Why Was My Online Gambling Account Suspended?
If your online gambling account has been suspended, what can you do to restore it?
There are a number of reasons why your online casino or sports betting account is suspended, but in most cases, you can find a fix for it.
Below, we outline some of the most common reasons why your online gambling account has been locked, suspended, or restricted and what to do about it.
Quick Resolution: Use an Alternate Gambling Platform
Before jumping into all the possible reasons why your account is suspended, it is worth considering having a backup casino or sports betting account.
Though this will not fix the problem with the operator that has banned your account, it will give you the chance to stay in the game while you seek a permanent resolution.
And that is without mentioning that you can use their promotions, take advantage of their bonuses, and even measure their odds against what your current gambling site offers.
Why Is My Online Gambling Account Suspended?
If you encounter a message indicating that your online gambling or sports betting account has been suspended, it is crucial to understand the underlying reasons for this action.
Your account may have been suspended due to any actions you have taken, including inadvertently violating the terms and conditions of the DFS and sportsbook operator.
To determine the specific reasons for your account suspension and explore potential recovery options, we will provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors that may contribute to such an action.
1. Using Multiple Accounts
This may have been done by accident, or you may have made a few accounts on purpose. The operator only allows players to have one account, and opening more than one is a surefire way to get them suspended. If this happens, your money can be locked in the account, and you may not be able to get it back.
Creating a duplicate account and then using the duplicate accounts is a violation of every operator’s conditions that users agree to when signing up.
If multiple people from your household have signed and you share an IP, then this may potentially flag your account as a duplicate when it’s actually not.
2. Inconsistent Activity
If you are seeing the email and message saying your gambling account is suspended for inconsistent activity, you will no doubt have questions. What does this even mean?
Legal gambling platforms check all players’ accounts to make sure everything is above board. If the system thinks that there is some odd behavior on your account, it will raise a flag on the system. This could be anything from winning big (especially if you lost a lot in the past), gambling more than you would, logging in under different IP addresses, or betting on markets and teams you wouldn’t normally bet on.
If you see this message, the operator will be investigating your account and will let you know the outcome. You can contact customer support and ask for an update, but it’s not normally a favorable one.
3. Identity Verification Problems
Personal details must always be up to date on your account and must be accurate. Providing correct identification is one of your only responsibilities as a gambler.
If there are any changes to your details, you must log in and update them.
Additionally, when you join a legal online sportsbook or gambling site, it’s vital you fill in the details correctly. Falsifying your details to open an account is a serious breach of the rules, and if you can’t validate your account, it will be suspended.
When signing up for an online gambling account, you need to add in your name, address, D.O.B, email, mobile number, and the last 4 digits of your SSN. If you get these wrong and the platform can’t confirm your details, you may need to send in documentation to prove your details are right.
If your account has been locked, don’t panic. There is an easy solution which we get to below.
4. Using A VPN
If you are trying to play from another state and trick the operator into thinking you are in a licensed state, you will be caught, and your account will be banned. Your IP can also be banned, and you can also lose any funds you may have deposited and/or won.
As mentioned above, there is little point in trying to trick the operator in thinking you are not located in any of the above states. You will be blocked instantly.
5. Have You Closed A Related Account?
The most prominent online gambling brands operate in multiple verticals, offering sports betting, casino games, daily fantasy sports, and/or online poker on a singular platform.
For example, if you close your FanDuel DFS account or your BetMGM Casino account, you’ll also be restricted from betting on sports.
6. Have you self-excluded?
Have you listed on the self-exclusion list from a gaming authority like the NJDGE or PGCB? If you have self-excluded, then there is no way to wager online.
If you haven’t opted to self-exclude, it may be that your details have somehow ended up on the exclusion list, in which case it can be removed by contacting the licensing body of the state.
7. Breach of Terms & Conditions
Every online gambling platform asks you to agree to the terms and conditions when signing up. Top lawyers write these terms and conditions that the average bettor will not understand, so most people will just automatically click ‘agree’ to confirm their accounts.
Consequently, you could miss lots of literal terms and conditions in those streams of text as you have just trusted everything will be fine. Any breach of these terms will result in your account being suspended. If you are worried about this possibility, we suggest reading the terms and conditions more intently than most people do.
8. Suspicious log-in attempts
Your online gambling account may be locked due to no fault of your own. If your account has been hacked or your details compromised, an operator can close your account if they feel there has been suspicious activity on there.
9. Dormant Account
One of the most common issues of account suspension is that you haven’t used it in a while.
Typically, the operator will inform you that it will lock the account if you don’t use the app to place a bet for X number of months.
10. Expired Driver’s License
If your driver’s license has expired, licensed gambling operators will suspend your account. This doesn’t mean you are banned. It means you will need to apply for a new license before you can start gambling again.
Your personal details must always be up to date and accurate to maintain an active gambling account.
If your account does get locked because of your driver’s license, once you have sorted it, contact the customer support team and inform them your license is now up to date. Following this, the operator should then update your details, and your suspension will be lifted.
11. Winning Too Often
It may seem unfair that a responsible, well-known betting operator could suspend your account because you are winning too much money, but it often happens.
If, for example, you are continuously winning betting on the NFL, the operator may freeze the account while they look into your activity. Sportsbooks can suspend accounts to conduct investigations into match-fixing and other legal issues, but they also maintain the right to close anyone’s account for any reason, even if it’s simply because a customer wins too much money.
12. Your Gambling Account Is Under Review
This can be a frustrating issue because operators don’t always give a reason why your account is being investigated.
If you aren’t aware of any reason why your account should be under review, including those reasons we have listed above, it is important you contact the customer support team as quickly as possible.
Depending on the reason, it is hard to gauge how long it will be before your account is back up and running as normal. It could be that there was a mistake, and your account will be reinstated.
How to Restore a Locked or Suspended Gambling Account
If you have found yourself in the unfortunate position where your account has been suspended, restoring it can be quite an easy task.
All you need to do is to send an email to customer support and explain that your account is locked. Support will usually get back to you within 48 hours and explain what has happened and why your account is suspended.
If there is a valid reason as to why your account is locked, you can ask for it to be reinstated.
It may be also a simple case of you resetting your password. If you have entered the wrong password too many times, your account can also be locked this way.
