Operator File · Curaçao

BitStarz Withdrawal Problems? Not Paying Out, Blocked Accounts and Refund Options

Licence status, what the record shows and the routes open to players anywhere, with sources. A listing is a record, not an allegation of wrongdoing.

Written by Jake Thomas, Co-founder and Director. Clinton & Co Advisors is not a law firm. Last checked 6 September 2026.

Entity: Gareton B.V.
Registration number: 160656
Licence number: OGL/2024/165/0185
Regulator: Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA)
Status: Indefinite (edition of 3 September 2026)
Date checked: 6 September 2026
Register: Curaçao Gaming Authority register (edition of 3 September 2026)

Licensed: BitStarz's own footer names Gareton B.V. as operator under Curacao licence OGL/2024/165/0185, and the CGA online licence register (3 September 2026 edition) lists that same licence against Gareton B.V. with status Indefinite.

Our free licence checker covers this and every other operator we hold a file on.

Who operates BitStarz

BitStarz's own footer, read on 6 September 2026, states that www.bitstarz.com is operated by Gareton B.V., registered under No. 160656 at Landhuis Zuikertuin, Zuikertuintjeweg z/n, Willemstad, Curacao, and that the site is licensed and authorised by the Curacao Gaming Authority under licence OGL/2024/165/0185. A second footer variant, carried on the operator's own home page, names the identical licence number but credits it instead to the 'Curacao Gaming Control Board' rather than the Gaming Authority, and adds a line stating the page is intended for residents of Luxembourg, which suggests the disclaimer text varies by visitor rather than describing BitStarz as a whole. The CGA's v2 online licence register, edition 3 September 2026, lists licence OGL/2024/165/0185 against Gareton B.V. with status Indefinite, matching the entity named in the primary footer.

The same footer separately names Firmero Limited, a Cyprus company with registration number HE 449597, registered at Alpha Tower, Limassol. Neither footer variant states what function Firmero Limited performs on the site, so it is recorded here as a company BitStarz names on its own page rather than as a payment agent, services provider or licensee; Gareton B.V. remains the entity the CGA register matches to the licence. Third-party review sites separately report that the BitStarz brand was operated earlier by Dama N.V. before passing to Gareton B.V., a change BitStarz's current pages do not themselves narrate; that ownership history and the brand's 2014 launch date were previously recorded and have not been re-read this wave.

What could be read of the terms

BitStarz's live terms page could not be fetched on 6 September 2026; the fetch tooling recorded 'no terms link found on the homepage'. The clauses below are quoted instead from a Wayback Machine snapshot of bitstarz.com/terms captured on 15 July 2026, so they are reproduced here as an archived copy rather than a current, live-read statement of BitStarz's terms.

Clause 3.6 (Restricted Countries Policy) bars a long list of countries from depositing and playing real money games, including 'United Kingdom (including any overseas territories)' alongside the United States, Spain, France and dozens of others; the clause applies to both fiat and cryptocurrency play. Clause 7.1 sets out the purpose of Know Your Customer checks as confirming the account holder is a real person, that deposited funds are of legitimate origin and belong to that person, and that released funds reach the correct destination account and person. Clause 8.7.1 states that BitStarz 'shall try to pay out withdrawals within 1 hour, however in some cases, withdrawals may take longer'. Clause 8.7.4 reserves the right to request further verification during withdrawal processing, including a passport, national identity card, utility bills or the cards used to deposit, for fiat and cryptocurrency players alike, and clause 8.7.11 allows locking an account if the operator cannot reach the player by email or phone within two weeks of a withdrawal request. Clause 13.1 charges a monthly administrative fee of a minimum EUR 5 (roughly £4/$5) once an account has gone six consecutive months without a login. Clause 14 routes complaints to customer service in the first instance, and clause 14.4 states that 'the records of the server shall act as the final authority in determining the outcome of any claim'; clause 14.7 forbids assigning, transferring or selling a complaint to a third party. Clause 17.1 sends all disputes to arbitration in Curacao under Curacao Civil Procedure Rules. The archived sections read do not set out a maximum win limit.

