Getting your bingo account blocked is a problem that can traumatise any bingo player. Sometimes it’s a misunderstanding, but that’s not always the case. There are several reasons why closed bingo accounts happen.
A common misconception is that the bingo operator will ban you because you’re simply winning too much – this almost never really happens! In this article, you will be learning more about why a bingo account would get blocked, suspended, or closed, and how to get a block lifted.
Table of Contents
Reasons for Blocked Bingo Accounts
Realizing that you have been blocked doesn’t take a lot of effort because online casinos and similar bingo sites will let you know one way or another. They could send you a notification like an email, text message, or a pop-up on the device you are using.
You might also notice that you won’t have any access to their services like logging into your account, subscriptions, or maybe even a halt to receiving any benefits. And here are the reasons why your bingo account would be blocked.
Whilst an account lock can arise from a dispute, it generally happens without fraudulent action on your part. Yet, the gambling operator may think otherwise, which then leads to the closure of your account, or at least its partial suspension.
Suspicious Activities
Nowadays, online casinos use artificial intelligence to monitor betting activity using algorithms to check for fraudulent patterns. Anything you do that would trigger a red flag under the AI’s radar would be labeled as suspicious activity.
Placing incredible amounts of bets, unusual bank transactions, gambling bots, and cheating software are a few of those red flags. Cheaters, in particular, will not be tolerated and will be acted upon to prevent them from taking advantage of any of the hosted games. It would be bad for everyone if a cheater would take everything for themselves without playing the game fairly.
Suppose someone tries to hack into the online casino’s database. The website system would block all accounts related to the virtual attack to prevent any criminals from stealing any sensitive information.
Signs of gambling addiction through suspicious betting patterns could also lead to the suspension of your bingo account.
Being Unruly in the Chat Room
In every gambling environment, people with hot heads are not rare. Of course, if you were to lose many times, if not all your games, you would be furious too. But this will also get you blocked.
Chatting with foul intent like racism, sexism, homophobia, threats, or anything at all that violates the rules in terms of conversation will only backfire on yourself. If you do not have anything good to say, keep your mouth shut. And if you need to speak up, reread the terms and conditions to know about what you’re allowed to say or do.
Violating the terms and conditions is the equivalent of getting banned, and no one is an exception. When signing into an online casino, you get to read the terms and conditions, and you are required to agree to them before you will be allowed to join officially.
Not Providing KYC Documents
“Know Your Customer” or KYC is the main process related to anti-money laundering legislation. Providing your KYC documents is mandatory for transactions. It is stated that online casinos must have the verified identifications of all their customers, point out potentially problematic users, and monitor any suspicious activity.
In addition to that, another thing that would fall under this category is underage gambling. Regulation officers worldwide are strict with online casinos regarding underage gamblers. Any gambling provider, operator, or host caught doing this is at risk of losing their license and will pay a heavy fine.
Online casinos are required to know their customers to prevent any suspicious activities. It will be the first barrier anyone with ill intent to go through.
Using More than One Account
“One account per person” is a standard rule set by online casinos so that players don’t stash welcome bonuses. Duplicate accounts often happen by accident, like if a player forgets that he signed up on the same bingo site before.
Bingo operators can track down duplicate accounts through the IP address used even if the account has a different username or other account details. It would not be good if multiple accounts with the same IP address were connected to one casino.
Similar credentials could also raise suspicion of a duplicate account. Because of this, you will not only be blocked or banned from one site, but you can also be banned from a network of online bingo sites for creating duplicate accounts.
The reason for that is it would be unfair to other players. If you had multiple accounts, that would mean you have more chances of winning than all the other players in the room in a game, and it would be abusing the bonus policies offered by the host.
Playing in a Rogue Bingo Site
The last reason would be playing on a rogue bingo website, or as many people like to call it, a scam bingo website. Your account can be blocked or suspended because they may refuse to pay you for your win. However, this is only the beginning of the long list of things that could involve playing on a dodgy site.
You want to stay away from sites that look shady. This kind of treatment is generally done if you are doing well in a game and have the highest odds of winning because they would need to pay you if you won the game.
Online gambling is so much fun, and it would be a real shame if all your efforts were wasted. So make sure to check if the site you are playing on is fully licensed under the UK Gambling Commission. You can’t go wrong if they are licensed because any platform that does not display any licensure details is a red flag, so steer clear.
How To Unblock Your Bingo Account
If you find yourself innocent of any accusations, you can try unblocking a bingo account through the methods mentioned below.
