Scam casinos exist, and try as you might avoid them, as an online player, it’s quite likely you’ll come across a less than reputable online casino during your playing journey. We all want to avoid bad casinos as they can tarnish an online gaming experience and may even result in the loss of money, but how can players spot the good from the bad, the rogue from reputable? The simple answer is to keep reading this page. Right here, we keep an updated blacklist of rogue casinos that we know of doing the rounds, and we’ll also provide you with the know-how required to spot the most common red flags of rogue casinos. By the end of this page, you’ll have all the tools you need to identify and avoid playing bad online casinos.
What is a Blacklisted Casino?
A blacklisted casino is an online casino that we’ve found, or you guys have reported to us that is essentially committing some form of casino malpractice. This can be in several ways, but here are some of the most common fatal flaws of blacklisted casinos.
Operating without Licensing
This is the cardinal sin for any online gambling service: operating without licensing or targeting players in a territory where the casino is not regulated to operate. Unlicensed and regulated casinos are illegal and should be avoided at all costs. While it’s unlikely you will be prosecuted for playing at an unlicensed casino, these sites do not offer player protections (and potentially untested/certified games), which may leave you worse off or even out-of-pocket. What’s more, if playing at an unregulated site and things go wrong, you have nobody to complain to and no legal pathway for rectifying the situation.
Closing Accounts and Restricting Balances
Before a rogue site blows its cover and gets blacklisted by review sites, the casino may indiscriminately close players’ accounts, withhold balances, withdrawals, winnings, or bonuses, and generally act in unfair ways to players with the aim of increasing revenue before closing the site. In some cases, blacklisted casinos have even been bold enough to write reasoning for such actions into their terms and conditions, which players have then agreed. These are known as predatory terms, and we’ll talk more about them below.
Deposit Theft
While all casino malpractice is disappointing, deposit theft is one of the most common and quickest to reveal itself. Deposit theft is financial fraud. A casino entices players as quickly as possible, usually with a too-good-to-be-true welcome bonus. But, instead of awarding the bonus, simply keeps the deposits, closing the player’s account. In some cases, scams like this also led to identity fraud.
Unfair Games or Pirated Content
All regulated casino games are licensed, tested, and fair—additionally, each pays out as recorded in the game rules. Therefore, many blacklisted casinos use pirated games content, where the terms of a game have been altered to increase the house advantage and restrict payouts.
Unfair/Predatory Terms
Rogue Casinos favor unfair terms and practices like sky-high wagering requirements and winnings that cannot be withdrawn. This is why you must always read both the bonus and casino terms and conditions before depositing and playing with real money. There are legitimate and standard terms that would preclude a player from a payout. For example, if they won a jackpot, using bonus funds but going over the maximum stimulated bet. Still, with blacklisted sites, the terms tend to be downright predatory, and in some cases, you may find that the casino alters the terms as and when is needed to disadvantage the player.
What to Look Out for & Red Flags of Rogue Casinos
While we try to stay on top of the fake online casinos out there and list them on this page for your reference, it’s not always possible for us to know about every single rogue site that pops up. Therefore, this section aims to provide you with the skills and know-how to independently spot less than reputable casinos.
Before playing at any online casino, check for these red flags, and avoid sites displaying them:
No licensing, Fake Licensing, or licensing from a “Stamp Jurisdiction.”
Always check an online casino for licensing and verify the license number at the commission responsible for issuing it. Suppose you can’t find this information on the site casino, or the license number is fake/ not recorded with the commission. In that case, it’s likely the site is unlicensed and illegal, offering zero protection to players. Similarly, online casinos with Curacao eGaming licensing should be avoided as this is considered a “stamp jurisdiction” without proper controls, regulation, and enforcement.
Think of casino licensing like driving a car. You wouldn’t drive without a license; it’s illegal. The same is true for casinos; operating without a permit or the incorrect license is unlawful. If a casino decides to break national law in this respect, they are almost certainly looking to scam players.
Missing Information Onsite
Before joining a casino, you should take a tour of the site. With many rogue casinos, you’ll find that the operator behind the site hasn’t bothered to spend time developing it and including the usual information that players require, like FAQs and help topics, or licensing and about us info.
Lacking casino information in itself is not a determiner of a blacklisted casino; some operators are just lax in this area, but it’s certainly a red flag for any site. It shows a considerable lack of thought towards the player.
Hard to Reach Support/No Response to Complaints
Scam sites make it hard to get in contact with them and often ignore player complaints. For the most part, this is simply about keeping the “scam” going for as long as possible (i.,e, if you are stealing player’s deposits, you’re much more likely to get away with it for longer if your customer service agents take weeks to reply or string the player along with each communication). If you can’t reach a casino or there’s no support available, this is a big red flag.
As a casino is a business, you should always be able to reach them and solve any issues you have with your account or balance. What’s more, authentic casinos try to make this fun and easy because they want players to have fun and enjoy gambling at their site.
Player Complaints Online
Often players will hit the internet and online forums as soon as they realize they’ve been scammed. This means that one of the best ways to find out about how an online casino treats its players before joining is to conduct a google search. Hit up your browser and input something like “casino name + scam/withheld deposits,” and see what other players have to say about the casino you’re considering. If your results turn up any mentions that the site is deemed blacklisted, avoid it at all costs, as many have already lost out by playing at that casino.
