Why We Blacklist Casinos

There are different things we love and therefore look for in our search for the perfect online casino. This is especially true for me as I sift through tons of data and review and analyze the different UK online casinos. There is a lot of stuff I see at these casinos that I really love. The process for compiling the list is lengthy and detailed – that is what enables me to make detailed listings across multiple categories. The objective is singular: to provide you with a list of casinos you will enjoy playing at.

During my analysis I come across quite a few casinos that do not score high on the parameters I review them for and therefore do not make it to the top casinos list. These are by no means bad casinos; it is just that they have not scored high enough to be in the list of top contenders.

However, there are few that score low on most, if not all, parameters. They raise red flags instantly and give me the feeling that they are the ones to stay away from. Giving you info on the best casinos is my job here, but it is not complete if I also do not tell you the ones to stay away from. That is why I also have a list of blacklisted casinos for you. These are casinos where players have had a hard time for some reason or the other. You would do well to stay away from them.

Our Blacklist

The world is completely networked today. It is this level of networking and connectivity that allows for relentless tracking of each and every complaint, issue, or problem that a player somewhere in the UK writes to me about. Each of these complaints or queries is investigated thoroughly to give you the correct picture about the different online casinos available to you as an UK player.

I have for you here a comprehensive list of blacklisted casinos. The list contains not just the casino’s name but also the issue you are likely to face if you play with them on the side. That gives you the complete picture regarding these casinos. The list is updated regularly to give you the latest information on blacklisted casinos.

Reasons for Blacklisting Casinos

There are a number of very valid reasons for blacklisting some casinos and putting them up for you to see and stay away from. I am putting down the most important reasons here:

• Poor payment record: It is not enough to just feel good to have won at a game; since we pay real money we expect our winnings to be transferred to our bank or credit card accounts so we can use that money. That is where a number of casinos fall short: while deposits are instantaneous withdrawals take some time.
  
  There are a few UK casinos that pay instantly and ensure you get your money at the earliest, but there are a few that take longer. There are different reasons why a casino may take time to remit your winnings to you and as long as the money reaches you in reasonably good time it is all good. But when you come across a casino where your winnings take ages to reach you, or worse, don’t reach you at all you know there is something seriously wrong with it.
  
  The tricky part is that they try and come up with supposedly plausible explanations for your money not reaching you. Explanations provided by the casino include:
  
  • Violation of bonus terms and conditions: The money did not reach you because you never earned it in the first place as you had violated the terms attached to the bonus!
  • Failure to meet deposit requirements: The money is annulled because you had failed to meet the deposit requirements that the casino had set.
• Unfair game play: When I come across a casino that uses a RNG that has not been certified and has issues in terms of ensuring fairness it is most likely to be blacklisted. This is because without the certification the player has no way of knowing whether the games are being conducted fairly and whether the deals and spins are actually random.
• Incorrect advertising: Casinos usually advertise their promotions prominently on their landing page. However, all good casinos also list out the terms and conditions attached to these bonuses in their Terms and Conditions section. Any casino that does not list out the terms and conditions attached to the different bonuses on offer is a prime candidate for getting on the blacklist.
• Player spamming: Marketing is a major part of the casino’s efforts to ensure more people know about it and its offerings. However, marketing has to be done properly. Spamming is definitely nowhere on the list of marketing best practices. That is why any casino I find indulging in spamming is immediately given a slot on our blacklist.
• Illegal practices: Online casino gambling is about legality, fairness, and reliability. I come across casinos that indulge in unfair practices or are not safe. Any casino that does not have at least industry-standard security technology like 128-bit SSL encryption and firewalls will figure on the blacklist.
• Other questionable practices: Casinos that skirt the law to accommodate deposits or violate laws end up on the blacklist.
• Poor security: I also blacklist casinos that fail to include the proper security technology that's needed to keep your personal information and financial details safe.

The Blacklisting Process

The process I follow for blacklisting casinos is detailed and multi-layered. As I have already mentioned elsewhere, all casinos are analyzed and reviewed on a wide range of parameters. These include, among others:

• Software
• Game range
• Promotions
• Security
• Customer support
• Fairness
• Payment processing
• Deposit and withdrawal methods

All casinos that score low across a majority, or even a couple, of these parameters are automatic candidates for the blacklist.

• The process is not limited to just finding the problem and listing the casino. The processes I have in place allow me to investigate the problem thoroughly in an attempt to find the root cause.
• Each likely candidate for the blacklist is reviewed and analyzed multiple times for confirmation.
• In place is a policy of contacting the casino’s management to get their side of the story and see if the issue was a one-off event or a recurring one.

Let me give you an example to understand the whole process better. Assume that I am analyzing a casino and come across a major problem – the customer support is terrible. I log that issue and proceed further and stumble across something else – the casino has received numerous complaints from players about the mess they have faced when withdrawing funds, and not done anything to resolve those issues except delay the process through vague mails and sometimes, even denials.

Now these are 2 big red flags that automatically go up and drive me only one way – blacklisting the casino. Before I do that, I investigate the problem and then do a round of checking with the casino’s management as well. If the situation is not satisfactory it is highly likely you will find that casino featured on the blacklist the next time you check it.

Getting a Casino Off the Blacklist

Through CasinosUK.org I strive to provide you with the latest information related to online casino gambling in the UK. That applies not just to the bonuses and promotions but also to the casinos on the blacklist. The list is updated as and when I come across new ‘suspects’. Listing is one part of the process; I also end up de-listing some casinos from the blacklist. These are casinos that have changed for the better and resolved the issues that drove them right on to the blacklist.

The reasons for a casino deciding to change its ways for the better, thereby allowing me to pull it off the blacklist, are many. A few major ones are:

• Change of ownership
• Tweaking of the rules and regulations that the casino follows
• Genuine attempt to resolve customer problems
• Increasing success rate in terms of customer issue resolution

However, you must understand one thing; delisting a casino from the blacklist is not an instantaneous process. It takes time, because it requires constant monitoring of the casinos over a period of time to track a positive turnaround closely to ensure that the changes are actually long-term and not just something for the short term. It is not the case that every now and then a casino gets off the blacklist, but it is true that there have been a few that have made their way out of it.

What You can Do

Player participation in this exercise is important because that increases my bandwidth in terms of people looking out for the bad ones. So what can you do as a player to help me provide you with details not just about the best casinos but also the bad eggs?

For starters, you can feel free to write in if you come across any such casino that strikes you as suspicious. Do not hesitate to write about casinos where you have had a nasty experience, like a payout taking ages to reach you or being denied on flimsy or unfair/unethical grounds. Then I can take the next required steps and do what is necessary.