Online Casino Blacklist for South African Players

Why Online Casinos End Up on a Blacklist

A blacklist is effectively a catalogue of the top sites to avoid. As you might expect, casinos end up on the list for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the most common violations and causes for concern:

• Operating without a recognized gaming license
• Refusing to pay players money owed
• Forging credentials or using expired certificates
• Engaging in unethical marketing or business practices
• Offering games that aren't random
• Failing to honour bonuses and promotions
• Lacking sufficient customer service
• Neglecting player privacy and security

Our Blacklist

While the infractions vary in severity, we recommend avoiding all blacklisted sites. The fact is you can find dozens of excellent online casinos that deserve your trust and we have even created a guide to online casino security. There's no sense taking a chance on a site that is known for its problems. Here are the offenders that you'll want to avoid.

Players Only Casino

Despite being around since 1996, players will want to avoid this gambling site. Players Only Casino has poor customer service and the payments are painfully slow.

Pink Lady Casino

This gambling site has a long history of problems. At one point the casino's downloadable software package was filled with malware. A few years ago, player data was compromised and there have been reports of identity theft.

Grand Reef Casino

This PC-only casino makes it easy to get your cash in the game, but getting paid is another story entirely. Some players have waited months to be paid and many are still waiting.

Pure Vegas Casino

Despite recently launching a new mobile platform, this site continues to be plagued by problems. In the past, players reported being paid in tiny instalments, which is a sure sign of financial difficulties. What's even worse is that some players haven't been paid at all.

Island Casino

The parent company of this casino is currently under investigation by the US government for money laundering. Although many South Africans currently enjoy this site, it may be forced to close with no notice.

21 Nova Casino

This site has a long list of infractions. Besides failing to pay players in full, the casino's parent company frequently spams players and double-crosses business partners.

Lucky Ace Casino

This casino was caught posting fake licenses and certificates on its landing page. Although they may have cleaned up their act, they have lost our trust forever. The casino has also closed accounts and refused to pay players on many occasions.

Wild Jack Casino

While this Microgaming casino does have a solid range of games, the pay-outs are painfully slow. Even if you are patient, the site has been accused of ripping off its marketing partners. It's simply not worth the risk.

99 Slot Machines

This unlicensed casino makes its money by preying on the ignorance of players. You won't be paid if you win at this gambling site, which is seemingly accountable to no one.

Prism Casino

This RealTime Gaming casino has refused to pay legitimate wins to numerous players. Expect to jump through endless hoops in your fruitless quest to be paid.

Rushmore Casino

If you're in a rush to get your money, this is the last place you want to play. The site can take weeks or months to pay out and caps payments at $2 000 or roughly R27 000.

Fortune Junction Casino

This site has a history of screwing over its partners. Most recently, the casino switched to an inferior software provider, which is likely a sign of deeper problems.

City Club Casino

This once promising casino was caught in an unusual hacking scheme in 2014 that involved spamming WordPress sites and duping search engines. Although no player data was compromised, it's hard to trust the site's management at this point.

What to Do If You Encounter a Rogue Site

If you're currently playing at a site that appears on our list, we highly recommend trying to withdraw your funds as soon as possible. Once you've received your money, it's probably best to close your account. No matter how big your bankroll is, stay calm and play along until you get your money.

If the casino refuses to let you cash out or gives you the run around, then keep hounding customer service. If you're frustrated, then post your complaints on player review sites as well as social media. You may have some recourse, especially if the site is certified or licensed by an agency that handle dispute resolutions.

Stay Up To Date

Blacklists are only valuable if they are updated regularly. Whether you put your faith in our resources or seek out wisdom elsewhere, it's important to make sure you have current information. Not only do we update our list monthly, but if an issue comes to our attention we'll stop the virtual presses and post it here. It is possible for sites with minor infractions to leave the blacklist, but first they'll have to demonstrate that they've cleaned up their act over a lengthy period measured in years.

In many ways appearing on a blacklist is a kiss of death for a casino. Thanks to the likes of Twitter and Facebook, news travels fast. Bad news in particular seems to move at the speed of light. It doesn't take long for a rogue site's reputation to spread like wildfire. Fortunately, casinos are well aware of this fact, which also help to keep them honest.

Don't Be Discouraged

While the mere existence of a blacklist might cause your jaw to drop or outright deter you from playing online, you would be better off taking a deep breath. The fact is there are dozens of great sites for South African players and the good casinos more than outweigh the bad ones. Aside from consulting blacklists, it's important to choose your site wisely. Always choose a casino that is fully licensed, live up to the South African legislation and regulated by a recognized gambling authority. It's always smart to read the reviews and browse various gambling community forums before deciding where to play.

Whether you are shopping or gambling on the internet, a little due diligence goes a long way. If you have any questions before or after signing up, don't be afraid to contact customer service. Feel free to take your business elsewhere if you have any qualms whatsoever. Critically acclaimed gambling sites are only a couple of clicks away, so there's absolutely no reason to take your chances on suspect sites. If you like taking risks, there's plenty of lucrative long shots at the online sic bo tables. Yet no matter what kind of bets you enjoy placing, you can play safely and confidently if you exercise even a little caution.