Bovada Casino - Player’s account disabled amid withdrawal verification on Bovada.

I've had an account with Bovada since 2015. I've never had a problem until now.

I received a no deposit free spins bonus in an email and decided to use it since they don't usually give out no deposit bonuses. I logged in and used the bonus and after hours of playing, I managed to complete the required playthrough. I requested a withdrawal for the max allowed $100.

The website asked for verification during the withdrawal process and wanted to text me at an old phone number.

I went to my account profile but couldn't update my number there.

I then went on the online help chat and explained the issue.

The person asked security questions and said I was verified more than once. Then they proceed to make me hold multiple times while dragging the process to update my number to 1 1/2 hours of waiting time!

The person finally says that they can't update my number and disabled my account!

I asked for a manager because it seemed like they were trying to scam me out of the bonus winnings. Why else would it take that long just to update a phone number?

The manager reiterated the same thing, that I must send in pictures holding up an ID and they would get back to me in 48 hours.

I've sent them in twice and I keep getting this same message as a reply:

"Thank you for submitting to us your documentation.

For us to complete your verification, we kindly ask that you resend the requested documents as the images you submitted were either unclear or cut-off."

I would expect this from one of the other shadier casino's but not Bovada. They must be under new management or something because they are going downhill.

Please help.

Dear bemarshall,

Thank you very much for submitting your complaint. I’m sorry to hear about your problem.

Please understand that KYC is a very important and essential process, during which the casino makes sure that the money is sent to the rightful owner. As they don't have the luxury of being able to physically see all of the players and check their identification and documents, this is the only way gambling establishments are able to complete the verification procedures. None of the serious and licensed casinos take KYC lightly.

If you have been asked for a selfie with ID documents, which is nothing unusual, please follow these important guidelines:

-         Do not edit the image in any way

-         The photo needs to include your full face, head-on, with no distortions, shadows or reflections of light. If someone takes the photo for you, make sure they take it from up close and include as little background as possible (remember, no cropping is permitted)

-         When you take the photo of your ID, make sure the photo is clear and close enough to read without cropping or editing

I hope we will be able to help you to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your reply.

Best regards,

Tomas

The pictures I sent were clear. I would post them here if it didn't defeat the purpose of security verification. It would make sense if I was trying to log in multiple times with a wrong password or something but that wasn't the case. I logged into my account like normal and when I did, my balance was zero. I stayed logged in the entire time right until they disabled my account. There was no security issue and they had already told me I was verified.

They're playing their usual stupid games of delaying payout as long as possible. They can go ahead and keep my account disabled once I get the money I won. I'm done with Bovada after this.

Do I understand correctly your winnings were confiscated by the casino? Has the casino contacted you with a justification for why they deactivated your account and confiscated your winnings?

How long ago have you changed the phone number you use?

If there is any relevant communication between you and the casino please send it to my email at tomas@casino.guru

I'll await your reply.

Yes they confiscated the $100 and shut down my account. They asked me some verification questions that I answered correctly and was then told that I was verified and they had to work on updating my phone number.

This went on for more than an hour, then he came back and said a security question was answered wrong. He wouldn't tell me which one and wouldn't ask them again. The manager wouldn't ask them again either. Then they shut my account down.

Here's something interesting that I just recalled while typing this.

While they were "working" on updating my number, the guy would come back and ask me the name of the games that I last played. I thought that was strange since it didn't have anything to do with security verification. One of the games that I had last played and also named was called something like "Year of the Rooster". This was also coincidentally the game that I had won the most on and allowed me to cash out the full amount of $100.

Again, why they would ask me this, I do not know.

They have then said that I need to send in clear picture documents again and again.

I have had this new number for over a year. I have an account at Cafe and Ignition Casino which is their sister casinos, and have never had an issue. They could have easily verified my info through them.

They are using the security verification as an excuse to deny the bonus payout.

I have since sent even more ID pictures and have heard nothing from Bovada.

Hey you guys are awesome. These casinos must monitor your website because shortly after posting my last message, they restored my account. Needless to say, I made my withdrawal ASAP.

I'm sure they would have ignored me if you guys weren't our voice!

Thanks again!!

I am glad to hear your account was restrored.

Please let us know when the withdrawal reaches your bank account, or if there are any more issues. I'll await your reply.

Dear bemarshall,

We are extending the timer by 7 days. Please, be aware that in case you fail to respond in the given time frame or don’t require any further assistance, we will reject the complaint.

Dear bemarshall,

I will now mark the complaint as 'resolved' in our system. 

Thank you for your cooperation, and please do not hesitate to contact our Complaint Resolution Center if you run into issues with any online casino in the future. We are here to help.

Best regards,

Tomas

Casino.Guru