Your online casino is closing: what happens to the money in your account? 

Online casino shutting down? Read what a closure, migration, or bankruptcy means for your balance and which documents you need to keep as a player. 

You open your online casino’s website and see no games—only a notice stating that operations are ceasing. There is still money in your account. Perhaps you have already requested a withdrawal or still have an open bet. The first question is simple: how do I get my balance back? 

The answer depends on what is actually happening. A brand may disappear while the company behind the website continues to operate normally. A player base may migrate to another platform. Alternatively, the operator may have been declared bankrupt, initiating a completely different legal procedure. 

An announced closure, a migration, and a bankruptcy are therefore three distinct situations. Save your account records immediately and identify which legal entity is responsible for the funds. Do not wait until the login page disappears. 

First step: determine what is actually shutting down 

The words ‘we are closing’ reveal very little about the legal and financial reality. Sometimes, only a single website or specific country is affected. In other cases, only the software, brand name, or owner changes. Bankruptcy is a formal legal procedure and should never be inferred simply from a technical outage or an unanswered email. 

When business activities cease, the Belgian FPS Economy distinguishes between voluntary cessation, dissolution, and bankruptcy, among other statuses. These distinctions are equally relevant when investigating the entity behind a casino.  

Situation	What do you need to find out as a player?
Announced closure	Until when can you request a withdrawal, and who handles remaining balances afterward?
Migration to another platform	Who manages the account, and which balances and obligations carry over?
Acquisition by another company	Which entity is responsible for existing balances and ongoing disputes?
Bankruptcy	Who is the appointed trustee (curator), and how do you file a claim?

The brand name on the logo is not necessarily identical to the legal name of your contracting party. Always look up the operator, company registration number, and licensing details in the terms and conditions and official corporate notices. 

In case of an announced closure: request a withdrawal promptly 

When a casino winds down its operations in an orderly manner, the closure notice is the first document you need. It typically specifies when deposits stop, when gameplay ends, and the deadline for requesting a withdrawal yourself. 

These dates do not always coincide. Games may be taken offline before the withdrawal portal closes. Furthermore, standard customer support may be replaced by a dedicated post-closure contact channel. 

If you hold an available cash balance and want it back, request your withdrawal well ahead of the deadline. Save the confirmation, the exact amount, and the transaction ID. Do not keep playing under the false assumption that your balance must be spent before the site closes. 

If you can no longer log in, submit a written request via a verified contact channel. Include your customer ID, the balance shown on your latest statement, and details of any prior withdrawal requests. Ask for written confirmation of the amount owed and the procedure for receiving payment. 

A withdrawal deadline does not automatically end your legal claim 

An announced deadline may mean you can no longer initiate a self-service withdrawal through the website after that date. However, this does not automatically mean that a legally valid financial claim expires on that day. 

What applies legally depends on the specific circumstances, applicable regulations, and the enforceability of the relevant terms. Therefore, ask explicitly what happens to remaining funds after the technical shutdown of the website. 

A useful response will state which company processes the request, which address to contact, and what documentation is required. A generic message stating ‘the account is closed’ does not explain what happened to your balance. 

Also retain older versions of the terms and conditions if you have them. A web page altered retroactively is far less useful for establishing which rules applied when your account was terminated. 

A migration: verify what is actually transferred 

During a migration, an account moves to new software or a different website. This can occur within the same corporate group or form part of an acquisition—two scenarios that do not necessarily carry the same consequences. 

Ask whether your cash balance, transaction history, pending withdrawals, and any unsettled bets will be carried over. Additionally, verify which company serves as your contracting party before and after the transition. 

A notice claiming ‘your balance will transfer automatically’ can only be verified once you know the exact amount transferred and where it lands. Take a complete snapshot of your account prior to the switch and compare it against the new platform afterward. 

Verify the new domain independently. An unexpected email announcing a ‘new casino web address’ could also be a phishing attempt. Our directory of legal online casinos in Belgium helps provide orientation; cross-reference the exact web address against current official licensing records. 

An acquisition does not automatically clarify past issues 

A new owner or brand name does not in itself determine who must settle an existing financial claim. A share sale differs legally from a transfer of specific business operations or assets. 

Do not rely solely on marketing announcements. Ask in writing which legal entity is responsible for your existing balance and any unresolved complaints. The company behind your user agreement may remain identical even when shareholders change. 

Also inquire about alternatives if you do not wish to use the new platform. You need to know how to have an existing cash balance settled without being forced to gamble again first. 

If your old and new account statements differ, report the discrepancy immediately with both pieces of evidence. Specify not merely that ‘money is missing,’ but the exact figure visible before the transfer versus the balance recorded afterward. 

