A non-GamStop casino that will not pay out is almost always licensed in Curaçao or Anjouan rather than by the Gambling Commission, and that licence decides what happens next. Check which licence the casino actually holds, then work the complaint route that licence provides in order, before assuming nothing can be done.
| Cause | How to tell | What to do | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No UK adjudicator applies | The casino's licence is Curaçao or Anjouan, not the Gambling Commission | Use the operator's own complaints process first, then the certified dispute provider its terms must name | Set by the operator's own complaint procedure, then by the certified provider's own process; no fixed timescale is stated on this page because none was verified from a primary source |
| Source-of-funds hold at withdrawal | A request for bank statements, payslips or an explanation of your funds appears only after a win | Send everything asked for once, in full, and ask in writing what specifically remains outstanding | Days to several weeks |
| Bonus or wagering term dispute | Winnings are reduced or voided and a promotion was active on the account | Ask for the exact clause relied on and compare it against the terms shown when you opted in | Resolved on written complaint, per the operator's stated response time |
| Account closed, balance zeroed under a vague "review" | No specific clause is named, only "account misconduct" or a "responsible gambling review" | Demand the exact term in writing before accepting the decision or any partial offer | No fixed period; escalate once a written refusal exists |
| Licence expired, revoked or under assessment | The register status does not match what the casino's own footer or terms claim | Verify the licence and its status before the complaint is sent, not after | Immediate; a lapsed or revoked licence changes who you can escalate to |
| Operator unresponsive or the site has gone dark | Support stops replying, or the domain redirects or returns no content | Stop chasing support and preserve the record immediately: balance, history, terms | Not applicable; this becomes evidence work rather than a complaint |
If the withheld sum is already substantial, our Curaçao refunds service and a free eligibility check will tell you where your record actually stands before you spend weeks on the wrong letter.
Why won't a non-GamStop casino just pay out like a UK site would?
A Gambling Commission licensee answers to a regulator that can fine or suspend it, and to an independent adjudicator, commonly IBAS, once its own complaints process is exhausted or eight weeks have passed. A Curaçao or Anjouan licensee answers to neither. There is no eight-week clock, no IBAS referral, and reporting the operator to the Gambling Commission achieves nothing because it was never the licensing body. That does not mean nothing exists, only that the lever is different: it sits inside the offshore licence itself, and it only works if you identify the licence correctly first.
How do I check which licence the casino actually holds?
Read the site's own footer or terms for the operating company name and licence number, then verify both against the regulator's own register rather than taking the casino's word for it. Brands change licensing entity, let a licence lapse mid-dispute, or display a number that no longer matches the register row it once did, and each of those changes the route available to you. Our free licence checker runs that comparison in seconds.
What is the free route against a Curaçao-licensed casino?
Curaçao's National Ordinance on Games of Chance, the LOK, requires licensees to run a genuine internal complaints procedure and, under Article 5.3, to engage a dispute resolution provider that the Curaçao Gaming Authority has separately certified. That referral costs the player nothing; the operator carries the cost. Run it in order: a written complaint to the operator quoting the clause it is relying on, then, once that stalls or is exhausted, the certified provider named in the operator's own terms. A regulatory report to the Curaçao Gaming Authority can run alongside that referral, though the regulator supervises licensees rather than ordering individual payouts.