Casinos forcing KYC after big wins, legal or scammy?

[Charles-Tim]

Some casinos advertise themselves as KYC-free, but the moment you win big, that’s when they suddenly put all the requirements on you. And it’s not just basic KYC, they ask for heavy documents like passports, and some even request bank account details.

This is common on crypto gambling sites and it is not when you win big but when you win. They make KYC compulsory but they will allow you to deposit without KYC but you will not be able to withdraw if you win until you get verified. This act is dubious in my opinion. Stake is not like that which is the reason I like the gambling site. You will be required to get verified before you will be able to deposit.

But if you mean the gambling site only do that when you win big, maybe it is part of their ToS.

[danherbias07]

Not new. They do this most of the time because they think they can get away with it. But they are mistaken. There are still a few who will fight against them and I think the government should be more strict with letting online casinos be licensed.

This is the only way to prevent scammy online casinos from getting in, and if they are forcing KYC just because someone won a big amount, I think it's a fishy strategy to run away from paying the winner.

[YOSHIE]

Casinos forcing KYC after big wins, legal or scammy?

That's the puzzle in the world of gambling that has not been solved at this time, I see a situation like that also happens to a famous casino and a good reputation and I see what makes it made The accusation is a beginner with a different account, whether it's a puzzle between gamblers or casino owners, back to each other.

Sometimes I see accusations of unreasonable victory claims, up to $ 500k - $ 1 million, how someone can win that big, isn't there a minimum limit and Maximum, so this is really confusing, which is clear if it is said to be "legal or fraud" both, but I don't know one of them, players or casino owners.

[pawanjain]

I’ve noticed some scam accusation posts against certain casinos, and there seems to be a trend here.

Some casinos advertise themselves as KYC-free, but the moment you win big, that’s when they suddenly put all the requirements on you. And it’s not just basic KYC, they ask for heavy documents like passports, and some even request bank account details.

So I’m wondering, is this really a legal safeguard, or are they just using it as their own policy to forfeit players’ winnings?
This is actually a serious concern. Most of us might not have reached that level yet, but what if one day we do hit it big and end up facing the same situation?

We have already discussed this here before multiple times and this behaviour from casino sites is not appropriate.
KYC details if required from a user should be asked before he deposits any money on the site.
If there is any cap on the winning amount which directs towards KYC then the user should know that beforehand.
It should be mentioned in their Terms and Conditions clearly.

[Die_empty]

So I’m wondering, is this really a legal safeguard, or are they just using it as their own policy to forfeit players’ winnings?
This is actually a serious concern. Most of us might not have reached that level yet, but what if one day we do hit it big and end up facing the same situation?

The first thing any gambler should do before signing on a casino is to read the terms of service. Some casinos include in the ToS that withdrawal of certain amount would be subject to KYC. Some of them genuinely request it because they are mandated to comply with Anti-Money Laundering regulations and policies of regulators or licensors. 

The casinos have the right to ask for documents based on their rules. And bettors should be able to submit them. But some of them asked for strange documents which might be complicated to get because they don't want to pay the winner. Such casinos should be reported to the relevant agencies for retrieval of the wins and sanctions if possible.

[Agbamoni]

There is nothing legal about any casino enforcing KYC on individuals after a big win, when at the beginning they stated they are KYC free. It is understandable if they made it clear that KYC is important and the gambler didn't pay attention to that.

Honestly, I dont want to believe that new casino go about reusing/copying FRD from old reputable casinos.

[panjul07]

Basically it is pretty common practice and I cant judge a casino ask for KYC after big wins as scam, the main point should be after the KYC is verified, what the casino do?
If they process withdrawal after verified KYC without too many drama, I will not call the casino as scam but if the casino do something like too many excuses to delay or even to make players unable to withdraw the big win with unclear reason, I will call it scam.
So the point is not about when the casino ask KYC because most casino has written terms, usually it is written as "we reserve the right to ask KYC at anytime..." or something similar.

[Cantsay]

definitely scammy and shitty behaviour if u ask me

even kyc casinos close ur accounts when u start winning constantly

I remember a casino representative who stated that those who are winning big are a threat to the casino and they don’t usually want them to continue using their site because to them they are not good for their business, while those who are losing big money to them are their favorite customers.