Remember that, in the United Kingdom, playing bingo is legal and online gambling is regulated. If you played on a licensed bingo site, you can get in touch with Alternate Dispute Resolution services recommended by the UK Gambling Commission to resolve a long-standing dispute with a remote bingo operator (i.e., online).
Contact Your Bingo Site’s Customer Support
First off, you can contact the provider’s customer support. As obvious as it might seem, this might not be the first thing that comes into your mind when you realize that your account has been blocked.
An online casino’s support system will do whatever they can to help you with any concern you may have, so that means they are the right people to come to when in a situation like this.
Customer support will give you the details you need about why your account has been blocked and help you unblock it. If you have been charged with a minor offense, you can tell them all about it, and the casino can reinstate your account to get back up and running.
They might ask you to send identification documents and take a verification test if it is a verification issue. If you pass the test, you’re in. But it can get more complex than this regarding other offenses. Data breaches, for example, won’t be easy to get out of. You will have a good chance of being permanently banned from using the site again.
Contact the Complaint Line of a Regulation Office
When the reasons you provided are illegitimate, the best course of action would be to contact the regulation office that manages the online casino to file a complaint and discuss the specifics included in the terms and conditions. Remember, online casinos block potential threats to themselves as an organization and your fellow players.
If your account has been blocked unfairly without resolution, there are casino complaint service sites that serve as mediators to help you resolve your issue.
You can read and understand the complaint guidelines they provide and give as much information as possible to support your complaint as evidence. And if all else fails, you still have the option to contact the licensing agency to assist gamblers with unblocking bingo accounts.
How to Prevent Blocked Bingo Accounts
If you have doubts about what might happen to your account or getting fidgety and think you might have done something wrong, you have nothing to worry about. It would help if you kept in mind a few things to avoid getting into those situations.
Read the Rules of the Online Bingo Site
Before you plan to sign up and join a bingo site, reading the terms of service will help you in the long run. Not only will you understand the things you need to avoid, but you also know what limits you can reach to maximize your playing experience.
When reading the rules, you might also come across the site’s terms and conditions. Reading this would help ensure you don’t agree to anything that would negatively affect your overall experience. This factor is mainly concerning scam websites. Then again, you will need to make sure the site is fully licensed.
Set a Two-Factor Authentication Security on Your Account
Most people think their passwords are difficult to guess or tough to crack. Still, passwords alone are not fully reliable for authentication and security because scammers can easily extract them, which is why most online services highly recommend two-factor authentication.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) uses two devices to authenticate that you are accessing your account intentionally and knowingly (like a password and then biometrics or a text message). This method proves that it can help you secure your account no matter what circumstance you face.
Be Courteous to Other Players
To avoid being blocked for unruly behavior and the like, you need to show other players that you practice good sportsmanship. Try to be calm when resolving disputes or talking about things you might have an opposing opinion on.
Nobody always has to be right when you are in an argument, but if you show that you are a good sport, chances are, you have fewer odds of being blocked or banned for something you didn’t do, let alone being set-up as being the “bad guy” in a conversation.
Verify the License of an Online Bingo Site
Now that you know that an online bingo operator or host must have a valid license, you need to verify if the site has been fully licensed. Their credentials are just as important as the information they have from you. So to avoid any issues, verify if they are licensed under the UKGC or any government authority that provides legal gambling licenses.
Closed Accounts: FAQ
Why would an online bingo site block my account?
As discussed before, there could be various reasons why they would block or ban your account. The reasons include suspicious activities, being unruly, not providing KYC documents, using more than one account, and playing in a rogue bingo site. It is done to prevent damaging the website and the player’s assets.
Will I experience a blocked bingo account if I did not do anything wrong?
In multiple cases, you will get blamed for something you didn’t do or if you’ve entered a scam website. However, you can resolve this confusion if you reach out to customer support to help you out.
Who can help me if customer service tells me my bingo account is permanently blocked?
If that is the case, you can contact regulation offices to assist you with your concern. They will do what they can to help you provide information supporting your claim.
Why will an online bingo site block me if I use several accounts?
Having more than one account on a bingo site makes it unfair for your fellow players, giving them fewer odds to win the game, especially for the winning prize and bonuses.
Why will an online bingo site block my account after numerous login attempts?
It’s a safety feature for the website to make sure nobody suspicious has access to your account. If you have a problem with your verification, you can provide details to recover your account without contacting customer support. In this case, it is also a good reason to have 2FA.
Remember that the potential reasons for being blocked on an online bingo site are for the safety of the company running the site and its players. If you keep an open mind and abide by the regulations provided, you won’t have anything to worry about being blocked.