I’ve been playing at an illegal casino – what should I do?

Caroline B.

• 6 May 2026 • Reading time: 5 minutes

Have you just realised you’re playing at an illegal online casino? Don’t panic – in this guide, we explain what to do to limit the damage and suggest legal alternatives for your future gaming sessions! 

The first reaction when you realise you’re on an illegal site is often driven by fear. However, you must act with a great deal of pragmatism. By following these steps, you should be able to get out of this without too much damage. If the damage has already been done, solutions do exist, even if we cannot guarantee you’ll get your money back.

Stop all financial transactions immediately

Start by cutting off any further flow of money to the platform. If your funds are frozen, customer service will come up with various excuses to encourage you to deposit more. Illegal casinos frequently demand processing fees, a fictitious government tax or an upgrade to VIP status to supposedly unblock your money. This is a cunning trap designed to drain your bank account down to the last penny.

If you used a standard credit card to make your deposits, call Card Stop immediately to have your card blocked and prevent any unauthorised charges in the future. 

Try making a strategic withdrawal of your funds

If your balance still shows a profit and your account is not restricted, change your approach. Illegal casinos systematically block withdrawal requests for large sums, as these transactions trigger a manual verification by their teams.

Try withdrawing very small amounts spread over several days. These micro-transactions sometimes slip under the radar of the monitoring algorithms and are validated automatically. This is an empirical method that can sometimes save part of your capital. However, if the site requires you to submit your identity documents (passport, utility bill, bank statement) to validate the transaction, stop everything. Sending a scan of your ID card to a network of cybercriminals exposes you to serious identity theft. It is better to forgo a €50 deposit than to have your identity sold on the dark web to open fraudulent bank accounts.

Change your login details and password immediately

The business model of offshore platforms does not rely solely on players’ losses. The resale of databases accounts for a massive proportion of their revenue. From the moment you sign up to an unregulated site, your email address, phone number and gaming habits can be catalogued and sold to other underground networks.

If you use the same email address and password combination on other websites, change your login details everywhere else immediately. You should also be prepared for a barrage of spam, malicious calls and aggressive text messages offering you extravagant bonuses. Install a robust spam filter and systematically block unknown numbers contacting you with sports betting offers or casino bonuses.

Should you report this to the Gaming Commission?

The Belgian legal framework provides a highly effective safety net, but it stops short at the borders of the regulated market. The Gaming Commission (GC) has absolutely no authority to investigate or take action against a shell company registered in Curaçao or Cyprus. Filing an official complaint with the Belgian regulator will not enable you to recover your funds.

You can, however, report the fraudulent URL to the GC so that the domain can be analysed and added to the official blacklist, thereby protecting other potential victims. From a criminal law perspective, the law theoretically imposes very heavy administrative fines on players who voluntarily participate in illegal gambling. In practice, prosecutions primarily target the organisers, but this threat still hangs over punters who persist in using underground networks.

Are there any other options?

Thanks to recent rulings at European level, victims of illegal gambling can assert their rights in national courts. You can therefore hire a solicitor and take legal action against the illegal casino. This is no guarantee of recovering your lost funds, but it remains a viable option.

The legal market: the only safe place

This bad experience should serve as a wake-up call. The legal industry now offers state-of-the-art interfaces and vast game catalogues without putting your finances at the slightest risk. Casinos certified A+ or B+ guarantee fair payout rates, payment of winnings without unfair conditions, and absolute protection of your personal data. You can consult our guide to choose your next 100% legal casino.

If this incident has caused you distress that is difficult to manage, or if you feel the need to take a complete break, register immediately with the EPIS register. This free and confidential service will block your access to the entire Belgian legal gambling market, giving you the time you need to regain control of your gambling.