What happens if an online casino goes bust?

What happens if an online casino goes bust? It depends on one rating

When a gambling business fails, the money in players’ accounts is either kept apart from the company’s own money or it isn’t. That single fact decides what you are likely to get back. The Gambling Commission sets three levels, explained in its guide on what happens to your money if a gambling business goes bust (opens in a new tab).

Our page on customer funds rules covers the regulation in depth. This answer focuses on the practical side: what it means for your balance and what you can do now.

How to find your casino’s protection rating

Under LCCP condition 4.2.1 (opens in a new tab), a licensed casino must state its protection rating, the level and how it achieves it in its terms. You must acknowledge this information before your first deposit is used, so you have already seen it, even if you scrolled past.

1. Open the casino’s terms and conditions, usually linked in the footer.
2. Search the page for customer funds, protection or segregation.
3. Note whether funds are not protected, medium or high, and how that is achieved.
4. If you can’t find it, ask customer support to point you to the clause.
5. Check the licence on the Commission’s register at the same time.

Ratings can change, so read the terms of any casino you use, including Casumo, 10bet and Coral. Licence details for each are on our Casumo licence and safety and 10bet licence and safety pages.

Worked example: a £300 balance when a casino fails

Say your account holds £300: £200 of cleared deposits you haven’t played and £100 of winnings you haven’t withdrawn. Both count as customer funds. Here is how the outcome can differ.

The bottom row is the point. Money that has left the casino can’t be caught in its insolvency. Our withdrawal guide and the page on how long withdrawals take explain how to move money out promptly.

What counts as customer funds, and what may not

The Commission lists cleared deposits, unpaid winnings and crystallised loyalty bonuses as customer funds. Crystallised means the bonus has become yours to withdraw, rather than still being locked behind conditions.

• Cleared deposits: money you paid in that has reached the account.
• Unpaid winnings: wins sitting in your balance, not yet withdrawn.
• Crystallised loyalty bonuses: rewards that are now withdrawable cash.
• Bonus funds still under wagering: the Commission’s list doesn’t name them, so check the casino’s terms.

Pending withdrawals are still in the casino’s hands until they reach you. UK rules ban casinos from letting you cancel a withdrawal once requested, which helps money leave the account; see why a withdrawal is pending.

Six-monthly reminders for unprotected balances

Since 31 October 2025, casinos whose funds are not protected must remind customers every 6 months, stating the balance held, and customers must acknowledge the reminder. The Commission’s page on what it means if your money is not protected (opens in a new tab) explains the change. If you get one of these messages, treat it as a prompt to withdraw anything you don’t plan to play with.

How to protect your balance if a casino goes bust

1. Check the protection rating in the terms before you deposit.
2. Deposit only what you plan to play with in that session or week.
3. Withdraw winnings soon after you win instead of leaving them in the account.
4. Keep records: deposit receipts, withdrawal requests and screenshots of your balance.
5. Use only casinos with an Active licence on the Commission’s register.
6. Close accounts you no longer use after withdrawing the balance.

You have a right to withdraw at any time without unreasonable delay, and casinos can’t make you take money out in instalments. The page on closing a casino account covers the last step.

What to do if your casino closes or loses its licence

A business can stop trading for different reasons: insolvency, surrendering its licence, or having it suspended or revoked by the Commission. In each case, act quickly.

1. Try to withdraw your balance straight away if the cashier still works.
2. Save your account history, balance and any messages from the casino.
3. Contact customer support in writing and keep the reply.
4. Look for official notices on the casino’s site or the Commission’s register about who is handling customer money.
5. If the business is still operating but won’t pay, use its complaints process, then a free alternative dispute resolution service after 8 weeks.

The Commission doesn’t resolve individual complaints, but it does take action against licensees. Our guides to casino complaints and complaints and ADR rules explain the route, and can I get my money back from an online casino? covers other situations.

Myths about casinos going bust

• Myth: a UK licence means my balance is completely safe. Fact: a licence means the protection level must be disclosed; not protected is an allowed rating.
• Myth: high protection means repayment is certain. Fact: the Commission notes that separating funds alone doesn’t guarantee you get everything back.
• Myth: the Gambling Commission will refund me. Fact: the Commission regulates but doesn’t pay out balances from failed businesses.
• Myth: a big brand can’t fail. Fact: any business can; the rating, not the brand, decides how your balance is treated.

What happens if an unlicensed casino goes bust

An unlicensed site has no duty to disclose a protection level, no Commission oversight and no approved dispute service. If it vanishes, there is usually no route to recover your money. That is one more reason to check the register first; our answer on how to know if an online casino is licensed shows how.

Where to play at UK-licensed casinos

Casumo, 10bet and Coral all hold Gambling Commission licences. Read each casino’s terms for its customer funds rating before depositing. Their welcome offers come with conditions, and a bonus doesn’t change the house edge on the games you play. 18+ and terms apply.

Casumo: 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more, opt-in required, wager the bonus 10x within 7 days, £5 maximum bet while active, game, play and payment restrictions apply. 10bet: 100% up to £25 for new UK customers who choose it at sign-up and deposit within 7 days, 10x wagering on slots within 3 days, maximum bonus winnings £1,000, Skrill and Neteller excluded. Coral: deposit and bet £10 on slots to receive 100 free spins on selected games, 10p each, 48 hours to accept, valid for 7 days, no wagering on winnings, certain payment types excluded.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.