Withdrawal Pitfalls

Casino Withdrawal Pitfalls

The number one beef by online casinos players is bonuses, their terms and how easy it is to fall foul of them. Well, it was in the UK until the UKGC decided quite rightly to make a player’s cash balance accessible at all times which means they can pretty much bet as they please while playing the cash part of the balance first and only need to observe the terms if they end up playing the parachute bonus cash. So alas the old number two position in the dissatisfaction chart, withdrawal pitfalls, is now number one.

What Can Go Wrong When Withdrawing?

There are several online casino withdrawal pitfalls you can fall foul of. Most are easily resolvable but not all, plus many can be avoided with a bit of advance preparation on your part. The main few issues and resolutions are here:

KYC Documents Request

This means ‘know your customer’ or account verification. The casinos did this in various ways. The big operations that are UK-based say Virgin Games, SkyVegas and bookmaker sites could afford to do full credit reference agency and voter checks behind the scenes to verify you without asking for any documents. This is why many players report never having been asked for documents at some sites.

Smaller operations would simply ask for the standard 3 documents which are a scan of depositing card or web wallet account, recent utility bill for proof of address and finally a scan of photo ID for identity. They may have done this when deposits reached a cumulative level, usually around 2,000 or most commonly when you made your first withdrawal. This would then delay your payment anything up to 72 hours (the limit the UKGC say KYC should be completed within) or longer if you didn’t have a folder on your device or PC ready with them inside. So there’s one way to avoid withdrawal pitfalls – have the docs to hand and even if not asked for them, upload them via the casino account facility in order to preempt any requests!

SoW Documents Request

This means statement of wealth or in other words source of funds. As part of EU AML (anti-money laundering) rules banks and other online businesses are required to establish that funds spent or received are legitimate. The same thing may also happen in regard to responsible gambling, i.e. a large deposit or combined deposits will need verification. The process is more detailed than KYC as you’ll need to provide wage slips and corresponding bank statement pdf files if you earn a high amount through paid employment, of have say inherited, won or sold an asset which has provided a lump sum.

If you are self-employed it can be quite arduous as the casino may need certified accounts, tax returns, detailed bank statements and a company registration number which in some countries like the UK you don’t need to be self-employed so can cause problems. Usually, to make sure you comply, the casino will action this when a withdrawal is made and withhold funds until they’re happy, which is not a good situation considering they still allow you to deposit and play during the process. If this happens, STOP playing there and don’t reverse the withdrawal. be patient and do your best to complete the process. The SoW request is possibly the worst and most intrusive withdrawal pitfall that you can experience but it is a legal and regulatory requirement.

Self Exclusion Oversights

The last of the top four main withdrawal pitfalls is that you have self-excluded at a casino and forgotten about it so have a duplicate account OR don’t have a duplicate account but unbeknown to you your new casino shares a license with another that you have excluded from. This usually gets spotted when you action a withdrawal as there is no requirement for casinos to list co-licensees in their terms as of yet. So your withdrawal won’t be paid as technically all bets should be void under responsible gambling regulations. Your deposits should be refunded though, if not make sure to tell them to! You can avoid this scenario by checking the license link at the bottom of the casino which should redirect you to their UKGC license details that in turn list the sites under the same license. if they don’t have a link, simply go to the UKGC site yourself and ‘check licensees’.

Bonus Term Violations

Always read the casino’s T&C’s!! If you lose your cash then find you make the wagering on the bonus balance, another common withdrawal pitfall may await you. Usually it’s over-betting which means you exceed the maximum bonus stake of say 4.50. This will include double-up gambles which you get on slot games, so avoid those to be sure. You may also find you’ve played an excluded slot and voided the bonus. Again, always read the terms!

Method Issues

You often find casinos won’t refund Mastercards or some voucher systems either. In this case you need to register and verify a bank account for refunds or alternative web wallet. If you haven’t then this could be another reason you could run into withdrawal issues.

The process of cashing-out should be as smooth as possible and it’s an important factor in many player choices regarding which casinos they join. Sometimes issues do arise but in the majority of cases you can resolve them quickly by using live chat. Your final bit of advice should be regarding reversal or pending periods, which can mean you lose your withdrawal before it even gets processed. If you doubt your willpower, simply use the 24 or 48-hour take-a-break tool so you can’t access your account until it’s been paid. You’ll still be able to e-mail documents or speak to customer services while this is in place.

Good Luck!