USAWhy Was My Online Casino Account Suspended Due to Abnormal Activities?
Having your casino account suspended can be stressful. More often than not, the casino will inform you about it and explain why it’s happened. However, players can sometimes be left in the dark about the suspension. This article explores the reasons for account suspensions and the steps you must take to resolve and prevent these issues in the future.
Reasons Why Your Account Might Have Been Suspended Due to Abnormal Activities:
Suspicious Betting Patterns
Casinos are a business. They want to balance their books and carefully inspect the winnings they’re paying out. Most casinos employ machine learning or AI to detect odd play patterns with every player.
If you seem to be placing large bets on slots at a specific time of day or go big on particular poker hands, it indicates something nefarious. Gaming bots and other cheating software can assist some players with their gambling, exploiting the casino.
When the casino detects unusual patterns, it raises the alarm and could lead to the player’s account being suspended. While it could all be a complete coincidence, suspending your account allows the operator to investigate before allowing you to reaccess your funds.
Multiple Accounts
Online casinos are strict when it comes to the one-person, one-account rule. Players often try to create accounts using other email addresses and usernames as a way to cheat the system.
However, casinos track each account through their IP address. When they detect multiple accounts from the same IP address, the casino will likely suspend any further activity on your account.
Having a duplicate account may not always indicate manipulation on the player’s behalf. It can happen accidentally if someone forgets they have created an account on a platform and decides to create a new account.
When the casino identifies the duplication, they will immediately suspend both accounts, preventing you from using the casino.
Verification Issues
Online casinos abide by strict regulations for them to operate legally. In New Jersey, casinos must adhere to everything the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement requires. One of those aspects is the Know Your Customer (KYC) process. Our guide on the KYC process explains everything you can expect from it.
As the name suggests, casinos follow this process to ensure the identity of every player on the site is known and verified. It helps to prevent fraud and money laundering on the site. Failing to verify your profile correctly raises red flags for the casino. They will immediately suspend your account to investigate the matter further.
If the documents you supply during the KYC process aren’t legible or there seem to be some underhanded elements at play, the casino will flag your account for suspension.
Security Concerns
Security is one of the crucial points of all online casinos. Since gaming takes place virtually, it’s up to the casino operator to ensure that everyone using the platform is safe and their details are protected.
However, hackers are a reality and can obtain your details illegally. When there are multiple unsuccessful login attempts on your account, the casino is under the impression that it’s a result of hackers trying to access your casino account.
These cybercriminals can try to log in to brute force your password, but the casino’s technical staff become aware of the situation and may immediately suspend your account. It’s a safety mechanism to ensure that your money and other players on the site are safe.
Payment Irregularities
Transacting with the casino is another area that could trigger an account suspension. If you use unauthorized payment methods or select an option where you’re not the account holder, it will lead to the suspension of your account.
Casinos suspend accounts as a way to prevent money laundering. In the US, any transaction over US$ 5,000 must be reported. The casino will thoroughly check how you obtained the funds and the legitimacy of the money before allowing the transaction to follow through.
In this event, the player’s account will likely be suspended. Additionally, using payment methods such as prepaid debit cards is a red flag and will lead to suspension.
Violation of Terms and Conditions
Before you complete the sign-up process, the casino requires you to read and accept its terms and conditions. While it usually entails reading several pages of fine print, it contains essential information.
While it may appear harmless, some casinos forbid players from using VPNs to access the site. For example, only players in New Jersey can log in and play casino games at online casinos within the Garden State. If the casino identifies that you’re outside the state with a VPN, it will lead to the suspension of the account.
Casino bonuses also come with their own set of terms and conditions, which you must meet. Sometimes, these include using bonus funds on specific games or meeting the necessary wagering requirements.
Players who fail to honor those stipulations are in breach of the terms and conditions and are in line for the casino to suspend their accounts.
Winning big may be a blessing, but casinos have policies in place to protect their balancing books. For this reason, you’ll find maximum withdrawal limits for the day, week, and month, which you must abide by. If you persist in requesting withdrawals that exceed the limits, the casino becomes wary of your demands and could suspend the account.
Software Manipulation or Cheating
In a digital age and with cybercriminals taking their creativity to new heights, it’s not uncommon to find incidents where players are using external help to cheat the casino. Just like counting cards at a Blackjack table isn’t allowed, manipulating the casino software or using other forms of assistance to beat the system will land you in hot water.
Once the casino identifies a consistent run of wins on the same slot machine or similar hands, it will raise concerns. Usually, the casino suspends the player’s account before investigating the matter thoroughly.
Responsible Gaming Limits
Responsible gambling limits are there for a reason - to prevent you from overspending and falling into an addiction.
When you’ve decided that these limits are what you need to navigate gambling, the casino takes it seriously and enforces the self-exclusion, deposit, or time limits. If you’re attempting to evade the boundaries you’ve set, the casino’s reaction is to suspend your account.
What Steps to Take When an Account Has Been Suspended Due to Abnormal Activities?
Account suspension can be annoying, especially when you feel you’ve done nothing wrong. However, more often than not, it’s due to a breach of the casino’s terms and conditions. When you’ve had your account blocked, follow these steps to resolve the issue.
1. Stay Calm
Always remain cool. Don’t get frustrated or angry; this usually worsens the situation.
2. Read the Terms and Conditions
Yes, it may seem like a lot to read, but it’s the best way to find out the reason for the suspension by yourself. You may find that you’ve breached several terms of using the site. When you’ve identified the problem, you should move on to the next step.
3. Contact Customer Support
The casino’s support team exists purely to assist in situations like these. Whether you’re chatting to them on the live chat feature, email, or telephone, stay calm and get your point across as clearly as possible. Here’s how you can contact the casino’s customer support team.
The representative may inform you of the exact reason for the account suspension and explain what actions are needed on your part to reactivate the casino account. If you believe the suspension was a mistake, state your case to the customer support agent, and they will assist.
They aren’t there to make life worse for you; they’re simply there to help, so make the most of it. The agent may require you to resend your verification documents to prove who you are. In this case, you’d have to follow the KYC process again and submit copies of your ID, proof of address, and bank statement.
4. Take it Further
If you discover you haven’t breached any of the casino’s terms and conditions and the operator is unfairly treating you, you can take the matter further. Submitting a complaint to the regulator is your next step if you feel the casino is unfairly targeting you.
Several organizations exist to assist players with their disputes. These independent parties will mediate the issue between you and the casino. This is how you can log a complaint about a casino in New Jersey.
Prevent Future Suspensions!
Nobody likes to be suspended from an online casino. It means you can’t access your favorite games and enjoy some thrilling entertainment. To avoid being blocked by the casino, you should ideally read the terms and conditions.
While it may not be the first thing you want to do when signing up, the casino has its terms and conditions published on the site forever. If time is of the essence, you can read the terms and conditions later, but don’t neglect it altogether.
Adhering to the online casino’s requirements of you will make your experience on the platform a seamless one.