Unfair Terms and Conditions: Use Casino Reviews and Read the Small Print
We can’t stress this point enough: as the player, each time you join a casino or take a bonus, you agree to the casino’s terms and conditions, so please check what you agree to before trusting any old website with your money.
If the terms seem unfair, like 100x wagering requirements, sticky bonuses (non-withdrawable winnings), or a bonus too-good-to-be-true, then don’t invest your money in that casino. And remember, our casino reviews are a great way to get a snapshot of the T&Cs at any of the sites we’ve reviewed.
Examples of how casino operators got blacklisted
Fake Games: EliteGames / Elite Fortune Limited.
EliteGames is a scam white label software provider that runs its casino platform on pirated content from Netnet, Aristocrat, and Playtech. The casino RNG is untested, and as the games are stolen, they are more than likely rigged. This is illegal and makes EliteGames a blacklisted casino platform.
The Withdrawal Cap: CyberRock Entertainment N.V. Casinos
This casino group has long been at the center of thousands of player complaints regarding non-payment of withdrawals. Common to each of the sites operated by this company are predatory terms and conditions that see players agreeing to non-payment.
Typical casino terms at a CyberRock Casino would go something like this: If a player’s total deposits do not total $200+, then they may only withdraw up to x10 the last deposit. And this is just the start of it, the deeper you dig; the more impossible it becomes to get your hands on your money.
ElDorado Palace Casino: Confiscated Deposits
This casino has been around the block, with complaints dating back to 2011 for non-payment of winnings and confiscated deposits. Within the terms and conditions of this casino is a clause that commits players to forfeit their account balance if requesting a partial withdrawal and continuing to play with the remaining balance – which of course, is the mainstream M.O. of most players. The casino began enforcing this term and quickly lit-up forums with angry player complaints. To find out more about the Ed Dorado story, try typing their name into google – there’s plenty to dive into.
How Do Licensed Casinos Protect Players?
Regulated casinos have rigorous checks and controls for every area of the site and are bound by the laws of e-commerce. In many US jurisdictions, casinos also have additional responsibilities aimed primarily at player protection. The critical difference here between licensed and unlicensed casinos is that when a licensed casino breaks the rules, they pay the price, and players generally received what they are owed.
Below you can see how regulated casinos are bound to protect players, money, and payouts.
1. Fair games and Casino Testing
All licensed casinos and games have undergone games testing and payout certification. This means that the games are fair and payout as intended and detailed in the game rules, with a published RTP. Unlicensed casinos are not bound to test their games or reveal their casino payout percentage.
2. Guaranteed Payouts and Separation of Player Funds
Licensed casinos are bound by law to payout as advertised. Additionally, player funds must be kept separate from profit to ensure business practice integrity and ability to payout wins.
3. Responsible Gambling Commitment
Regulated online casinos have gambling controls, such as fraud protection, account limits and reality checks, and so on, that prevent underage gambling and addictive gambling. Essentially, they have a licensing responsibility to protect players’ well-being as well as the financial exchange. Unregulated casinos do not and may prey on vulnerable players.
4. Complaints Procedures
If the casino fails in any of the areas discussed, then most importantly, players at legal and regulated casinos have a pathway to complain to the casino and report them. It is then up to the licensing jurisdiction to take action. The UKGC is a prime example of this, and in 2020, they fined legal casinos over $15mill. for player infringements.
What’s more, licensed sites pay taxes to the local government who issues their license, which means you’re directly contributing to tax projects in your state when you play at a regulated online casino!
Play at Recommended and Regulated Online Casinos
It’s not all doom and gloom; there are hundreds of online casinos out there that offer top-notch services and games to players, like those we’ve reviewed and listed below! Don’t’ forget that the easiest way to avoid playing at a rogue casino is to use our casino reviews and recommendations.
Play it safe and use 100% legal, regulated, and recommended online casinos.\
Blacklisted Casinos FAQs
What is the most common online casino scam?
Deposit theft, predatory terms and conditions, and pirated games content are three of the most common casino scams. If you want to know more about any of the most common casino scams, we recommend reading through this whole page as we discuss each, including how to spot them.
What is a blacklisted casino?
A blacklisted casino is an online site that scams players, operating without licensing or facilitating illegal behaviors, like money laundering and deposit theft. Essentially, it’s a casino that you want to avoid as if you’re unlucky enough to deposit and play; you’re not likely to ever see a return on that money.
What are the most common red flags of scam casinos?
The most common and easily visible red flag for a rogue casino is the lack of licensing. There is no need for a casino to operate without licensing unless they are trying to scam players. You can always check a casino’s license at their website and with the governing body that issued it. If things don’t add up (different license numbers or the casino lists a license and the gambling commission does not), or you can’t find a casino’s license, DO NOT PLAY AT THAT SITE.
How often do we update our casino blacklist?
We update and review every part of our site regularly, but especially our blacklist. This ensures, wherever possible, that you know about the scam sites targeting players as soon as we do.
What should I do if I find a rogue casino?
Firstly, report them to the licensing commission in your location, for example, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Secondly, get in contact with us and tell us your story so we can investigate further and warn other players if necessary.
What about if I join a rogue casino and deposit?
You still need to report the casino as soon as you release it’s a scam. In the case that you’ve made a deposit, you may also want to contact your bank (or other transaction method) to inform them. Your bank may recommend the next steps to avoid further financial fraud, or they may be able to advise you on any insurance that can be used to recover your lost funds, so it’s well worth reaching out to them.
