If your MyStake withdrawal is stuck, refused, or buried under repeated document requests, you are right to be uneasy. This guide explains who runs MyStake, why payout problems are common at offshore casinos, and the practical steps and rights that may help you as a UK player.
Who runs MyStake
MyStake is operated within the Santeda International B.V. group, a Curaçao-based gambling operation. The group runs under Curaçao licensing, not the UK Gambling Commission, and it is not covered by GamStop. Its own terms name the United Kingdom as a restricted territory, yet players report being able to register from the UK and play.
MyStake is one of several brands in the same group. Reported sister brands include Goldenbet, Rolletto, Cosmobet and Velobet. You can read more about its sister brand Velobet in our operator directory. They tend to share infrastructure, terms, and the same Curaçao licensing model, so the issues players describe at one brand often echo across the others.
Why offshore payouts stall
We could not find a verified, attributable record of MyStake-specific withdrawal refusals, so we will not assert any. What we can do is describe the patterns players widely report at offshore, non-UK-licensed casinos, so you can recognise what is happening to you.
A withdrawal request is often the moment friction appears. Common accounts include repeated identity (KYC) checks that ask for the same documents again and again, balances frozen for a vague “security review”, sudden disputes over bonus wagering terms, and slow or partial payments that arrive only after persistent chasing. None of this is unique to one brand. It reflects the weaker consumer protection that comes with operating outside UK Gambling Commission rules.
A UK licence is not a brand badge. It is the difference between a regulator that can compel a payout and one that cannot.
When a casino is UK-licensed, you have routes that bite: the operator’s own complaints process, an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider, and ultimately the Gambling Commission. With a Curaçao-licensed site, those UK routes do not apply, and the offshore equivalents are far harder to use.
What independent monitors have alleged
MyStake has drawn outside scrutiny. GAMRS, which GamblingNews describes as an independent organisation that works with operators, regulators and public authorities, alleged that Santeda’s brands (MyStake, Cosmobet, Velobet, Goldenbet and Rolletto) sit at the centre of a black-market gambling network turning over more than £2 billion a year. GAMRS estimated MyStake alone at roughly £1.2 billion in annual turnover and reported that UK players accounted for 64.8% of its traffic.
These are third-party estimates and allegations reported by GamblingNews, not a regulator ruling or a court judgment. We flag them because the UK concentration is striking, and because the same report included player testimony worth knowing about. One person who had registered with GamStop reported losing £49,300 over three days, and said that after they disclosed a gambling addiction the offers to return kept coming. That is reported testimony, not proven fact, but it points to a real risk: self-exclusion through GamStop does not stop an offshore brand from marketing to you.
If you self-excluded and still lost money
This is where many of the strongest cases sit. If you signed up to GamStop to protect yourself, and an offshore casino still let you register, deposit and lose, the situation deserves a proper look. GamStop only covers UK-licensed operators, so it cannot block a Curaçao-licensed site like MyStake. That is a gap in your protection, not a failing on your part.
It helps to understand your rights with a non-GamStop casino before you decide what to do. This is not about whether you “should” have played. It is about whether the operator behaved as it should have, and whether marketing, affordability or self-exclusion failures mean a loss can be challenged.
Practical steps to take now
Start by protecting yourself and your evidence. Stop depositing. Then build a clear record while everything is fresh.
- Gather your account history, deposit records, and every withdrawal request with dates and amounts.
- Save all messages with support, including the exact wording of any document requests or refusals.
- Note any marketing you received (emails, texts, offers), especially if you had self-excluded.
- Put your complaint to the operator in writing and keep its replies.
Keep your payment records too. They show what you deposited and when.
You can pursue free routes yourself. You do not need a claims company to complain to an operator, and for UK-licensed sites you can escalate to an approved ADR provider, the Gambling Commission, or the Financial Ombudsman where a bank is involved. For an offshore brand those UK routes are limited, which is why many people look at whether a structured claim is worth it. Our guide to recovering gambling losses sets out the options in plain terms.
How Clinton & Co can help
If the situation feels beyond a simple complaint, our case team can look at whether there is a route worth pursuing. We are recovery specialists, not solicitors, and we work with regulated legal partners. We cannot promise an outcome or an amount. What we can do is tell you honestly whether your case has merit.
The starting point is a free eligibility check. It is confidential, there is no obligation, and where a case proceeds our regulated legal partners typically work on a no win, no fee basis, so you pay an agreed percentage only from funds that are actually recovered.
If gambling is affecting you right now, free and confidential help is available. You can call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or chat to GamCare (gamcare.org.uk) at any time.
Sources
- Gambling Commission (gamblingcommission.gov.uk): UK licensing and consumer protection. MyStake and Santeda do not hold a UK operating licence.
- GamblingNews (gamblingnews.com): reporting on the GAMRS allegations, the turnover and UK-traffic estimates, and player testimony.
General information, not legal advice. Clinton & Co Advisors is a trading name of Ramays TA/Clinton and Co Limited. We are not solicitors or a law firm. We connect clients with regulated legal partners.