When a casino closes

What usually happens

1. The casino announces a closure date.
2. Play stops; withdrawals stay open for a period.
3. Customers are told how to claim balances.
4. The licence is surrendered or the brand transfers.

Your funds

Licensed operators must state how customer funds are protected and at what level. It is in their terms. Protection levels differ, so do not leave large balances idle.

When a brand changes hands

Casumo is an example of a brand continuing under a different UK licence holder. The site carries on; the name in the footer changes.

What to do

• Withdraw promptly.
• Keep the closure email.
• Unused bonuses usually lapse.

Elsewhere on the site: Latest casino offers UK, Latest deposit bonuses UK, Casino sister sites and UK casino changes: 2025.

What usually happens

A licensed operator that closes a brand must give customers the chance to withdraw. Balances are returned to the payment method on file.

If the company itself fails

What you get back depends on how customer funds were protected. The casino must state its rating in its terms: not protected, medium or high.

When an online casino closes: a typical UK timeline

No Gambling Commission rule sets a fixed notice period for closing a casino brand, so timings vary. The pattern below is what an orderly closure or migration by a UK licence holder usually looks like, and what you can do at each stage.

If the brand is being transferred rather than closed, the stages look different: you are asked to accept the new company’s terms and your balance moves with you. Either way, the safest move is the same. Withdraw what you don’t intend to use, because a cash balance in your bank is protected in a way a casino balance never is. Before joining any site, read its funds protection statement and note the licence holder’s name and account number, so you know exactly who to contact if the brand later closes or moves.

Is my money safe if a casino closes? Customer funds protection levels

The Commission is blunt about the starting point: money staked or deposited with a gambling business is not protected by the Commission or government. What you have instead is a disclosure rule. Under LCCP condition 4.2.1, every licensee must state in its terms which of three protection levels it offers and how it achieves it, and you must acknowledge this before your first deposit is used.

Since 31 October 2025, operators whose funds are not protected must remind you every six months, stating your balance, and you must acknowledge the reminder before you can use those funds. Customer funds include cleared deposits, unpaid winnings and loyalty bonuses that have become payable. The Commission’s guide on what happens to your money if a gambling business goes bust (opens in a new tab) explains each level, and our page on player funds protection rules adds the dates.

Worked example: £300 left in two different casinos

Imagine £300 of cleared deposits and winnings sitting in each of two accounts when both companies fail. At a casino rated not protected, that £300 is part of the company’s assets and you join other creditors; you might receive a share, all of it or nothing. At a casino rated high protection, the £300 should sit in a trust account outside the company’s assets, so it is set aside for customers. The gap shows why the rating matters more than the size of the brand, and why leaving only what you plan to play is sensible at any site.

Casino licence surrendered or brand moved: dated UK examples

Most ‘closures’ that UK players notice are really transfers: a group restructures, a brand moves to a new company in the same group, or a white label changes platform. The register records these as licences surrendered on one account and domains appearing on another.

For customers of 32Red, Sky Vegas and Casumo the site carried on and the company named in the footer changed. That kind of move normally means accepting new terms, possibly re-confirming your details and checking that your deposit limits and marketing choices carried over. A domain listed as Inactive with no successor, as with Karamba, suggests the brand is not currently trading in Great Britain; check the brand’s own notices before assuming anything about balances.

You can follow other changes on our pages about rebranded casinos and closed UK casinos. The register of gambling businesses (opens in a new tab) shows each licence’s status as Active, Expired, Suspended, Revoked or Surrendered.

How to withdraw your balance from a closing casino

Your right to withdraw doesn’t end because a brand is closing. The Commission says you can withdraw at any time without unreasonable delay, and a casino can’t make you take money out in instalments. These steps keep the process quick.

1. Log in and screenshot your balance, split into cash and bonus funds, plus any pending transactions.
2. Finish or forfeit any active bonus so the cash part of your balance is free to withdraw.
3. Open the cashier and request the full cash balance to the method you deposited with; closed-loop rules usually require this.
4. Upload any outstanding documents straight away if verification is still incomplete.
5. Keep the confirmation email and the withdrawal reference.
6. If nothing arrives within the casino’s published timeframe, complain in writing and quote the reference.

