Betting on a .com website and collecting your winnings

Betting on a .com website and collecting your winnings

It’s ABSOLUTELY imperative to know that it’s prohibited to play on a site that doesn’t have an official licence (and therefore pays taxes) in Ireland. However, don’t hesitate to look elsewhere because you won’t be breaking the law, but on the other hand, bookmakers will be. That means that they won’t make the task easy for you in order to protect themselves against fraud. Many of them will therefore reject your registration, or they will require proper identification, which will not be accepted if you live in a country that has its own licensing system.

Some sites are fully aware of player’s demand for international wagering, and will let you enter but won’t release any of your winnings because your banking details will reveal that you live outside Ireland. You’ll then have then spent money on a site and made them wealthier while you’ll be left with no way to collect your winnings.

Options for withdrawing your winnings

If this applies to you, don’t panic ! There are options that exist. First of all, you can try to use a VPN in order to get the best odds as a result of using a foreign operator. More often than not, it’ll be unsuccessful, but it’s the easiest option to try first. Install your VPN and then try to withdraw again.

If that still doesn’t work, you’ll then have to use a broker. This person will take care of withdrawing your money and then sending it to you. In any case it’s advisable to use a broker from the outset in order to significantly simplify the process because the broker will register with bookmakers themselves. In fact, brokers uses another identity to protect you: if you only use it as a second option, the site will have more reason to be suspicious of the transaction and it might even be impossible if the bookmaker doesn’t have an affiliated broker.

Finally, you can also try getting an electronic wallet like Paysafecard for online betting, Skrill or Neteller. Most bookmakers make it possible for you to directly withdraw money using these accounts. This is very convenient for you because the fees are low and it allows you to keep the money used to play online separate from your other accounts. These e-wallets are more discreet and will protect your transactions from prying eyes. Additionally, while bookmakers regularly suggest withdrawing via Paypal or directly from your bank, these options are more expensive, more time-consuming (excluding Paypal) and less appealing and safe.

Read the fine print

And if, despite having done all that, your problem is not resolved make sure to read the terms of your welcome bonus. In fact, some international bonuses may block your claim to your winnings if you haven’t spent a sufficient amount on bets. For example, for a bonus of 50 euros, the site may block your winnings if you haven’t spent 500 euros! Remember that for bonuses, international bookmakers are practically free to offer whatever they want (according to their licence like Curacaos for example). The terms are always specified from the beginning but may be deliberately vague in order to get you to subscribe.

In other words, don’t trust offers that are too tempting, and take the time to compare the odds, if you want to win money. Don’t rush or you may risk finding yourself forced to continue playing until you lose. For casinos, continuous playing is always synonymous with loss, both in real life and online. In a real casino, no one can force you to keep playing and you can leave after you’ve won, online however, these tempting offers have been created with the single and sole purpose of forcing you to continue playing. This will often end with your losing. For that reason, it would be better to opt for an offer that seems less exciting at first but won’t prevent you from leaving when you’re ready.