How to Stop Betting Account Being Closed

Sometimes, and rather unexpectedly, an online bookmaker may close or restrict a customer’s betting account.

Online bookmakers may do this due to a number of reasons; this could be an abuse of free bets, having multiple accounts, betting is not allowed in the area or country you are in, you are betting for or on behalf of someone else, they suspect you are involved in match or race-fixing or you are a professional punter

We explain more today about betting account closures:

Why Do Online Betting Accounts Get Banned?

Online bookmakers may ban accounts for a number of reasons but it mainly boils down to if they feel betting activity looks suspicious on your account or if a punter is consistently winning big and is a successful sports bettor.

The main reason a betting account gets closed or frozen is:

1. You have multiple accounts – you are only allowed to have one account per online betting site, if a bookie finds out you have more than one account with them, you will get banned and the accounts closed.
2. Abuse of free bets – this is sometimes known as gubbing. This is where a punter is using free bets and promotions from a betting site to make a profit. Doing this repeatedly could get banned. Find out more about free bets.
3. Betting is not allowed in the area or country you are in – if you are in a country where betting is not allowed or your preferred online horse racing bookmaker is not registered in that country, this means that your account will be temporarily blocked from use. Find out more by reading our guide to betting abroad.
4. You are betting for or on behalf of someone else – as part of the terms and conditions of your betting account you should be betting for yourself, if it is discovered you are betting on behalf on someone else, again, your account could be closed.
5. They suspect you are involved in match or race-fixing – if there are suspicious betting patterns on an account they will close it, as no bookmaker wants to be associated with an activity that looks dodgy or illegal. Read about race-fixing.
6. You are a professional punter – whilst some people consider themselves to be professional punters and gamblers, most bookies don’t want to accept bets from these people – often they have tips and inside information which see the bookmaker lose more money than they want to, they, therefore, close the account.

The above are the main reasons a betting account is closed.

Tips to Not Get Your Betting Account Banned

If you are a genuine punter and you are worried about your chosen betting account being banned, the followed tips should help this not to happen:

• Only wager bets that are round numbers – for example, £5, £10, £100, £500. If you wager £12.70 it looks like you are a match betting punter.
• Try to minimise withdrawals.
• Avoid being tagged as a bonus abuser (gubber) or backing and laying matched betting events.
• Bet on some of the brand’s special offers that they promote.
• Diversify bets to eliminate patterns on your account – don’t become an expert in one area.
• Build up your stakes and do not just start with high stakes bets straight away.
• Find out more about opening multiple bookie accounts

Can Betting Sites Ban You For Winning Too Much?

Yes, betting sites can certainly ban you for winning too much.

At the end of the day, all bookmakers (whether an established or new betting site) are a business, and businesses don’t like to lose money.

Once a sports betting company identifies you as a consistent big winning customer they can ban your account.

Like any business entity, the betting sites are trading for profit and if they identify you as non-profitable for them they will restrict bets or shut down the account.

What About Betting Limits or Winning Limits With Betfair?

Betting exchanges like Betfair (and Spreadex) will never limit you for winning, this is because with Betfair Betting Exchange the punters win and lose between themselves, with Betfair taking a fee from the winning bets. They essentially have less to lose.

Many big punters suggest and also prefer betting with the exchanges instead of normal high street betting accounts.

If you are interested, check out and sign up to Betfair below to make the most of the high stakes betting without any limiting bets.

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Will My Bookmaker Ban Me?

Any online bookmaker can ban anybody they chose, all they are doing is essentially refusing your custom, and that is their decision.

We look at the most popular UK betting sites and their positions on restricting accounts:

Bet365 Betting Account Closed

The huge UK brand bet365 horse racing has consistently received positive reviews for years. We have received very few complaints about bet365 closing or limiting winning betting accounts.

We feel bet365 betting account is a premium brand but do heed the cautions we have raised above as bet365 can impose bans or limitations as and when they see fit.

William Hill Account Closed

The well respected William Hill racing is another which receives positive feedback from punters for all the great benefits it offers.

We have had very few reports of William Hill account being closed and when they have, these have been mainly associated with one-off, large individual winning bets being placed. These prompted a message as below:

“The account was suspended due to suspicious betting patterns regarding the XYZ match and that the match is under investigation”

Once William Hill has investigated they can decide whether to reactivate or close the account. We think being stringent like this is a good thing overall to protect punters and bookmakers.

Ladbrokes Account Closed

The most popular betting high street brand Ladbrokes horse racing is actually a surprise and has a reasonably high level of account closure.

Feedback from our followers for Ladbrokes putting limits on bets or closing accounts have been:

• Winning Too Much
• Bonus and Promotion Abuse
• Betting Arbitrage
• Multiple Accounts
• Wagering Odd Amounts (linked to matched betting figures)
• Ignoring the Brands Bonuses and Promotional Offers
• Behavourial Betting Patterns

The algorithms within Ladbrokes detect suspicious betting patterns and do not allow potential high-risk accounts to trade, again we agree with this and think it is responsible for Ladbrokes to take steps – although we do think if you are winning fairly it can seem unjust!

Conclusion of Betting Account Bans and How to Stop a Betting Account Being Closed

It can be frustrating, annoying and upsetting if your favourite betting account gets banned, closed or blocked.

Normally this is done if your bookmaker suspects something suspicious or illegal or your account, you can normally simply prove that this is not the case and get the account reactivated.

Although bans and restrictions can be frustrating it is worth bearing in mind that these are mainly to protect the bookmaker from fraudulent behaviour and it is nothing personal!

Looking for A New Online Bookmaker?

If you are looking to change your online betting site or for the best betting apps, check out the below, who are all brilliant with live horse race streaming, a variety of betting payment options and best odds guaranteed:

If your betting account has been closed or your betting account limited from placing bets, the ones listed above are definitely worth checking out. They are popular with sports bettors across the UK.