A non-GamStop casino that has blocked your account while a balance sits inside it is usually running an identity or anti-money-laundering check that has gone on too long, not confiscating the money outright. Curaçao and Anjouan, the two licences behind most non-GamStop sites, each set limits on how a review must run and what happens if it stalls, so the first step is finding out which one applies to your casino before deciding what to send next.
| Cause | How to tell | What to do | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A one-off identity or anti-money-laundering check | The operator names a specific document list and the request has not repeated | Send everything asked for in a single message and keep a dated copy | The Curaçao Gaming Authority publishes complaint-handling requirements for its licensees at cga.cw; Anjouan gives the operator 30 calendar days to respond to a complaint |
| An open-ended "security review" with no document list or date | Replies say only that the account is "under review", with nothing to provide and no timeframe given | Ask in writing for the specific step causing the delay and a date it will conclude; keep the reply, or its absence, as evidence | No fixed limit while it stays informal; treat two weeks of silence as grounds to escalate |
| The same documents requested a second or third time | ID or proof of address you already sent and had accepted is asked for again | Resend once, dated, then log every repeat request as a new entry in a written complaint | Each repeat request should reset your own deadline for a reply, not the casino's |
| Closure citing a specific rule breach | The operator names a term, such as a duplicate account, bonus misuse or a prohibited jurisdiction | Ask for the evidence behind the claim and answer each point in writing | Varies; use the operator's own written complaint channel first |
| The operator has stopped replying altogether | No response to messages, live chat unavailable, no complaint acknowledgement | Preserve every record, then use the ADR route that matches the licence | Anjouan requires escalation to an approved ADR provider once 30 days pass unanswered; a Curaçao licensee's complaint route is set out under CGA requirements published at cga.cw |
| Licence type unclear from the footer | No licence number shown, or a number that does not match the register | Check the licence and its current register status before choosing a route | Immediate, using the licence checker below |
Why has a non-GamStop casino blocked my account?
Both Curaçao and Anjouan licences carry a legal duty to verify who a player is and, above certain thresholds, where their money came from. A block that appears once your balance or turnover has grown is often the operator meeting that verification duty, not singling you out. The same logic sits behind Anjouan-licensed sites, which answer to Anjouan Gaming rather than the Curaçao Gaming Authority. A block that comes with a named document list and a channel to submit it is doing what the licence requires. A block that comes with nothing to act on is not the same thing, even if the operator describes both as a "security review".
The "security review" that never seems to end
The phrase itself is not a red flag; both regulators expect operators to pause an account while a genuine check runs. What matters is whether the review has a scope and an end point. The Curaçao Gaming Authority requires its licensees to run a complaint-handling procedure for players, set out at cga.cw. An Anjouan-licensed operator has 30 calendar days to investigate and respond to a complaint, or 14 days where the dispute concerns a specific game outcome. That figure is not a promise that your balance will be paid by that date, since a genuine check can still be running lawfully within it, but it gives you a date to hold the operator to. If you have already asked, in writing, what step is outstanding and received no scope or date in return, you have passed the point where "still reviewing" is a complete answer.
Why do they keep asking for documents I already sent?
A repeat request for the same identity document or proof of address usually means one of three things: the file was rejected for a reason the operator has not told you, the request was generated automatically and never reached the person handling your case, or the review has restarted because your account triggered a second check. None of these is a reason to keep resending indefinitely without a response. Send the document once more, note the date, and treat the repeat request itself as a fact worth recording: a pattern of asking for the same thing twice, with no explanation of what was wrong with it the first time, is exactly the kind of evidence that matters if the review has to be escalated later.
Can the casino keep my balance while my account is blocked?
A block or a review is a delay, not a right to keep a genuine balance permanently. Both licence regimes exist on the premise that operators may pause a withdrawal to complete a lawful check, not that they may treat a stalled check as a reason to hold the money indefinitely. If the review concludes with nothing found against you, the balance built from your own deposits and any winnings not tied to a voided bonus should be released. Where deposits were made by bank transfer rather than by card, a separate bank dispute route can exist independently of anything the casino decides about the account; our guide to recovering casino deposits paid by bank transfer sets that process out on its own terms.
What if the casino stops replying altogether?