Is BitStarz withholding a withdrawal?

The playbook for a stalled BitStarz payout is in what to do when a casino withholds your winnings. For a substantial sum, whether BitStarz has voided a win, confiscated a balance or simply stopped releasing a withdrawal, our withheld winnings service covers the evidence that decides these cases and the point at which specialist assessment earns its keep.

What the record shows

Our research found no substantiated public regulatory or court action against BitStarz. This file reflects licence and status records only, and is not a suggestion of wrongdoing.

Is BitStarz legit?

"Legit" is really three separate questions. BitStarz holds licence OGL/2024/165/0185 and is recorded as licensed under Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA). No substantiated regulator or court action against BitStarz appears in our research. No UK Gambling Commission licence is recorded for it, meaning neither GamStop nor the UK dispute framework reaches it, and that gap matters more than any review score when something goes wrong. No licence anywhere is a promise of fair treatment. Our free licence checker matches any Curaçao licence number against the CGA's own register.

Complaints about BitStarz

AskGamblers' complaints listing for BitStarz records 25 documented player complaints, with recurring themes of delayed or pending withdrawals, disputed cashback and bonus classification, and winnings the casino declined to pay out; these figures were previously recorded and have not been re-read this wave. Complaints describe crypto withdrawals refused on the basis that a cashback bonus had been reclassified as a no-deposit bonus, and describe winnings confiscated outright. Outcomes across the published complaints are mixed, with some resolved and others rejected, so the figures here are attributed player accounts rather than a regulatory finding against the operator. Set against those complaints, AskGamblers separately shows BitStarz with an aggregate player rating of 8.8 out of 10 across 628 reviews and records that BitStarz holds the AskGamblers Award for Best Casino and its Certificate of Trust; both the complaint themes and the aggregate rating come from the same publisher and, like the complaints figures, were not fetched again on 6 September 2026.

A complaint about BitStarz should go to BitStarz itself first, in writing, through the complaints channel it publishes or its support address where it publishes none, with every reply kept. If BitStarz does not resolve it, escalation points at Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA), and in practice the pressure comes from the evidence your own records support. The sequence is set out in how to escalate a casino complaint.

What the licence requires

BitStarz is regulated by Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA) under licence OGL/2024/165/0185, and no UK Gambling Commission licence is recorded for it, so GamStop and the UK dispute-resolution framework do not apply. Read more on how Curaçao casino law works.

If you are trying to recover money

Because BitStarz is licensed in Curaçao and not by the UK Gambling Commission, no UK adjudicator can order a refund, so recovery runs as a claim built on BitStarz's own complaints process and contractual terms, taken forward with a regulated legal partner where the evidence supports it. Preserve your account evidence first, then see how gambling-loss recovery works, the evidence you need to recover losses, and how to escalate a casino complaint.

Before you write, look BitStarz up on the Curaçao enforcement register: a recorded action against the licensee changes what the complaint should say.

Two guides carry the detail for a Curaçao brand like BitStarz. Getting your money back from a Curaçao casino sets out the complaint order and what the regulator can realistically do about BitStarz. Where you had self-excluded with BitStarz and it kept taking deposits, read what a failed self-exclusion is worth. The free complaint route finder maps the order for you.

If the amount is large

Two things tend to happen at once when a BitStarz balance gets large. The BitStarz account goes quiet on the commercial side, with a BitStarz host who replied in minutes now slow or silent, and BitStarz withdrawal caps that were irrelevant on a £500 / $650 payout suddenly shaping how long a £50,000 / $65,000 balance takes to leave. On the compliance side the Curaçao anti-money-laundering regulations of January 2025 that bind BitStarz come into play: BitStarz must carry out customer due diligence once your transactions reach NAf 4,000, roughly £1,700 / $2,200, calculated daily across every deposit and withdrawal since the BitStarz account was opened. Where the threshold is reached because you want to withdraw, those regulations call for BitStarz to freeze the account completely. Where BitStarz judges the risk higher, enhanced due diligence follows, which is why BitStarz asks for source of funds or source of wealth: savings, employment, a property sale, dividends, an inheritance, earlier gambling winnings. There is a backstop that binds BitStarz. If the documents have not reached BitStarz within 30 days of the threshold being reached, it must terminate the relationship, and absent a money-laundering presumption the funds are to be transferred to you. What to do while the BitStarz clock runs is under Where you are playing from.