In bankruptcy, the recovery process changes completely 

Bankruptcy involves far more than a brand exiting Belgium. The FPS Economy defines it as a formal legal procedure in which a company’s assets are liquidated under the authority of a court-appointed trustee (curator). Proceeds are distributed among creditors according to statutory priority rules. Further information can be found under business termination and bankruptcy. 

If you hold a valid, unpaid balance with the bankrupt company, you may need to file a formal proof of claim. Submitting a standard withdrawal request to the former customer service desk will likely no longer suffice. 

First verify which specific company has been declared bankrupt. The insolvency of a software provider, shareholder, or sister company does not automatically mean your contracting operator is bankrupt. 

Whether you recover funds—as well as how much and when—depends on the acceptance of your claim, available assets, any ring-fencing of player funds, and creditor rankings. A visible account balance or a gambling license does not in itself guarantee full repayment. 

How to file a claim in a Belgian bankruptcy 

Locate the official insolvency file and the trustee’s contact details. Pay strict attention to filing deadlines and instructions in the official court notices. Never rely on a payment request or contact address from an unsolicited message as sole confirmation. 

According to RegSol guidelines, Belgian individuals can file their debt claim digitally via RegSol or in writing directly to the trustee. Detailed instructions are outlined in the official guide on filing a debt claim. 

Attach supporting documents proving why the company owes you money. Keep your submission receipt and respond promptly to any inquiries from the trustee. Filing a claim does not guarantee that it will be accepted or paid out. 

If the operator is a foreign entity, do not assume the Belgian procedure applies. Determine where the insolvency proceedings are taking place and follow the local rules. For disputed or substantial claims, seek legal advice regarding the appropriate next steps. 

Which documents should you keep? 

A case file is most effective when a third party can reconstruct events chronologically from your records. Store all documents outside your player account, as you may lose login access later. 

Document	Why keep it?
Dated balance screenshot/statement	Proves the exact amount visible in your account.
Deposit and withdrawal history	Shows transactions, requests, and their processing status.
Bank or payment receipts	Helps verify what was actually paid in or received.
Customer ID and operator details	Links the account to you and the specific corporate entity.
Closure or migration notice	Preserves stated deadlines, commitments, and contact channels.
Applicable terms and conditions	Helps evaluate contractual rules governing settlement.
Emails and full chat transcripts	Documents everything asked and promised in writing.
Records of open games or bets	Substantiates amounts not yet definitively settled.

Save original files alongside screenshots. Label documents clearly with dates and compile a brief timeline. A disorganized collection of unlabelled screenshots makes any dispute much harder to assess. 

Distinguish between cash balance, pending withdrawals, and potential winnings 

Suppose your account displays €240 in available funds, a pending withdrawal of €100, and an open €20 bet with a potential payout of €80. 

First verify whether the €100 has already been deducted from your available balance. If so, this hypothetical example shows €240 available and €100 in transit separately. If the pending withdrawal is still included within the €240 figure, you cannot count it twice. 

The potential €80 payout from an open bet is not a guaranteed balance. Ask how unsettled wagers are being handled: will the bet remain active, transfer over, or be voided? The specific wind-down terms must clarify this. 

Similarly, promotional credits are not automatically equivalent to withdrawable cash. Request an itemized breakdown if your account screen combines different balance types. 

What if a withdrawal gets stuck? 

A closure may coincide with additional identity verification checks or payment processor delays. This does not automatically signal bankruptcy, but you must establish the exact status of your funds. 

Ask whether your withdrawal has merely been requested, internally approved, or actually dispatched. Once the operator claims payment has been sent, request a valid payment reference number. Our guide on handling a blocked casino withdrawal covers these steps in greater detail. 

Legitimate verification checks may require documentation. Submit files exclusively through verified channels and never share passwords or personal login codes. Also read why online casinos verify your identity. 

Never deposit extra money because someone claims you must ‘activate’ an existing withdrawal. Any request to pay again warrants independent verification, particularly following a closure notice. 

Choose the next step suited to your situation 

In a standard closure or migration, start with a written request addressed to the responsible company. If no resolution follows, lodge a formal complaint. Our guide on filing a complaint against a legal online casino in Belgium helps structure your issue and supporting evidence. 

In a confirmed bankruptcy, follow the trustee’s instructions and the statutory claims process. Do not wait around for a reply from an old helpdesk while a formal deadline for filing claims is ticking away. During insolvency, creditors must follow the designated legal procedure. 

Reporting an issue to a regulator, filing a consumer complaint, and submitting a debt claim are separate legal actions; one does not automatically replace another. Your essential first steps remain identical: document your account balance, identify the responsible legal entity, and ask in writing how your funds will be settled.