Silence is common once an account is blocked, and it is where your own record becomes the deciding factor. Save the block or suspension message with its date, screenshots of the balance and transaction history from before access was restricted, every document you sent and when, and any reply, however brief. If the operator has a written complaints channel, use it and keep a copy of what you sent. Once the relevant deadline has passed under whichever licence applies, an Anjouan-licensed operator's approved ADR provider becomes available at no cost to you, funded by the operator, and a Curaçao-licensed operator is expected to have reached a ruling on its own complaint route by then. Neither regulator itself adjudicates individual player complaints; both push disputes into these operator-funded routes instead.
Does GAMSTOP or the Gambling Commission cover this?
No. GAMSTOP only blocks operators holding a Great Britain licence from the Gambling Commission, and a non-GamStop site is licensed offshore precisely because it sits outside that scheme. The Gambling Commission has no power to order a Curaçao or Anjouan licensee to release a balance, and the Commission-approved dispute providers such as IBAS only take disputes involving Great Britain licensed operators. That is not a dead end, it simply means the route runs through the licence-specific process above, and through a recovery claim where the operator's own conduct, rather than the block itself, is at issue.
Register checked 6 September 2026 against the Curaçao Gaming Authority register edition of 3 September 2026 (662 licences: 63 Active, 206 Indefinite, 311 Assessment in progress, 50 Revoked at the operator's request, 32 Expired). Before assuming the worst, confirm which licence the casino actually holds and its current status with our licence checker; a review that looks endless sometimes traces back to a licence itself sitting in Assessment in progress rather than anything being done to you personally.
If the review has already run past the deadline its own licence sets, or documents keep vanishing into a loop with no explanation, Clinton & Co can look at what happened and prepare the case. Our Curaçao refunds service is built around exactly this pattern of a blocked account with a real balance behind it, and a free eligibility check tells you honestly whether there is a route worth pursuing. There is no minimum case size and no promise of an outcome; we investigate the facts and, where a claim exists, connect you with regulated legal partners.
Some of the accounts most often reported as blocked mid-review sit behind these Curaçao licences. BitStarz is licensed to Gareton B.V. under OGL/2024/165/0185, register status Indefinite. Stake is licensed to Medium Rare N.V. under OGL/2024/1451/0918, register status Assessment in progress. Cloudbet is licensed to Halcyon Super Holdings B.V. under OGL/2024/328/0599, also Assessment in progress. Melbet is licensed to Pelican Entertainment B.V. under OGL/2024/561/0554, register status Indefinite. 1xBet is licensed to Caecus N.V. under OGL/2024/1262/0493, register status Indefinite. Each operator page sets out the licensee, the register status and what the operator's own terms say about UK players in full, each against its own dated source.
For the wider picture of what rights you do and do not have with an offshore operator, see casinos not on GamStop: your rights. For everything specific to a Curaçao licence, including the complaint route and the register, see our Curaçao casino help hub. If the block coincided with a payout going unpaid rather than being withheld outright, our guide to a casino not paying out covers chasing a stalled withdrawal in more detail.
If gambling is causing you harm, free and confidential help is available now. Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or chat to GamCare (gamcare.org.uk). BetBlocker (betblocker.org) is free and blocks gambling sites across your devices, including offshore sites GAMSTOP does not reach. You can check or extend a UK self-exclusion at GAMSTOP (gamstop.co.uk).
Sources
- Anjouan Gaming, Third-Party Complaint Policy, on the 30-day (14-day for game-outcome disputes) operator response window, mandatory operator-funded ADR, and the Authority not adjudicating individual complaints: anjouangaming.com/file-a-complaint/. Read 6 September 2026.
- Curaçao Gaming Authority, online gaming regulation, on the LOK licensing regime, licensee obligations and the requirement to run a complaint-handling procedure for players: cga.cw/regulation/online-gaming. Attempted 6 September 2026; the site returned an access error on that check, so this article states only that the CGA publishes complaint-handling requirements for its licensees, without specific day or week figures, and does not state an identification-threshold figure.
- Gambling Commission, information for the public and players, on the licensing boundary and why Great Britain routes do not extend to offshore-licensed operators: gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-and-players. Read 6 September 2026.
- IBAS (Independent Betting Adjudication Service), Terms of Use, section 5.1, on ADR eligibility requiring the operator hold a Gambling Commission operating licence and the dispute be subject to the laws of England and Wales or Scotland: ibas-uk.com/terms-of-use/. Read 6 September 2026.
- GamCare, National Gambling Helpline, on free and confidential support available 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133: gamcare.org.uk. BetBlocker device-blocking tool: betblocker.org. GAMSTOP self-exclusion scheme: gamstop.co.uk.
General information, not legal advice. We are not solicitors or a law firm. We connect clients with regulated legal partners.