Casino Not Paying Out Your Winnings? How to Get Your Money in India

Over years of observing Indian-focused online casinos, I have witnessed two classic scenarios. In one, everything looks like the commercials: you make a withdrawal via UPI, the money arrives in twenty minutes, a notification lights up in your banking app—and the story ends there. In the other, everything is the opposite: the payout status remains ‘pending’ for weeks, support responds with generic phrases, and the joy of winning gives way to anxiety and anger.

The peculiarity of the Indian player is that they always live in two realities simultaneously: on one hand, there are offshore licenses and foreign casinos; on the other, a complex local legal environment and a vast diversity of payment methods. In such a situation, it’s crucial not only to choose more reliable casinos like 1win or Fresh but also to understand exactly how the payout process works, when a delay is still normal, and when it’s time to perceive it as a problem and activate Plan B.

Indian users almost always play on international platforms operating under licenses from Curaçao, Malta, and other offshore jurisdictions. Formally, these operators comply with their regulators’ rules, but in practice, for the player, everything boils down to three things: payments, state laws, and brand reputation.

On one hand, convenient tools have emerged – UPI, Paytm, NetBanking, cryptocurrencies. Casinos quickly adapted, and today many major brands, including 1xSlots, offer Indians deposits and withdrawals in rupees, support, and local payment methods. On the other hand, states have differing stances on online gambling for money, and disputes with an offshore operator are often more complex than with a local bank.

To understand what is going wrong, you first need to imagine how everything works on platforms that value their reputation.

Let’s take a typical case: a player registers, provides real data, makes a deposit via UPI or a bank card, plays, and wins a significant sum:

• Next, they submit a withdrawal request. The casino checks whether bonus conditions have been met, betting limits haven’t been violated, and there is no suspicious activity on the account.
• If everything is in order, the request is either automatically approved within a few hours or manually confirmed by the finance department.

In practice, this often falls within a range of a few minutes to 24 hours for standard amounts.

It’s difficult for players to distinguish between a routine check and toxic casino behavior by feel. This is where a structured perspective helps: we can break down the situation based on several indicators and see which zone it falls into – green, yellow, or red.

The table below helps to soberly assess what is happening:

If you see more indicators from the first two columns in your situation, it’s likely an unpleasant but still standard check: the issue lies with bureaucracy and internal procedures.

When most indicators shift to the red column, it’s a signal that you need to prepare a more robust action plan, not just politely remind them in the chat.

When money is stuck, it’s easiest to lose your temper and start writing accusations. At DesiCasinos, we often emphasize that a sequential, well-documented approach works most effectively.

First, it makes sense to thoroughly check your own position. Re-read the bonus terms section: is the wagering requirement fully met? Were there any bets above the limit? Were any excluded slots or games used?

Check if there are any hidden conditions in the rules – for example, a maximum win from a specific bonus. Many sites have these limitations, and in a dispute, the operator will refer to them.

Simultaneously, ensure your profile is fully verified. If you played for months without KYC and then suddenly requested a large withdrawal, it’s no surprise the payment was halted for verification. Here, it’s more advantageous not to argue but calmly upload high-quality copies of the documents and await the decision.

Next, you move to an official dialogue with support. It’s important not just to ask where the money is, but to clearly formulate your request: state the withdrawal amount and date, the method used, note that the bonus conditions (if applicable) were met, and ask a direct question about the reason for the delay and the expected resolution time. The fewer emotions and more facts, the harder it is for the manager to formulate a vague refusal later.

If the situation doesn’t change after a couple of such requests, it makes sense to ask for the case to be escalated to a senior manager or the finance department and frame it as a formal complaint. At this stage, it’s crucial to keep screenshots of your account, chat history, and emails: if you have to contact the licensing regulator or write to specialized sites, this will be your evidence base.

When internal channels are exhausted, external ones remain. Here, measured, detailed reviews on independent resources, appeals to the review platforms through which you found the casino, and, in the case of larger brands like Stake or Spinbetter, a complaint to the regulator of the jurisdiction that issued the license, are appropriate.

The easiest way to deal with a non-payment issue is to avoid getting into one. Yes, it sounds trivial, but the choice of platform and the player’s behavior before winning determine 80% of future scenarios.

First, pay attention to transparency. Serious operators – whether Drip, Vavada, or others – always have a clear section on their payment policy: limits on amounts and timeframes, a list of methods for India, bonus conditions. The more specifics, the better.

Whereas sites where everything consists of promises of instant payouts without details are often created with the expectation that some users won’t receive their large winnings on time – or at all.

Of course, honesty must be mutual. Use real data during registration, don’t create multiple accounts, and don’t intentionally try to circumvent bonus rules.

Ravi Sharma

Ravi Sharma is an experienced journalist, and author, specialising in the complex field of gambling and legislation. With both legal and journalistic education, he combines deep analytical rigour with the art of writing, conducting investigations and creating content that contributes to the industry’s improvement and transparency.