Practices that get players banned from Online Casinos

Some online casino players worry that if they are lucky to encounter a winning streak or enjoy small wins each day for a period of time that they will be banned from the online casino that they are playing at. While others worry that if they hit a big jackpot, they will not be permitted to login to their player account to withdraw their winnings.

These beliefs have seen many players setting a "win limit" when playing online. These players actually stop playing (even if they are winning) to protect their access to player accounts and prevent them from being locked.

A cursory glance on threads on this topic on player forums reveal a number of player propagating the myth that online casinos will lock your account or ban you from playing just because you're lucky enough to enjoy a few wins or a substantial one.

However common sense needs to prevail when broaching such issues, after all, online casinos are businesses and more than anything they want to make a profit. They also have a house edge built into nearly every casino game that one could play, so in the long run they always come out on top.

With that in mind, blocking player accounts after winning streaks or big wins would be counterintuitive because statistics show that the majority of players will play some, if not all of their winnings back at the casino eventually. By preventing players from doing so, online casinos would effectively be damaging their own profit margins.

That's not to say that online casinos don't even lock player accounts or ban players from playing, but this usually has nothing to do with winning, and more because of some violation on behalf of the player.

Here we'll take a look at 5 reasons why a player could have their player account locked and/or be banned from playing at an online casino.

1. Playing at a Rogue Casino

The only time you may find that your player account is locked out or that you are no longer permitted to play at an online casino after a large win is due to the fact that the online casino itself is rogue and does not want to payout the winnings. This is the exception to the rule but it can happen.

To protect yourself, review our list of rogue and blacklisted casinos and avoid these properties, instead playing at our recommended online casinos as they have been tried and tested, are licensed and regulated and enjoy the eCogra seal of approval for your peace of mind.

2. Bonus Abuse

Online Casinos offer bonuses to entice new players to play and on-going bonus offers to reward loyal players and keep them playing. Some players however abuse these bonuses by opening multiple accounts to claim multiple bonuses, or play only once and leave the casino when the bonus money is spent.

If an operator feels that a player is abusing their bonus in any way they will often lock the account and prevent any further play.

3. Fraud

There are players who will commit fraud during their bonus abuse tactics - these players open multiple accounts often playing using proxy servers to hide their IP locations, provide false documentation and proof of identification and play at online casinos as part of a group with the intent to somehow defraud the casino.

In all instances where player fraud is suspected, online casinos will lock accounts and ban the players in question from playing in order to protect themselves from these fraudulent activities.

4. Violating Casino or Bonus Terms & Conditions

Online Casinos have a long list of very specific terms and condition which they deem that players have read and accepted when they sign up and deposit at the casino. These terms cover everything from how many residents in a single household may hold a player account, to bonus terms and conditions and wagering requirements.

If a player violates any of the terms and conditions, then an online casino is well within their right to void any bonuses credited to the player account and/or lock the account. The "their house, their rules" adage applies here - so always read the terms and conditions carefully before your sign-up and play to ensure that there are no nasty surprises and that you are playing according to the regulations.

5. Player Cheating

There are many things players can do in order to improve their winning potential at the various casino games, including playing according to sound strategy, implementing betting systems or using strategy cards to help them make the best possible plays in games like blackjack and video poker.

These are all legitimate ways to play. There are however players who cheat by using specialised tools or bots that affect their game play and influence it to their advantage. Casinos may pick up this form of cheating by monitoring player betting patterns and game play and lock any accounts where cheating is suspected.

As you can see from the above discussion, there are multiple reasons why player accounts can be locked, but winning isn't one of them if you are playing at a reputable online casino. And as long as you keep your game play honest and fair you will never have a problem, even if you are lucky enough to enjoy a prolonged winning streak or life-changing jackpot win.