A lot of money moves between online casinos and players, which can naturally lead to unpleasant situations. The best-case scenario is that you deposit the amount you would like, either lose or win, and cash out without any delays or issues.
Though often, players feel bad about money deposited for online gambling and file for chargebacks or ask the casino for a refund. In other cases, your withdrawal request isn’t processed quickly enough, and you reverse your winnings and lose them back to the casino.
Casinos have long lists of T&Cs, and they include clauses linked to the above. In most cases, they include similarly worded legal jargon and protect them from unfair practices. As a player, you could regain some of your losses or protect yourself from online casino withdrawal reversals by reading our guide. We cover the following three topics in-depth:
- Online casino deposit refunds
- Online casino chargebacks
- Online casino withdrawal reversals
They are linked but different topics you should be aware of before gambling online or when you are faced with sketchy casino sites.
Online Casino Deposit Refunds
Asking for a casino refund is entirely possible, and all online casinos support it. Except for rogue operators which you should avoid anyway.
Most online casinos allow for refunds within 24 hours of the deposit, and only if the funds haven’t been played yet. It is not guaranteed that you will get your money, and you should have a legitimate reason for this. In most cases, successful refund claims relate to deposits conducted due to a glitch in the system, processing delays, or any similar justification.
How to initiate a casino refund
If you have transferred funds to a casino and haven’t yet played them, there is a good chance you could ask for a refund. This can be done by messaging the casino’s support team and explaining the situation. Make sure to be polite and provide real justification, don’t just say you changed your mind. Customers of all sorts of businesses change their minds, but this doesn’t entitle them to a refund (necessarily).
Keep in mind that the refunded amount will be posted back to the same banking method used to deposit unless that’s not an option (i.e., prepaid card casino payments).
Do all casinos offer deposit refunds?
Most legit online casinos offer refunds, but you should verify this in their T&Cs. It is usually included as a clause under the payments section.
If not, you will have to play through your funds successfully. Non-bonus-related deposits must be typically wagered 1 – 5 times for the remaining funds to become cashable. Engaging in this is risky, as all gambling activities, and could go either way.
The wagering requirement for real money deposits might sound fishy, but it is in place to protect casinos from money laundering activities. This is why casino refunds are an excellent work-around.
Does it work?
Online casino refunds in cases of glitches, casino delays, or technical problems work. If you don’t have evidence or a good argument to support your request, it is unlikely that the casino will post back your money.
This is especially true for casino payments conducted through ‘unique’ payment gateways like crypto or prepaid vouchers. In any case, the casino might charge a fee for the whole situation, so you might as well have fun with your deposited funds and withdraw after completing the low software wagering requirement.
Reversing Online Casino Withdrawals
Reverse withdrawals are an entirely different story, and I have personally engaged in them too. Most true gamblers have, really.
To explain, when filing a payout request at the casino, their team can take anywhere between minutes and days to process it and post the money. Instant withdrawal casinos are rare these days, especially since most gamblers end up cancelling their withdrawal requests to continue playing games. This benefits the casino and incentivizes longer withdrawal pending times.
If you reverse your withdrawal, there is no point in complaining to the casino. It was your decision, even if they took longer than normal to process your payout.
I wish I had a list of casinos that don’t let players cancel their withdrawal requests, but I’ve never played or reviewed one. What you can instead do is utilize responsible gambling tools like:
- Self-exclusion
- Cooling off
- Deposit limits
- Spending limits
All the above restrict your gaming activity in one way or another, while still letting you cash out. HOWEVER…most offshore casino sites take some time to enforce such measures as well…proactively setting ‘spending limits’ is your best protection.
Casinos let you set a spending limit per day, week, and/or month, and you cannot play for longer if you exceed it. This way, the casino will stop you from wagering and hopefully you can wait your withdrawal request out and get your handpay.
Online Casino Chargebacks
This topic is more controversial since it is an indirect way to get back money you lost at the casino.
In a nutshell, players can file a chargeback request to their bank against the online casino, asking for their money back. This only works in cases of fraud or cheating, and the player must prove that this is the case. Even then, casino chargebacks aren’t guaranteed to work.
Definition
Here is the definition of chargeback:
“A chargeback is the payment amount returned to a debit or credit card after a customer disputes the transaction or simply returns the purchased item.
The merchant or the cardholder’s issuing bank can initiate the chargeback process. Merchants typically incur a fee from the card issuer when a chargeback occurs.
Federal law requires card issuers to offer chargebacks within 60 days of the billing date. There is a fee for initiating a chargeback, so resolving disputes with the merchant is preferable if possible.”
Do casino chargebacks work?
The above suggests that casino refunds are the preferred route. Filing a chargeback against the casino will result in costs for your bank and the operator, so expect a ban from the gambling site and affiliated operators. Banks could also close your account if you keep filing chargeback requests.
However, chargebacks actually work. The bank typically returns the funds to your account instantly and then begins a formal investigation. The casino and the bank will be in contact and try to get to the bottom of the issue. You must explain to the bank why the chargeback makes sense, and any of these scenarios could work:
- Didn’t receive the service described (casino doesn’t let you play)
- The casino operates illegally (doesn’t work in 99% of the cases)
- The games are rigged (hard to prove but can be done on sites like ThePokies.net which use software unavailable in Australia)
- The casino doesn’t pay your winnings or charge you for funds you didn’t deposit (most likely to work)
You can easily file a casino chargeback request directly with your bank, it’s not hard, but make sure to have evidence and a legit case.
Abuse of casino chargebacks
I know plenty of casino operators managing small brands that have filed for bankruptcy or gone under due to illegitimate casino chargebacks.
The money is withheld from them for long periods, and they have to spend significant sums to win their cases, but ultimately they do. There is no reason to file for chargebacks unless you are entitled to one. Do it with operators who deserve them.
Dangers & Benefits of Reversing Casino Payments
Casino refunds are a clear-cut issue without pros and cons. If you are playing at legit casinos and you have a valid reason backing your refund request, you will receive the money.
On the reversed casino withdrawals front, our tip is to monitor yourself and enforce any gambling tools available to you. Also, stick with fast payout casinos and avoid operators refusing or delaying payouts.
Casino chargebacks will inevitably lead to you getting a casino block. If you are fine with this and have a valid reason for requesting your money back by involving 3rd parties, then go for it.
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My recommendation is to keep away from unknown casinos or those with bad reviews from our experts and users.
Playing at approved operators ensures valid casino refunds when you deserve them, faster payout processing, access to responsible gambling tools, and secure payments.
We do not recommend requesting chargebacks from casinos unless they scam you in one way or another.
Conclusion
Pokies Bet noticed that the above three highly contested topics aren’t addressed by any experts, so we took a deep dive and investigated them.
Casino refunds are rarely employed by players, mostly because they are not aware of this option. Hopefully this will change now.
Reversing casino withdrawals is a practice as old as online gambling, and our editor hopes that all readers will utilize our tips to overcome the temptation. Even better, we might see casinos that don’t let customers reverse pending withdrawal requests.
Lastly, casino chargebacks are often abused by players. Hopefully, with the analysis provided you understand that it is your right to file for one but shouldn’t be abused.
- About the Author
- Affiliate Disclosure
Michael has reviewed and verified all information on this page. Having worked in the iGaming industry for over 8 years, he is the most capable person to help you navigate online casinos, pokies, and the Australian gambling landscape.