To me, it’s a scammy move - if you didn’t request it when they won little amount then I don’t see any reason why you’d start requesting for it when they managed to hit a huge win. To me if you don’t want people to win huge amount from your casino then limit it so they don’t lose huge amount and also they don’t get to win big, it will be a win-win situation for both of you and not that scammy kyc move that they usually pull.

[Alphakilo]

I’ve noticed some scam accusation posts against certain casinos, and there seems to be a trend here.

Some casinos advertise themselves as KYC-free, but the moment you win big, that’s when they suddenly put all the requirements on you. And it’s not just basic KYC, they ask for heavy documents like passports, and some even request bank account details.

Any casino that does this needs to have their names reported on the forum for us to know and avoid before hand.

I know that there are casinos that even though they do not make it known explicitly that is, you can sign up initially make a deposit and play without needing KYC. Your first few withdrawals, they may not even ask for KYC but after some time they do. This one is not a scam because if you read their terms and conditions, they usually say that they can request for KYC to be done at any time. However, if there is no mention of this already, then they are scammy.

[Stalker22]

~

So I’m wondering, is this really a legal safeguard, or are they just using it as their own policy to forfeit players’ winnings?
This is actually a serious concern. Most of us might not have reached that level yet, but what if one day we do hit it big and end up facing the same situation?

I believe its a little bit of both.

On one hand, the casino is not totally wrong in doing this.  They have a bunch of AML laws that are just insane that vary by jurisdiction.  When suddenly large amounts appear on their books it raises a red flag with regulators that the casino needs to prove where this money has come from, and where it will go.  Thats a legal obligation, and if they dont comply, they risk hefty fines and potentially losing their license.

But lets be blunt about the other side of this.  Theres definitely some shady operators out there that leverage this kind of practice as a predatory business practice.  They entice players in with the "no kyc" or "instant withdrawals" promises and get them to deposit and play.  Then, if a player hits a big win, the operator suddenly pulls out the KYC card, and then proceeds to make the verification as hard and dreadfully frustrating as possible, in hopes that youll either quit, or make a mistake that allows them to legally forfeit your winnings.  Its a scummy tactic and Id be willing to bet that it happens a lot more often than people want to believe.

[Ivystar5]

This has been a serious case in some casinos that have been dragged around the social media, an even here in the forum, if a casino claims to be KYC free at no point is the request for KYC after win justified but then some casinos practically includes the fact in the terms of service or T&C then at any point which they claim not to feel safe with you gambling and requires your ID then it's not a scam attempt but if they don't then it's obvious a very good strategy to forfeit gamblers win when it's big and beyond regular wins.

[348Judah]

I’ve noticed some scam accusation posts against certain casinos, and there seems to be a trend here.

Its not a trend at all, some can report for scam accusation in the right and wrong manners, this makes them all not to be  legit, except for few, while some sites that have been accused of scam don't even exist on this forum or been represented.

So I’m wondering, is this really a legal safeguard, or are they just using it as their own policy to forfeit players’ winnings?
This is actually a serious concern. Most of us might not have reached that level yet, but what if one day we do hit it big and end up facing the same situation?

Most times, a reputable gambling casino will not demand from you the gambler what is not on their terms and conditions, but because many don't take their time to read all these, another reason to use a well reputable gambling platform that can be trusted on whatever thing they do without being biased.

[Z-tight]

It is not the best situation for any gambler, i cannot defend that, because if i won big and i am faced with unending kyc requests, i would be pissed. However, i don't think many of these casinos advertise themselves as no-kyc casinos, it is true that they don't ask for kyc when you register and when you deposit, but even if they don't, i know that a casino can request for my kyc at anytime.

What would be best though is if customers are made to pass kyc before depositing, so they know that if they win, they are surely keeping it.

[Findingnemo]

It will well within their rights to ask for KYC verification at any time. But if a casino use this as a method to avoid paying the huge wins they will lose their reputation and go out of business so they don't have to do that unless they are suspicious about something.

Bank details or proof of deposit in general is asked as part of AML and this triggered when someone deposit an amount and try to complete the wagering requirement and try to withdraw the funds as quickly as possible so that leaves the casino with no other option than suspecting the user is trying to launder some money.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Some casinos advertise themselves as KYC-free, but the moment you win big, that’s when they suddenly put all the requirements on you. And it’s not just basic KYC, they ask for heavy documents like passports, and some even request bank account details.

