A Guide To Avoiding Blacklisted Online Casinos

What Is A Blacklisted Casino?

For the most part, online casinos are safe and reliable places to trust your money. They have security in place to protect personal data, and regular auditing to ensure a fair game. But when something goes wrong, are they up to the task of helping out? And what if you find yourself waiting months for a payout?

Many Australian gamblers only run into problems when they need their money. They might be looking forward to a bumper promo payout or a fast cash-out, only to discover the casino is lacking. But many factors can contribute to earning a blacklist place.

What Earns A Casino A Place On The List?

- Misleading Or Unrealistic Promotions

"$1,000 DEPOSIT BONUS WITH FREE SPINS!!!", screams the casino homepage. You scramble to sign up and grab your VISA card to make a deposit. But take a closer look at the small print and you suddenly notice all the hoops you have to jump through to clear the bonus amount.

Many casinos will deny players their bonus cash if they deem the players have broken a rule. Perhaps the player has played the "wrong" bets on a pokie or didn't stick to the maximum bet rule. Casinos must be super-clear about what is and isn't allowed when trying to claim a deposit bonus. Poorly-communicated or misleading promotions may earn a casino a place on the blacklist.

- Slow Or Non-Existent Payments

Casinos have a duty to honour payouts, but if you are playing for real money you should expect a speedy withdrawal. The cash-out should be accurate and be paid within the stipulated timeframe. If you change your mind, has the casino honoured its "reverse withdrawal" policy?

Delayed payments can happen for a number of reasons, such as security checks, but if you are waiting months for a payment with no explanation from the casino it's a problem. In the worst cases, players may have had winnings confiscated.

Poor casinos can offer up excuses like "technical issues", incorrect ID being emailed, or spurious accusations of bonus abuse.

- Poor Security And Licensing

Good casinos should have a reputable license that insists on stringent security and auditing of software (see below). Look for the SSL (Secure Socket Layers) certificate on the casino homepage. This is the industry standard tech for handling encryption between the casino website and server. By using SSL, players' details are secure and there's less chance of vulnerability from hackers.

Some licensing bodies enforce strict criteria on their licensees, like having proper security, segregated funds, and regular audits. They will also insist on proper background checks on prospective licensees and also make sure the casino isn't operating in countries with gambling prohibition.

- Unhelpful Customer Support

If something goes wrong, Customer Support should always be your first port of call. But if the Live Chat operative is unhelpful or unfriendly, and the email service unresponsive, the casino has failed its customers. Bad customer service can be extremely frustrating and make Aussie players never want to play at the site again.

- Unresolved Problems

From late payments to glitchy software, customer support should be able to deal with all problems. But if problems consistently go unsolved, particularly from multiple customers, the casino can wind up on our blacklist.

- Frozen Accounts Without Warning

Like late payments, closed or frozen accounts (especially without warning) are more common than you'd think. Even players who swear that they haven't broken bonus terms can find their accounts shut down without any reason at all. When the "winnings" are big, it makes players very suspicious.

- Excessive Spam

When you sign up to an online casino, you will have to share an email address, and usually a mobile phone number. But the last thing you want is to be bombarded night and day with promotional emails and spam. The worst offenders can find themselves on the blacklist.

- No Evidence Of Software Audits

Fair casinos have their software audited for security purposes. You'll usually find audit certificates on the casino homepage somewhere. External, independent, audits ensure that pokies and table games are regularly tested to ensure they are truly random. Casinos will also be audited to work out the site's overall RTP (Return to Player percentage) over the long term.

Auditing is important as it helps players choose a site and play safe in the knowledge that the casino is legit. No auditing usually means a dodgy operation.

Do Your Homework And Get A Resolution

By avoiding suspicious casinos you can be sure that your money is safe, and all payouts will be honoured. Do your homework first, though: read out expert reviews and find out the kinds of common complaints players have. It's vital to get a resolution if you have a problem: with perseverance, most casinos will sort out player issues.

With hundreds of online casinos out there, there are always going to be rotten eggs. With our casino blacklist you'll be better placed to root out the bad sites.