A casino let you gamble despite your self-exclusion: what now?

Check what your self-exclusion covers

What you can do depends on how you excluded yourself and which casino let you play.

• Find the date you signed up and the confirmation you got.
• Note how long your self-exclusion lasts.
• Note the licence shown at the bottom of the casino's site.

The 5 steps, in order

1. 1

   Stop and keep the evidence

   Stop gambling, even to get proof. Take screenshots of your self-exclusion confirmation, your logins, your deposits and your bets, with the dates. Also keep your bank statements, any ads you got during the exclusion and your messages with the casino. Keep your password to yourself.

2. 2

   Block access straight away

   Ask the casino, in writing, to close your account straight away. Also ask your bank to block gambling payments, and install a site blocker.

   Block gambling payments at your bankBetBlocker, free↗
3. 3

   Send a written complaint to the casino

   Send the template below by email or through the casino's complaint form, and keep a dated copy. A written complaint to the casino is often required before you can take it further. In Great Britain, players are told to complain to the gambling business first.1

4. 4

   Report it to the gambling authority

   If the casino is licensed in your country, report it to your country's gambling authority. If it has a foreign licence, where you complain depends on that licence. The authority can take action against the casino, but getting your money back is sometimes beyond its powers. In Great Britain, individual complaints are outside the powers of the Gambling Commission.1

   Find who to contact in your country ▶Casino with a foreign licence ▶
5. 5

   Ask for your money back

   You have to ask for a refund yourself. Reporting the casino and asking for money are 2 different things. Ask for a refund in your complaint to the casino. If it says no, go to the dispute service named in its licence, or get advice from a consumer group or a lawyer. Act fast, because deadlines are short.

Gambled again? Many people go through this

Gambling again after self-excluding happens a lot, and you can get back on track right now. A helpline can help, for free and without judgement. The 10-step guide also helps you block what the register leaves open.

Complaint template

Replace the text in [square brackets]. Keep your passwords, codes and full card number to yourself.

Subject: Self-exclusion ignored, request to close my account and refund [username]

Hello,

I self-excluded on [date], through [my country's official register / your site]. This was confirmed on [date] (reference: [reference]).

Even so, your site let me [log in / deposit / gamble] on account [username] between [date] and [date]. I deposited [amount] during that time.

Please:
- close this account immediately
- explain in writing why I was able to access it
- refund the deposits made during the exclusion, a total of [amount]
- stop sending me any marketing.

Please treat this message as a formal complaint and send me a final written reply.

Licence shown on your site: [authority, number].
Attachments: [self-exclusion confirmation], [deposit history], [bank statements].

Kind regards,
[Name]

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