Getting scammed by gambling sites suck, especially when you have spent so much. However, you can avoid falling into the hands of rogue casinos by checking our list of blacklisted casinos that are best avoided. Some of them avoid paying players, while others have poor customer service. Take a look at our list of the latest blacklisted casinos in 2021 to stay safe.
Blacklisted Casinos
After a lot of research, we discovered some casinos that have been consistent in delivering terrible services to their players. Here’s our updated list.
- AFFPOWER – Slow payments and pirated games
- BETVOYAGER – Encouraging players to spam other casinos before they can get paid
- CURGAM GROUP – Refused to pay players
- FUTUREBET – Refusal to pay affiliates and players
- ISAGRA HOLDINGS – Delayed payments
- OPERIA COSTA RICA – No license and delayed payments
- SORILA COMMERCIAL – Billed credit cards twice and threatened players
- BRANDY – Engaging in marketing spam
- COOLCAT – No payments to players
- LADY DREAM – Rigged games to make players lose
Reasons We Blacklist Casinos
There are tons of reasons we blacklist casinos. Some are always trying to pull a few tricks to rip off players or sneak their way out of responsibilities. In no particular order, here are some significant reasons we blacklist casinos.
Banking and Money
When anyone wins big on an online casino, there are shouts of joy and a lot of excitement. We all get that feeling, but things could quickly go sour if you’re dealing with one that wants to make the banking and money process more complex than ever. The first thing we look out for is the various withdrawal methods available on the website. The fewer the accepted withdrawal methods, the more the red flag. They should have different popular payment methods widely supported and score high on speed and ease of withdrawing winnings via each channel. When all these leave a lot to be desired, that’s a ticket to blacklist land.
Refusing to pay winnings is really common with a lot of blacklisted casinos. For whatever reason, often frivolous, they refuse to pay out player winnings, even when it is fully confirmed that the player won legitimately. Of course, there could be some legitimate reasons for not paying winnings, such as when the player doesn’t fulfill the terms of a bonus offer or cheated to win. However, a rogue casino doesn’t have any of these legitimate reasons for being poor with banking and money. Instead, they would only use them as an excuse even when there is no proof. They would then accuse the player of breaking several rules hoping that they would get tired of asking or just move on to another bonus without cashing out. When they don’t pay their affiliates or other marketing partners, it’s only a matter of time before these partners stop paying their players.
While some refuse to pay their players upfront, others get really shady by taking as long as months to pay out winnings. This could be because there is no cash flow, or they want to trick the player into using their winnings to get more bonus without ever cashing out. These are both terrible behaviors that earn them a place on the blacklist. Whatever the reason, they make the withdrawal process feel more like an obstacle course than a task that can be done in a few clicks. As soon as a player requests a withdrawal, it should be credited into their digital wallet or bank account within the stated time frame. Anything beyond this is a call for blacklisting.
Security and Trust
The relationship between online casinos and players involves these gaming companies handling huge amounts of money. You know there is a high trust level when players are willing to let go of their financial information and personal details on these websites. Therefore, they are supposed to honor this by using the latest security software and implementing several safety features to keep player data as secure as possible. Things begin to go sour when they don’t keep to this. So, how do they breach security and trust to end up on the casino’s blacklist? First, they are meant to be licensed by the appropriate authority in their region.
This is an obvious one all online gambling dens should have at all times. It’s always advisable to check for their license before putting in your money on any of their games. However, some will lie about having a license and even convince players with fake certificates. Alternatively, they would be located in areas that are not as strict with regulations as they should. This gives them more than enough freedom to get away with scams.
Anyone that doesn’t have their license displayed for website visitors to view will be blacklisted because they can exhibit security and trust. You can find this on the footer of the homepage or listed on the about page. Rogue casinos also don’t go all the way in protecting player information with encrypted connections. Therefore, they leave their players vulnerable to numerous risks, including fraud and identity theft.
Customer Care
How well do they respond to customer complaints and uphold the terms of the agreement? Some could even go as far as verbally threatening their players, despite having non-existent support. A great way to secure players’ trust is that every online gambling website should exhibit a high level of transparency with customer care. An excellent one will be upfront with all terms and include several ways to contact their teams anytime players need assistance.
Most online casinos on the blacklist are great at changing their terms on the fly. Every time there is a dispute with a player where the casino is clearly in the wrong, they head over to the terms to change it into supporting their argument. Of course, a quick look at the archives will clearly show that the terms were recently changed to siding with the casino when they initially sided with the player.
The players then have difficulty reaching customer service representatives to attend to their complaints from time to time. No one likes an unresponsive company. Therefore, if they cannot answer complaints no matter how little they are, this complete failure will lead to them being blacklisted. Every website is expected to have a dedicated customer support team available 24/7. If they don’t list any contact information for a member of the customer care team, that online casino will most likely leave players in the dark when it matters.
Encouraging Players to Take Part in Marketing Spams
Of course, online casinos can be involved in marketing. After all, that’s an effective way to let people know that they can play games and win on their websites. It becomes wrong when these shady sites spam websites, forums, and players with so much marketing content to get new customers. They also encourage players to send spam messages on several platforms before they can claim their winnings.
How to Report a Casino?
If you ever get entangled in some troubles with sneaky gambling houses, here is how to report a casino. Having them withhold your winnings is probably the worst experience you can have with online gambling. The first step is to contact the website for clarifications on this issue. If their reason for withholding your winnings is not genuine, then you can go ahead with filing a formal complaint with regulatory authorities. Keep a record of all communications as proof that they denied payout or are not straightforward with you. This is super important for presenting facts when necessary. It’s easy to lose your cool when their customer service representatives are not responsive. However, it’s best never to be rude to the staff and not rush to move on after experiencing delayed payouts. Some do this intentionally with the hopes that players would change their minds about demanding winnings.
If consistent correspondence with the gambling website fails after a while, then turn to the regulatory authorities in the area where they are licensed. A quick search on their website should reveal their license numbers, which will be relevant to your complaint. Although it’s not sure that the regulators will help you receive your winnings, they will be on the radar of regulatory authorities. As soon as they have too many complaints, the authorities will intervene and possibly recall their license. Also, publish a complaint on public forums to educate other players about the casino.
How to Play Safe?
Before revealing your details and financial information to any online website, especially a gaming house, run a quick search online to ensure that no one has mentioned them as being shady in their dealings. Know how to play safe by reading reviews as well, and be sure to look out for their license number.