Several dated rules protect you here. Reverse withdrawals have been banned since 31 October 2021, so the casino can’t offer you the option to cancel the request and play on. A casino can’t confiscate your money because you didn’t verify within a time limit, and it can’t demand ID at withdrawal that it could have asked for earlier, except where the law requires a check at that point. The Commission’s page I can’t withdraw my winnings (opens in a new tab) sets out these rights.

For timings, see our guides to how long casino withdrawals take and pending withdrawals. No regulation sets a maximum processing time, so the casino’s own published times are the benchmark.

What happens to bonuses, free spins and loyalty points when a casino shuts

Closure terms vary, but the split between cash and bonus money decides most outcomes. The table shows the usual position; the casino’s terms and closure notice have the final word.

Worked example: you hold £85 in cash and a £20 bonus with 10x wagering, of which you have staked £120 of the £200 required. When play stops, the £85 cash is yours to withdraw. The £20 bonus, and anything won with it, normally lapses because the wagering requirement wasn’t met. Since 19 January 2026 wagering is capped at ten times the bonus, so the amount at stake in this situation is smaller than it once was, but it still makes sense not to start a new bonus when a closure is announced. Read more on bonus expiry.

Closed casino complaints: who to contact when the site has gone

A brand closing doesn’t mean the business behind it has disappeared. The licence holder named in your terms remains responsible for your account, and its complaints process and alternative dispute resolution provider still apply.

1. Write to the licence holder’s complaints address, not the brand’s marketing email, with your account details and withdrawal reference.
2. Allow up to eight weeks for a final response; the business must then offer referral to its ADR provider.
3. Take the dispute to that ADR provider, which is free. Providers must accept disputes for at least 12 months after the final response.
4. If the company has entered insolvency, contact the appointed insolvency practitioner and ask how customer claims are being handled.
5. Ask your bank or card issuer whether a chargeback is possible for an unpaid withdrawal; it decides case by case.

The Commission does not resolve individual disputes, but it does want to hear about licensees that refuse to pay. Its how to complain (opens in a new tab) page explains when to contact it. Our guides to what to do if a casino won’t pay and chargebacks and casinos cover the next steps.

Unlicensed casino closed down? Why there is usually no way back

Sites without a Gambling Commission licence don’t have to disclose a protection rating, join an ADR scheme, take part in GAMSTOP or follow the withdrawal rules above. When one vanishes, there is normally no regulator in Britain that can act for you and no independent adjudicator to approach.

This is the strongest practical argument for checking a licence before you deposit. Our guide to offshore casinos explains the warning signs, including sites that copy the look of a licensed brand or quote a licence number that doesn’t match the register.

Signs a casino may be closing, and how to keep your exposure low

Announcements sometimes come with little warning, but a few signs often appear first. None proves a closure is coming; together they are a reason to withdraw and check the register.

• Promotions page emptied, or welcome offers withdrawn with no replacement.
• Payment methods disappearing from the cashier one after another.
• Emails about ‘moving your account’ or accepting a new company’s terms.
• The domain showing as Inactive on the licence holder’s register entry.
• A suspension or regulatory action newly listed on the register.

The simplest protection is a habit: keep your balance small. Our guides to setting a gambling budget and setting deposit limits show how. If gambling has stopped feeling like entertainment, the National Gambling Helpline (run by GamCare) is free on 0808 8020 133, day and night.

If an unlicensed site disappears

There is no regulator to turn to and usually no way to recover a balance, which is one more reason to check the licence first.

Go further: The £2 slot stake limit for 18 to 24s, Latest offers for existing customers and Ladbrokes vs PlayOJO.

Keep reading: Latest 10bet offer, Ladbrokes vs PlayOJO, Latest no deposit offers UK and How casino offers change.

Everything here is dated. Offers and facts were last checked on 5 October 2026; this is not a live feed. Casino details come from each casino's published terms and help pages and the Gambling Commission's public register. How we check. 18+. Free help: 0808 8020 133 or safer gambling.