Where you are playing from

Wherever you are playing from, a dispute with BitStarz runs through the BitStarz Curaçao licence and seat. Under Article 5.3 of the LOK, the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, you can complain to BitStarz free of charge within six months of the incident; BitStarz must acknowledge within a week and rule within four weeks, extendable once by four weeks. If that fails, the LOK requires a licensee to offer alternative dispute resolution at its own expense, and the Curaçao Gaming Authority requires that provider to be one it has certified, on a timetable it expects to run no longer than 90 days from the referral. A licensee that has not engaged a certified provider has fallen short of that requirement rather than been released from it. The Authority does not mediate the BitStarz dispute or order compensation, but a complaint to complaints@cga.cw feeds its supervision of the BitStarz licence. Beyond that, Article 5.5 requires a licensee to provide a clause submitting the gaming agreement to Curaçao law and any dispute to the Curaçao courts, and Article 15.3 makes a player’s claim against a licensee such as BitStarz enforceable there.

If you are in the United States

Online gambling in the United States is regulated state by state, and BitStarz holds no state licence, so no state regulator has authority over your BitStarz account or over the money BitStarz is holding. That is the point a bipartisan coalition of 50 state attorneys general put to the Department of Justice in August 2025, asking it to act against offshore platforms operating without proper licensure: enforcement, not a refund scheme for a BitStarz player. A complaint to your state attorney general or state consumer protection office puts the BitStarz dispute on record. The money route against BitStarz is the Curaçao route above, the one attached to the BitStarz licence.

If you are in the EU

Whether an EU player has a domestic claim against BitStarz depends on the country. In Austria the position on an operator like BitStarz is settled: the OGH in 1 Ob 229/20p held that a provider without an Austrian concession acts unlawfully, its contracts are ineffective and the player is entitled to repayment of the stake, so an Austrian BitStarz player has a recognised route. In Germany the Court of Justice of the EU (Case C-440/23, 16 April 2026) confirmed that EU law does not prevent a restitution claim for stakes lost with BitStarz on games prohibited in the player’s home state, though that ruling concerned Malta-licensed operators rather than BitStarz and the BGH’s lead decision (I ZR 216/25, hearing 17 September 2026) is pending, so a German BitStarz claim is not yet settled law. The Dutch Supreme Court ruled on 3 July 2026 that contracts with an unlicensed operator such as BitStarz are not automatically void, so a Dutch BitStarz player has no automatic refund, only a possible claim against BitStarz for mistake or in tort. For every other EU country the sourced route against BitStarz is the Curaçao route above, the one attached to the BitStarz licence.

If you are in Canada or Australia

In Canada the only regulator with a player-dispute process is Ontario’s, and it reaches Ontario-registered sites only, so it does not reach BitStarz: the AGCO says it cannot get your money back from BitStarz and only assists with disputes about regulated sites, and iGaming Ontario has no legal relationship with unregulated operators and cannot refund wagers. Every other province runs a government monopoly, and we have found no domestic route against BitStarz there. In Australia the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 bans online casinos outright; ACMA accepts complaints about breaches but says plainly that Australian regulators cannot help if an overseas site such as BitStarz withholds your winnings, and points BitStarz players back to the licensing authority abroad. For BitStarz that means the Curaçao route above.

