Prohibited Practices at Online Casinos

Getting permanently banned from your favorite online casino is always upsetting, but it usually happens for a reason. There are certain questionable practices online casinos simply do not tolerate, including advantage play, outright cheating, bonus abuse, and multi-accounting.

Gambling operators have reputations to protect and reserve the right to permanently close accounts associated with suspicious activities. Being locked out of your real-money account is never pleasant, but the good news is that you can easily avoid this by reading the casino’s terms and conditions before you register. Another option is to keep reading, as we cover all commonly prohibited practices that can earn you a ban at an online casino.

How to Tell Your Account Is Locked

At some online casinos, you can immediately tell you are locked out of your account by the notification that appears when you attempt to sign in. At others, the notification appears after you try to load a real-money game or initiate a transaction from your balance.

Most gaming operators will inform banned customers via email and specify the exact reasons for locking their accounts. Depending on the type and severity of the infraction, the casino may decide to retain the banned player’s balance.

Multi-Accounting

Multi-accounting is strictly against the rules of all online casinos. If an operator reasonably suspects you have created duplicate accounts, it will close them and void your winnings.

All properly regulated gambling sites abide by the following rule: no more than one account per customer, email, household, or IP address. The rule is in place for two main reasons:

Casino operators warn all prospective customers beforehand that multi-accounting is against the rules. This is clearly stated in the terms and conditions, and those who still choose to disregard this policy typically face two main consequences:

Failure to Pass Verification

It is prohibited to create a real-money gambling account and move funds to or from it unless you have successfully verified your age and identity. Support staff usually prompts customers to complete verification after they request their first withdrawal, but this is not always the case. In some jurisdictions, such as Great Britain, players must complete the verification process before the casino even allows them to make a deposit.

This requirement stems from the KYC guidelines all regulated gambling businesses must follow. Verification is obligatory because it helps detect customers engaged in criminal offenses such as money laundering, underage gambling, identity theft, and embezzlement.

VPN Usage

Some players attempt to circumvent regulatory restrictions through the use of VPN services that mask their true location. The practice is strictly prohibited at all regulated gambling sites. The same applies to the use of proxies or similar services that enable players to manipulate their actual location.

From the perspective of gambling operators, providing false or misleading personal information is considered fraudulent activity. In such cases, casinos reserve the right to terminate the account instantly and deny access to the fraudulent player.

Bonus Abuse

As mentioned earlier, limiting customers to a single account per casino is a common rule that prevents players from exploiting promotional incentives. There is no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to gambling.

Online casino operators have adopted various countermeasures to thwart bonus abusers, including limiting each customer to no more than one active bonus per account at a time. Bonus hunters commonly face account termination, confiscation of bonuses and winnings, and permanent bans across affiliated casinos.

All practices listed below constitute bonus abuse, so we suggest you avoid them unless you want to get yourself in trouble. Online casino bonuses are intended only for recreational play. Gambling operators have the right to restrict customers from participating in promotions at their sole discretion.

Suspicious Financial Transactions

To preserve their integrity, regulated gambling businesses closely monitor every financial transaction that goes to or from customers’ real-money accounts. This vigilance helps them detect suspicious transfers that may suggest terrorist financing or money laundering.

Depositing without Placing Any Bets

Making Inter-Player Transfers

Using Payment Methods Registered in Someone Else’s Name

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Depositing without Placing Any Bets

In line with established AML policies, online casinos prohibit registered customers from using their platforms solely for storing or transferring funds. Such practices are common among criminals and money launderers who attempt to hide illicitly obtained money from the authorities.

Players who deposit large sums into their accounts but rarely, if ever, wager them trigger major red flags and are subjected to thorough inspections. When criminals use this tactic, they deposit the money only to legitimize it so they can claim it was earned through gambling.

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Making Inter-Player Transfers

Online gambling offers ample opportunities for money launderers who want to conceal the origins of their funds. The interactive gambling industry processes massive transaction volumes, and these transfers are often global.

For this reason, standard AML protocols usually forbid transferring money directly from one player’s casino account to another. Operators reserve the right to seize such funds temporarily and must alert the relevant authorities whenever there is reasonable suspicion.

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Using Payment Methods Registered in Someone Else’s Name

Depositing with a payment method registered in someone else’s name is not allowed when you gamble online. Reputable, regulated online casinos strictly disallow third-party payment methods to prevent identity theft and other types of fraud. A player may move funds only to and from accounts, cards, or e-wallets registered in their own name. Withdrawals are normally returned to the same banking method the player used when depositing. Payment and identity verification are often required when a player requests a substantial withdrawal from their cash balance.

Customer Support Harassment

Players must always keep conversations civil when dealing with customer support representatives, regardless of the issue for which they seek assistance. Customers must refrain from using coarse language, insults, or obscenities, as gambling operators do not tolerate abusive behavior toward their employees.

Live chat and telephone communications are sometimes recorded to improve service quality. Players who use abusive or derogatory language toward the support staff risk having their accounts terminated.

Underage Gambling

Underage gambling is a serious breach in all regulated markets. It is the player’s responsibility to ensure they meet the minimum age requirements in their jurisdiction before registering at any gambling site. Online casinos conduct thorough verification checks of all customers to prevent minors from accessing their services.

They will immediately close your account, forfeit your winnings, and seize your deposits if they identify you as an underage gambler. The minimum age for gambling participation varies across jurisdictions but usually ranges from 18 to 21 years old. You may meet the minimum requirements in your country of residence yet still be under the legal age of the jurisdiction that licenses a given online casino.

How to Handle Unwarranted Account Suspension

You have been playing at your favorite online casino for a while when, all of a sudden, you get locked out of your account. If you believe your suspension was unwarranted, request an explanation and try to resolve the issue in a civil manner.

Do your best to remain calm, because bombarding support with angry comments and insults will not get you very far. On the contrary, such behavior could cause the situation to escalate and further delay the resolution of the problem. Here is how you should approach the issue to improve your chances of regaining access to your account.

On a final note, the best way to avoid account suspension is not to engage in any prohibited activities in the first place. After all, rules exist to be followed. You can easily avoid trouble by adhering to the terms and conditions of your chosen gambling operator. Learn to read between the lines, as certain rules may be implied rather than stated explicitly.