Mention one casino that you've observed to have practiced such a malicious stunt, then everyone here will take better precautionary measures to avoid falling a victim. I was thinking they wouldn't even mention that to you; like, they don't advertise themselves as a KYC-free casino, only to ask out of a blue... They just don't request for it all and that makes any gambler very comfortable, until a meal ticket shows up.

So I’m wondering, is this really a legal safeguard, or are they just using it as their own policy to forfeit players’ winnings?
This is actually a serious concern. Most of us might not have reached that level yet, but what if one day we do hit it big and end up facing the same situation?

Although, it may look like they're always trying to forfeit people's winnings, but no... They also need a system that must have anyone trying to claim the winnings confirm that they're "You" before payouts can be made.

[Dr.Osh]

To be honest, this is a very serious problem for us as users, it feels very unfair but we are forced to do it to be free from fund retention, popular casinos are not immune to problems like this, casinos sometimes free us from low withdrawals for a long time, but when you win big suddenly a traffic jam comes, the common reasons for casinos are bonus abuse, multiple accounts and others they only claim unilaterally

[salad daging]

There's legal protection, or the casino uses its own policies, as outlined in the ToS.

They claim to be KYC-free in the thread title, for example, but the ToS states they can request KYC at any time. This means that with every big win, you'll likely be asked for KYC and more advanced documentation, such as passports, videos, and bank statements.

It's not unusual for big wins to be more heavily scrutinized by casinos, and this is a concern.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

I’ve noticed some scam accusation posts against certain casinos, and there seems to be a trend here.

Some casinos advertise themselves as KYC-free, but the moment you win big, that’s when they suddenly put all the requirements on you. And it’s not just basic KYC, they ask for heavy documents like passports, and some even request bank account details.

So I’m wondering, is this really a legal safeguard, or are they just using it as their own policy to forfeit players’ winnings?
This is actually a serious concern. Most of us might not have reached that level yet, but what if one day we do hit it big and end up facing the same situation?

If they changed the rule on the fly, then obviously it's a scam. I heard casinos inserted KYC on their TOS because someone win big in their casinos. It's a no-no specially if they advertise themselves as KYC-free.

But there are still casinos that are still KYC-free so that's where we should play. And there are casino that are mandated by the casino gaming commission to do mandatory KYC upon login, so that is a big risk that we will have to take.

[acroman08]

Is it just winning, or when the gambler tries to withdraw the winnings? Because I've seen casinos that have rules on their ToS that a withdrawal of a certain amount will trigger a KYC process. Anyway, if a gambler were asked for KYC just because they won a big amount and haven't tried to withdraw yet, it is kind of suspicious. I mean, apart from them using an excuse of "investigating" something, I can't understand why they would suddenly want you to do KYC just after winning a big amount and haven't tried to withdraw yet.

Also, this is why reading the casino's ToS is extremely important, there are casinos that advertise themselves as "no-kyc" but then in their ToS they require the gambler to do KYC at some point and usually when withdrawing.

[Asiska02]

I’ve noticed some scam accusation posts against certain casinos, and there seems to be a trend here.

Some casinos advertise themselves as KYC-free, but the moment you win big, that’s when they suddenly put all the requirements on you. And it’s not just basic KYC, they ask for heavy documents like passports, and some even request bank account details.

It is better to boycott such casinos that do that, it means that they can’t be trusted and when an accusation is raised against them, it is a sign for potential gamblers not to use their services because they’ll deny them a big win one day. If they claim to have noticed some kind of cheating during the games, there should be a way for them to investigate and let such gambler know but asking for their KYC information is already breach of agreement between the two parties.

So I’m wondering, is this really a legal safeguard, or are they just using it as their own policy to forfeit players’ winnings?
This is actually a serious concern. Most of us might not have reached that level yet, but what if one day we do hit it big and end up facing the same situation?

This is exactly what I feel about them, this is their own way of making the player feel pressured and want to forfeit their win to them. You can’t come up with some criteria’s that was not agreed on earlier, that’s just a sign of unprofessionalism. Filtering out the casinos to patronize and not to patronize is very important even if they pose as a no KYC casino.