If you are in the UK

Being in the UK adds no route against BitStarz, because BitStarz holds no Gambling Commission licence and the Commission’s protections travel with the licence, not the player. GAMSTOP covers only operators licensed in Great Britain, so it did not block BitStarz. The ADR duty binds Commission licensees only, which BitStarz is not, and IBAS adjudicates only disputes with operators registered with it, a registration this file does not record for BitStarz. The Commission has no powers to resolve individual gambling complaints or help consumers get their money back from BitStarz, and instead asks for unlicensed sites to be reported to intelligencereports@gamblingcommission.gov.uk. The route open to you against BitStarz is the Curaçao route above, the one attached to the BitStarz licence.

Sources

bitstarz.com: Footer read 6 September 2026: 'www.bitstarz.com is operated by Gareton B.V. registered under No. 160656 at Landhuis Zuikertuin at Zuikertuintjeweg z/n, Willemstad, Curacao. This website is licensed and authorized by the Curacao Gaming Authority (license no.OGL/2024/165/0185).' Also names Firmero Limited, Cyprus company reg. HE 449597, Limassol, with no stated function; the site's own home page carries a second footer variant crediting the same licence number to the 'Curacao Gaming Control Board' rather than the Gaming Authority
web.archive.org: Wayback Machine snapshot of bitstarz.com/terms captured 15 July 2026 (live terms fetch failed on 6 September 2026, no terms link found on the homepage): clause 3.6 restricted-countries list including the United Kingdom, clause 7.1 KYC purpose, clause 8.7.1 withdrawal timing, clause 8.7.4 verification during withdrawal, clause 13.1 dormant-account fee, clause 14 complaints procedure, clause 17.1 arbitration in Curacao
gamingcontrol.spin-cdn.com: v2 dataset row: OGL/2024/165/0185, Gareton B.V., status Indefinite; CGA online licence register, edition 3 September 2026; read 6 September 2026
nostrabet.com: Previously recorded, not re-read this wave: ownership history from Dama N.V. to Gareton B.V.; 2014 launch date
askgamblers.com: Previously recorded, not re-read this wave: 25 documented player complaints, recurring themes of delayed withdrawals, disputed cashback/bonus classification and confiscated winnings
askgamblers.com: Previously recorded, not re-read this wave: aggregate player rating 8.8/10 across 628 reviews; AskGamblers Award for Best Casino and Certificate of Trust

How we verified this: the BitStarz file draws on Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA) records, licence registers and attributed player reports, checked as our editorial standards describe.

FAQ

Common questions about BitStarz

Can I get my money back from BitStarz?

Possibly. BitStarz is licensed in Curaçao, outside the UK system, so no UK adjudicator can order a refund. Recovery instead works through the operator's own complaints process, the evidence your payment history supports, and where appropriate a regulated legal partner. The right route depends on your evidence, and our initial assessment is free and confidential.

Who operates BitStarz, and is it licensed?

BitStarz is operated by Gareton B.V., licensed in Curaçao, under licence OGL/2024/165/0185. It is recorded as licensed under Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA). The brand has operated since 2014. This licence sits outside GamStop, so a GamStop self-exclusion does not block accounts held under it.

Does BitStarz accept UK players?

BitStarz is not open to UK players on the record on this file. Clause 3.6 of the archived terms (Restricted Countries Policy) lists 'United Kingdom (including any overseas territories)' among the countries barred from depositing and playing real money games. Not UKGC-licensed, so no GamStop coverage and no domestic dispute route. The licence in force when you played is what shapes the routes open to you.

Is there anything documented on file about BitStarz?

Our research found no substantiated public regulator or court action against BitStarz. This file reflects licence and status records only, and is not a suggestion of wrongdoing.

What should I do if BitStarz will not pay out or has frozen my account?

Preserve the evidence first: screenshot your balance, the stuck withdrawal, chat transcripts and emails, and save the terms as they read today. Then make one formal written complaint and escalate to the right authority or a regulated legal partner. Avoid closing the account or accepting a partial settlement before you have taken advice.

Will BitStarz know I contacted Clinton & Co?

No. Nothing is sent to any operator without your written consent. The first an operator hears of your case is a formal complaint you have approved.

Is BitStarz holding your money?

The sooner the evidence is preserved, the stronger the file. Our initial assessment is free and strictly confidential.

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