detect their customers’ whereabouts based on their IP address and prevent play from prohibited countries. Access from some jurisdictions is restricted due to licensing and regulatory requirements. For example, an online casino licensed in New Jersey cannot accept real-money play from the United Kingdom, and vice versa.

• VPN Is Okay for Free Play Only

Some players try to circumvent these restrictions by using VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. This allows them to mask their real geographic location and IP address, making it look as if they are registering from an accepted jurisdiction. There is nothing wrong with this approach if one intends to enjoy the casino games for fun in demo mode.

• No VPN for Real-Money Players

The trouble is all regulated online casinos have strict policies against VPN use by real-money players, a rule that aims to prevent illicit activities like money laundering and illegal gambling. Even if you manage to register this way, you will certainly fail to pass the identity verification when the casino asks you to submit your documents before a withdrawal.

Reason #7 – Payment Information Is Incorrect

Delays are inevitable when a player enters their payment details incorrectly, particularly when they seek to withdraw via a credit or debit card or wire transfer. We recommend you review your banking information carefully to ensure it is correct before you complete your withdrawal request.

Most online casinos send confirmation emails after each transaction you make within your real-money account. It is advisable to refer to this confirmation email after you have made a withdrawal to see how and when your money will be processed.

Contact the support team as soon as possible if you notice any mistakes, so they can cancel the request. Canceling the transaction yourself is also an option if the casino allows the reversal of withdrawals rather than using manual flushing, where the requested funds get locked in your account during processing.

Reason #8 – Suspicious Activity & Terms Abuse

Players who undertake activities prohibited under the online casino’s policies will inevitably have their accounts investigated when they request a large withdrawal. Such internal audits normally cause delays in payments, not to mention violators could suffer more serious repercussions if found guilty, including account closure, retained deposits, and confiscated winnings.

While prohibited activities vary slightly from one casino to the next, the actions listed below are widely regarded as fraudulent by most online gambling businesses. Refrain from engaging in them or else you risk having your withdrawals denied.

• Irregular or minimum-risk play with active bonuses to clear the playthrough quickly. These include transitioning from low-weighted to high-weighted games after a large windfall and making low-risk wagers (such as simultaneously betting on black and red in roulette).
• Wagering techniques that aim to circumvent the built-in house edge of the casino games.
• Purposefully disconnecting from games to avoid playing an unfavorable hand and prevent losses.
• The use of special software to gain an unfair advantage is a practice all online gambling operators view unfavorably.
• Processing huge deposits with little or no play and then requesting withdrawals is broadly considered a red flag for money laundering.
• Getting involved in collusion with another player is a major no-no at all online casinos. Chip dumping is the most common form of collusion and is sometimes practiced by online poker players. In this practice, one person deliberately loses to another player seated at the same table, as the two secretly work together.

Denied Withdrawals at Rogue Casinos

Some players have their withdrawals denied without committing any foul play or violating the terms. This usually happens at rogue casinos that operate from jurisdictions with lenient or no regulatory oversight. In the absence of strict regulation, no adequate customer protection policies are in place. Players have very limited recourse if they get swindled out of their money.

Here are the main traits rogue operators commonly share. Keep a sharp lookout for these clues and you are less likely to experience issues when withdrawing your casino winnings.

• Consistently slow withdrawals – If a casino takes extra time to process a withdrawal once or twice, this does not necessarily mean it is a rogue operation. However, if you constantly wait to receive your money and must go through countless verification checks for no particular reason, the casino is most likely giving you the runaround. This approach is common among unreliable operators. The customer eventually gets tired of waiting, cancels the request, plays some more, and parts with the winnings.
• Refusal of payments without a valid reason – Rogue casinos often refuse payments, citing nonexistent reasons such as irregular play, bonus abuse, or terms violations when players have done nothing wrong.
• Changing terms and conditions on the fly – This is another widely implemented practice at rogue casinos looking to deny payments for no reason. For instance, a customer claims a bonus and fulfills the wagering. The casino then changes the bonus terms, increasing the playthrough to justify its argument. The player is then denied payment on the pretext of bonus terms “violation.”
• Lenient regulatory jurisdictions – Operators licensed in lenient jurisdictions like Panama or Costa Rica face little to no regulatory control, which means zero player protections and no legal recourse if customers are mistreated. It is a common practice for such casinos not to provide any licensing or regulatory information on their websites. This is not to say all casinos licensed there are rogue and deny payments. You simply must approach them with caution and watch out for any signs of roguish behavior.
• Predatory terms and conditions – Rogue gambling sites often apply predatory terms and conditions that aim to put players at a disadvantage and make withdrawals a nightmare. Ambiguous and obscure language is prominently used to further confuse players and cause them to violate the rules unintentionally.
• Multiple reports of delayed or denied payments – If fellow players consistently give poor feedback about the withdrawal experience at a given casino, you should probably stay away.

If the casino you are considering meets these criteria, it is best to walk away and choose a more reliable operator before you risk your money.

How to Resolve Delayed or Denied Withdrawals

As you can see, there are many potential causes of delayed or denied withdrawals. If a casino operator refuses to pay you or repeatedly postpones your payment, you have every right to lodge a complaint and seek resolution of the issue. Here is a step-by-step guide on what you should do in this case.

• Reread the terms and conditions to ensure you are not in the wrong and have not caused the issue yourself by violating any of the clauses.
• Contact the support team to seek a solution or explanation for the delay or refusal. If the support staff proves unhelpful, feel free to escalate your complaint to the management. Make sure you include your full details, along with any relevant evidence they might need to properly assess the complaint.
• Document all communication between you and the gambling business for further reference. You might need it later on if you fail to settle the withdrawal dispute with the operator’s management team.
• Escalate the withdrawal complaint to a third-party alternative dispute resolution provider (ADR) if you are dissatisfied with the result. ADR providers offer free and independent resolution services. They consider the stance of both sides involved in the dispute, so make sure you prepare the necessary documents and evidence beforehand. The ADR provider may turn down frivolous complaints. Rejection is also possible whenever a gambler has not first attempted to resolve the withdrawal dispute with the operator.
• Take the dispute to court if you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the ADR provider’s assessment. This step may seem a bit extreme, but it does work for some wronged players. In a recent court case, a player who won a £1.7 million jackpot was denied payment by an operator we prefer not to name. The operator argued the windfall was due to a software glitch and sought to rely on a malfunction clause in its terms and conditions. This stunt did not work, and the England and Wales High Court ruled in favor of the customer.

ADR Providers Players Can Turn to in Case of Withdrawal Disputes:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution by eCOGRA
• Internet Gaming Dispute Resolution by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE)
• Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS)