A ranking is worth nothing if the platforms on it will not pay you when you cash out. The blacklist is the other half of the Ranking Protocol: the operators that have demonstrated, with evidence we can verify, that they do not pay. Once a platform lands here it is stripped out of every brand guide, review and comparison on CasinoTrust, whatever it scored before.
Platforms currently blacklisted
| Platform | Reason | Status | Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| No platforms currently listed | Investigations in progress are not published until verified | — | — |
What gets a platform blacklisted
A platform goes on the list when we verify at least one of the following. 'Verify' means we have seen primary evidence — account records, transaction logs, regulator notices, signed correspondence — and not merely a complaint.
| Criterion | What it looks like | Evidence standard |
|---|---|---|
| Non-payment pattern | Withdrawals held past 30 days with no stated, lawful reason; a 'pending' status nobody will explain; accounts closed while still holding a balance | Three or more independent, documented cases within 90 days, or one case above €10,000 that the operator refuses to explain |
| Licence revoked, suspended or fabricated | Showing a licence the regulator has pulled, or a licence number that does not match the register | Regulator register or public notice |
| Rigged or unauditable games | An RNG with no third-party certificate; modified-RTP versions running undisclosed; a provably-fair system that fails verification | Test results our desk can reproduce, or a provider's statement disowning the game build |
| Bonus-term abuse | Terms applied retroactively; winnings voided under an undefined 'irregular play'; max-bet rules enforced against bets placed before the rule existed | Terms archives and dated account evidence |
| Identity and data misuse | Demanding KYC documents only after a win and then refusing to pay; passing player data to unrelated third parties; ignoring self-exclusion | Documented timeline with the operator's own messages |
| Impersonation or clone sites | Sites trading on another operator's brand, logo or licence number | Domain records and the legitimate operator's confirmation |
Sluggish support, a mean bonus or a thin game library are not blacklist criteria. They pull a platform's score down under the protocol. They do not make it a scam.
How an investigation runs
Intake
A report reaches contact@casinotrust.org, or a regulator notice or a pattern in public complaints sets one off. We log it, issue a reference number and reply within 2 working days.
Evidence review
The Compliance Desk measures the evidence against the criteria above: account screenshots, transaction IDs, support transcripts, dated terms. Anonymous reports are welcome, but a claim nobody can verify cannot carry a case on its own.
Corroboration
We hunt for independent cases showing the same behaviour, check the regulator's register and enforcement notices, and where it matters re-test the platform ourselves with a real, funded account.
Right of reply
The operator gets a written summary of what we found and 10 working days to answer with evidence of its own. We publish a fair summary of that reply, or record that none came.
Decision and publication
Two editors with no connection to the reporting desk confirm the criteria are met. The platform leaves every ranking and appears in the table above with the reason, status and date.
Review and removal
Every listing is reviewed on a 90-day cycle. Coming off it takes verified remediation — players paid, licence reinstated, terms fixed — plus a full re-test under the Ranking Protocol. Removal is not for sale.
Reporting a platform to us
Email contact@casinotrust.org with 'Blacklist report' in the subject line. Report a platform we cover, one we do not, or one falsely claiming to be recommended by CasinoTrust. Send as much of the following as you have:
- The platform's exact domain and the company named in its terms.
- Your account username or ID — never your password.
- A timeline: deposit dates, withdrawal request dates, KYC submission dates, and every response you received.
- Screenshots of the withdrawal status, the account balance and any support conversation, with the dates visible.
- Transaction references — your bank's session or reference ID, the wallet transaction from OPay or PalmPay, or the blockchain transaction hash.
- Copies or archive links of the terms as they read on the day you signed up, if you kept them.
- Whether you have already complained to the operator, to a regulator such as the NLRC or your state lotteries board, or to an ADR body — and what came of it.
If a platform has already taken your money
Work through this in order. Each step builds a record that makes the next one stronger.
Complain to the operator in writing
Use email or the ticket system rather than live chat, so the record is dated and you keep a copy. State the amount, the dates and exactly what you want. Give them 7 days. Most regulators and ADR bodies insist on this step before they will look at anything.
Escalate to the ADR body or the regulator
A licensed operator has to name an independent dispute-resolution provider — eCOGRA, IBAS (UK), ADR Group, or the MGA Player Support Unit for MGA licensees. If none is named, complain to the regulator whose register carries the licence; for an operator licensed in Nigeria, that means the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) or the relevant state lotteries board. An unlicensed operator has no regulator at all, which is precisely the trap.
Ask your bank or card issuer about a chargeback
Card deposits — including those routed through Paystack or Flutterwave — can often be disputed under the card scheme's rules when the service was not provided as described. Move fast: the limit is typically 120 days from the transaction. Instant bank transfers, USSD payments, wallet transfers and crypto are effectively final, so put that evidence in front of a regulator instead.
Report it to the authorities
File with the fraud authorities where you are — in Nigeria the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police Force cybercrime channels; elsewhere Action Fraud in the UK, the FTC and IC3 in the US, Scamwatch in Australia. It seldom recovers money directly, but it feeds enforcement.
Send it to us
Forward the whole file to contact@casinotrust.org. Yours may be the case that completes a pattern.
Protect yourself afterwards
Change any password you reused elsewhere, ignore the 'recovery agents' who will appear in your DMs offering to retrieve your funds for a fee — that is the second scam — and if this sat inside a wider gambling problem, use the tools on our responsible gambling page.
Red flags to check before you fund an account
Most blacklist-worthy operators give themselves away inside ten minutes. Run through this before you send a kobo to any site that is not in our rankings.
- The licence number is missing, or does not show up on the regulator's public register under the company named in the terms.
- The terms lean on 'irregular play', 'bonus abuse' or 'professional player' clauses that are never defined.
- Withdrawal limits are tight (under €1,000 a week) while deposits are effectively unlimited.
- No KYC is asked for at sign-up or first deposit — a strong hint it will be demanded the moment you win.
- The operating company's name, address or ownership appears nowhere on the site.
- Games load only from studios nobody has heard of, RTPs are not published, and there is no third-party testing certificate.
- Support is live chat only, with no email address, no complaints procedure and no named ADR body.
- Reviews elsewhere are uniformly glowing, recent and vague, while complaint forums are full of unresolved payout threads.
- The domain was registered in the past 12 months and shadows a well-known brand's name.
Hold those against what a properly run operation looks like in our online casino reviews and crypto casino reviews, and read bankroll management before deciding how much of your money any platform deserves to be holding.
Frequently asked questions
What does it actually take to get a casino blacklisted here?
Verified evidence of at least one criterion: a non-payment pattern, a revoked or fabricated licence, rigged or unauditable games, retroactive bonus-term abuse, identity or data misuse, or impersonation. One complaint nobody can verify is not enough; three independent documented cases, or a regulator notice, usually is. The operator always gets a right of reply before anything publishes.
Why is there nothing on the list yet?
CasinoTrust launched in August 2026 and publishes a listing only after the full investigation process, corroboration and the operator's right of reply included. Live investigations stay unpublished until they are verified. Unlicensed platforms are kept out of the rankings automatically and never need a listing.
Can an operator pay its way off the blacklist?
No. Coming off requires verified remediation — affected players paid, licence reinstated, terms corrected — then a full re-test under the Ranking Protocol and sign-off from two editors independent of the commercial team. Our editorial policy rules out any commercial influence over listings.
A betting site is sitting on my withdrawal. What do I do first?
Put the complaint in writing to the operator and give it 7 days. Then escalate — to the ADR body named in the terms (eCOGRA, IBAS and others), to the regulator on whose register the licence appears, or to the NLRC or your state lotteries board if the operator is licensed in Nigeria. If you paid by card, ask your issuer about a chargeback inside the scheme's window. Send the full timeline to contact@casinotrust.org.
Can I recover money from an unlicensed site if I paid by transfer or crypto?
Rarely. With no regulator there is no complaints route, and instant bank transfers, USSD payments and P2P crypto are almost never reversible. Card deposits may still be disputed through a chargeback. Report it to the EFCC or the police cybercrime channels, keep every screenshot, and stay clear of 'recovery agents' asking for an upfront fee — they are a second scam.
How do I check for myself whether a licence is genuine?
Find the licence number and company name in the site's terms, then look them up on the regulator's own website — the UKGC, MGA, Curaçao Gaming Control Board and others all publish searchable registers, and the NLRC lists operators licensed in Nigeria. The company on the register must be the same company named in the terms. A badge in the footer or a PDF certificate hosted by the casino itself proves nothing at all.