Blacklisted Casinos

Blacklisted casinos in the U.S.

As with most industries that offer services to clients online, fake and illegal casino operators are always trying to take advantage of people. Unfortunately, these illegal online casinos are more common than most players may think, but there are some very easy ways of spotting them before you get scammed.

Below is a list of some blacklisted online casinos in the U.S. These have been proven to not treat their players fairly through a host of bad or illegal practices such as rigged games, issues giving payouts, presenting misleading bonuses, and overall shady business practices.

What does “Blacklisted Casino” actually mean?

It should be noted that there is no specific list of blacklisted online casinos that exists on someone’s desk or is accessible on a website. While it is true that the authorities actively remove illegal operators from circulation, there are some operators that are simply shady.

As such, a blacklisted casino is simply a casino that should be avoided at all costs for a number of reasons. Most importantly, these operators should be not be trusted with your personal and financial information, and they must be avoided for your own safety.

Why do casinos get blacklisted in the U.S., and how to spot them?

There are a number of different reasons why some casinos get blacklisted in the U.S., and you should be aware of these so that you can confidently identify a shady casino if it isn’t on our list.

No license

The best US online casinos are always fully licensed and regulated by a State Gaming Control Boards. These authorities issue gambling licenses after they pass the online casino through a number of rigorous corporate and financial checks.

However, some online casinos simply don’t bother applying for a license and just start operating without one. Sadly, this means that these bad actors are not held liable to penalties should they suddenly decide to withhold any customer winnings.

Players in New Jersey should always look for the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) stamp of approval at an online casino, while those in Pennsylvania are advised to play exclusively at casinos licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

Not paying players

Blacklisted casinos are in the online gambling business principally just to profit off people, without the intention of creating a fair business relationship. This means that it is very common for blacklisted casinos to simply not pay any real money winnings to their players.

There could be a multitude of reasons for this. In the most extreme cases, the online casino simply does not have the funds available, so it’s physically unable to honour customer payouts. In other cases, an underlying dispute between player and casino may be the root of the issue – this never happens when playing at a fully regulated site.

Unfair games and RTP rates

All online casino games featured at licensed casinos operate using a Random Number Generator (RNG), which ensures that each blackjack hand, craps dice roll, or roulette wheel spin, is random.

These games are routinely tested for fairness by regulating bodies such as eCOGRA ad GLI (Game Laboratories International). The latter is an auditing company with its headquarters in the United States. They are responsible for controlling the casino operation, ensuring adequate security, and testing gaming software. 

However, some online casinos simply do not bother with this, resulting in unfair games that make such operators blacklisted. 

In addition, some blacklisted online casinos can also manipulate games to create unrealistic RTP rates, which is very common for online slots. RTP is a measure of the percentage that determines the average amount of money returned on a player’s bet over several gaming sessions. Blacklisted casinos will skew RTP in their favor, so the players ends up placing bets and hardly ever winning.

Unauthorized software

It may come as a surprise to many online casino players in the U.S., but online casinos will generally create strong partnerships with authorized and reputable software providers. As such, licensed online casinos typically provide players with casino games by industry leaders such as Microgaming, Evolution, Ainsworth, High 5 Games, and more.

And yet, some online casinos can actually presented cloned versions of real games, which can be difficult to recognize at first. In general, these games are rigged as there is no legitimate agreement between the providers and these casinos, which is why they are blacklisted. 

Weak security and privacy protection

People spend a lot of time browsing the internet, so why should they give their personal information to a shady website? There are quite a number of concerns that come from blacklisted casinos in terms of their security. 

Players that hand out personal and financial information to such website are at an increased risk of identity theft, fraud, and cyber-security issues such as hacking. If you’re ever in doubt about an online casino, never give them access to your personal information!

Misleading Bonuses

There are several online casinos in the U.S. that have been blacklisted as a result of false advertising or misleading bonuses. This is an especially common tactic used by these shady businesses to lure new customers to their websites, only to discover that the $100 no deposit bonus actually required real money deposits!

Such false advertising is very common and can be easily identified by reading the fine print before placing any real money deposits. In most cases, some bonuses appear too good to be true, so it is best to avoid them. Here are some of the best and genuine U.S. casino bonuses currently offered by licensed casinos. 

Not clear Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions are things in life that we cannot avoid, but we generally just accept blindly. In fact, the practice of customers not reading terms and conditions has opened up an avenue for shady businesses to make a profit.

When it comes to online casinos, T&Cs are very important, as they can highlight key information about their business and promotions such as deposit and withdrawal limits, wagering requirements, and so on. T&Cs can change slightly over time which is normal. 

However, some blacklisted online casinos have a practice of presenting unclear T&Cs, and then just make large and drastic changes that can impact the outcome of a promotion. 

Bad or nonexistent customer service

Every casino player in the U.S. expects top-notch customer service. It is very normal that some players may express dissatisfaction with an online casino from time to time, as we are all human and make mistakes.

However, some U.S. casinos have become blacklisted simply as a result of providing terrible customer service. This means that they routinely ignore client issues, do not provide support when needs, or simply do not care at giving their players a good experience. Either way, these operators have been added to our blacklisted casinos list. 

Too complicated withdrawal process

When looking for a new online casino in the U.S., it is always recommended that players discover the different types of payment options available. This is especially important for withdrawal options, so that players can see the different options and tentative times they will have to wait to receive their winnings.

Blacklisted online casinos will generally offer very shady withdrawal options that will make you feel as though you have to jump through multiple hoops to get your money. This should be taken as an immediate red flag.

How to report an unsafe casino?

If you’re looking for a new online casino in the U.S. to play at, and you have any concerns about an operator that you came across, make sure that you get in touch. You can report a casino site directly to us if you think that it is running a shady operation, and you can also freely share your experience with us. 

Our team of experts will then investigate this online casino on your behalf. By submitting your message, you understand that your personal data will be handled in accordance with our privacy policy.

Players can be “blacklisted” too

This guide to blacklisted casinos online has mainly focused on things that get operators blacklisted, but casino players can also be blacklisted by operators!

The grounds and levels of player blacklisting varies from one country to the next, but one of the best examples of this is the Excluded Persons Information System (EPIS) used by the European country of Belgium.

Any player that is placed on the EPIS is completely blacklisted from going to physical casinos, betting shops, or registering at online gambling sites. There are multiple reasons why someone may land on EPIS, such as criminal activity, but some people on this list are there as a result of self-exclusion or by being named by a family member as a result of addiction.  

Land-based casinos in the U.S. have long had a list of blacklisted persons from their establishments, mainly due to them being career or professional offenders, cheaters, or criminal offenders. 

Player exclusion or blacklisting is a way for the casinos to keep undesirable clients away from their business, and it is also a tool used by casinos that practice responsible gambling. 

Conclusion

With so many new online casinos popping up on the U.S. market, it is imperative that players understand which ones they can trust. There are only a very few number of regulated and licensed casinos that should be trusted in full, as these treat their players with respect, meet all the terms that they set out, and provide payouts at standard times.

Blacklisted casinos will generally use cloned or rigged games, present misleading bonuses,  and in some cases will not even give players their real money winnings. You should always stay away from such shady operators, to make sure your online casino experience remains optimal.