Getting yourself permanently banned from your favorite online casino is always upsetting but it is usually not without a good reason. There are certain questionable practices online casinos simply do not tolerate, including advantage play, straight out cheating, bonus abuse, and multi-accounting.
Gambling operators have a reputation to protect and reserve the right to permanently close accounts associated with suspicious activities. Being locked out of your real-money account is never a nice feeling but the good news is you can easily avoid this by perusing the casinos’ terms and conditions before you register. Another viable option is to continue 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, said notification pops up after you try to load a real-money game and initiate a transaction from your balance.
Most gaming operators would inform banned customers via email and specify the concrete reasons for locking their accounts. Depending on the type of transgression and its severity, 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 down and void your winnings.
All properly regulated gambling sites abide by the following rule – no more than one account per customer, email, household, and 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 bear two main consequences:
Failure to Pass Verification
It is prohibited to set up a real-money gambling account and move funds to and from its balance unless the player has successfully verified their age and identity. The support staff usually prompts customers to verify themselves after they request their first withdrawal but this is not always the case. In some jurisdictions like Great Britain, players must complete the verification process before the casinos even allow them to make a deposit.
This is an extension of the KYC guidelines that all regulated gambling businesses must follow. Verification is obligatory as it helps detect customers who engage in criminal offenses such as money laundering, underage gambling, identity theft, and embezzlement.
VPN Usage
Conniving players sometimes attempt to circumvent the regulatory restrictions through the usage of VPN services that mask their real location. The practice is strictly prohibited at all regulated gambling sites. So is the use of proxies or other similar services that enable players to manipulate their actual location.
From the point of view of gambling operators, providing false or misleading personal information is considered a fraudulent activity. On such occasions, the casinos reserve the right to instantly terminate the account and deny access to the fraudulent player.
Bonus Abuse
As we previously mentioned, limiting customers to a single account per casino is a common rule that aims to prevent cunning players from exploiting promotional incentives to their advantage. 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 suffer account termination and bonus and winnings confiscation as well as permanent bans across affiliated casinos.
All practices listed below constitute bonus abuse so we suggest you refrain from 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 protect their integrity, regulated gambling businesses keep a close watch on all financial transactions that go to and from customers’ real-money accounts. This helps them detect suspicious transfers that point to terrorist financing and money laundering.
Depositing without Placing Any Bets
Making Inter-Player Transfers
Using Payment Methods Registered in Someone Else’s NameCustomer Support Harassment
Players must always keep the discourse civil when conversing with customer support representatives regardless of the issue they seek assistance for. Customers must refrain from using coarse language, insults, or obscenities as gambling operators do not tolerate abusive behavior towards their employees.
Live chat and telephone communications are sometimes recorded to improve the quality of the service. 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 in the event of identifying you as an underage gambler. The minimum age for gambling participation varies across jurisdictions but usually ranges from 18 to 21 years old. In essence, you may meet the minimum requirements in your country of residence but 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, you should request an explanation and try to resolve the issue in a civil manner.
Do your best to remain calm because bombarding the 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, instead, to improve your chances of regaining access to your account.
On a final note, the best way to prevent dealing with account suspension is not to engage in any prohibited activities in the first place. After all, rules are there 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.