If you are a bettor, you are likely to have asked ‘Can I get my money back from the casino?’ at one point or another. We understand why it is a common concern. No one likes to be parted from their money.
The question’s answer: It depends. Our Gambling Zone guide will walk you through the acceptable situations when you can open a dispute to get your money back, as well as the step-by-step process for players in the UK.
When is it not appropriate to dispute casino charges from an online casino?
Let’s start with situations where you definitely will not be able to get your money back from an online casino:
1. You had a losing streak when playing your favourite casino games.
This is probably the most common occurrence of players requesting their money back from an online casino. Although it is frustrating to burn through your bankroll, this is the nature of gambling, which is why we always advise to practice strict bankroll management. No casino or bank will approve this refund.
2. You gambled from a restricted territory by using a VPN, or used restricted games that are not accessible in your location.
This is a violation of the casino’s T&Cs and the casino will always realise eventually when they do their KYC (Know Your Customer) process. The easiest thing for UK players is to stick to UKGC casinos like the ones we recommend as these are definitely legal in the UK.
3. You played using multiple accounts.
Another no-no at online casinos and always clearly listed in the T&Cs. Again, the casino will confiscate your money and any winnings for the violation of those terms.
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When is it appropriate to dispute casino charges?
This does not mean that all situations cannot be disputed. Here are a few acceptable situations where the casino will likely accept to refund you:
1. Double Charges
Technical glitches happen, and sometimes the same charge appears twice on transactions for example. This can occur when you are using an app and it freezes during a transaction, or even ill-timed downtime from a third party payment provider. This should be an easy one to dispute and get your money back.
2. Unauthorised Transactions
If you spot transactions from the casino that were not authorised by you, you can quickly dispute them as you might be the victim of fraud. These are usually easy to pick up on as the bank will send a message if they notice a suspicious transaction, but we also suggest making sure you check your accounts every couple of days so that you can immediately pick up on red flags.
3. Terms Not as Advertised
If the casino violates its own terms and conditions, you should have a chance to get your funds back. For example, a casino promises you 100 free spins at 40x wagering requirements, but then tells you that you have a 60x requirement.
Guide on getting your money back from online casino sites
So, how do you actually get your money back when you have a strong case? Let’s go through it step by step.
Knowing Your Legal Rights
Start off by reading all Terms and Conditions carefully. Are you sure you did not violate any condition and that you are within your legal rights to open up a dispute?
Secondly, is your casino licensed by the UKGC or did you play at an offshore casino? This will also make a difference as UKGC-licensed casinos are subject to strict regulations and can lose their license if they violate any terms. On the other hand, offshore casinos might be harder to get your money back from.
Contact the Casino Site Directly
Your first step needs to be contacting the casino’s support team directly and explaining your situation. You can use any method, but if the casino does not offer a transcript for live chat, we suggest emails. This will help you have a trail of evidence if you need to escalate it.
As per UKGC guidelines, casinos are expected to acknowledge a complaint within 3 days, or 24 hours if they offer a 24/7 service.
Banks and Alternative Dispute Resolution Providers will all expect you to have done this first step of contacting a casino first.
Commencing a Bank Chargeback Process
If you are not getting anywhere with the casino, you can start a bank chargeback process. Note that banks will always thoroughly investigate chargeback claims, so make sure that you have all evidence prepared.
Engaging in Alternative Dispute Resolution
UKGC casinos are also encouraged to offer the customer alternative dispute resolution (ADR) free of charge if a dispute has not been resolved within 8 weeks or earlier through their internal process.
The casino can only select from a list of approved ADR providers, which will then mediate between the customer and casino.
You can also reach out to a registered ADR yourself if the casino fails to take this step.
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Utilising Governmental or Regulatory Bodies
Another method to try to get your money back is to reach out to a regulatory body like the Gambling Commission. Note that the Gambling Commission will not resolve or make decisions on complaints regarding gambling–related transactions, so this is definitely not your first go-to method.
However, the Gambling Commission will receive and process reports about serious issues like money laundering, match fixing, or any suspicious activity. If you are trying to claim back your money because you are suspicious of these issues, this will help your case, and also prevent the online casino from doing it again in the future. You can submit a report here.
Final Thoughts
As we have seen in this guide, there are ways you can get your money back from an online casino if you are making a justified claim. UKGC casinos are subject to strict regulations and therefore it is easier to do so when using these casinos. This is why we recommend them over using offshore casinos. However, always remember that nothing is guaranteed; your claim will be approved depending on how strong your case is.
