Withdrawal Lock- Everything You Need to Know

Picture this- you are playing your favorite online slot, and you suddenly trigger a feature that unlocks a valuable bonus. Sooner than you notice, your balance has grown considerably, so the next logical thing to do is make a withdrawal request.

That’s where the first obstacle called pending period appears, preventing you from withdrawing your funds instantly. During this period, players often change their minds, reverse the transaction, and continue to gamble, but unfortunately, they lose a solid portion of that money. All of that could have been prevented with withdrawal lock.

Although the number of casinos offering this option is still limited, it is great to know that the list is growing. Operators have realized that ensuring customers that they can feel safe and protected while playing their favorite games is the best way to show that their loyalty is appreciated. Luring them into spending excessively and encouraging irresponsibility can be counterproductive on so many levels- it’s simply not the way to go.

Withdrawal Lock and Its Benefits

Often described as one of the best player protection tools, a withdrawal lock is a self-imposed restriction that prevents a player from reversing a withdrawal. This option is excellent for players who won big, made a withdrawal request, but suddenly changed their mind and decided to play more games.

When a withdrawal is locked…

… a player cannot reverse, cancel or unlock it, so this tool ensures the requested winnings will actually be cashed out. In this situation, no one, not even a casino, can cancel the transaction and return it to a player, so it remains safe on your balance until the cashout procedure is completed.

The activation itself varies from one casino to another, but in most cases, it’s available as a button in the cashier. Depending on individual policies, players should press it either before or right after making a withdrawal request.

Though it’s pretty much evident why this option is super-awesome from a player’s point of view, allow us to recap a couple of its most significant advantages:

• Prevents players from reversing their cashout request
• Increases the withdrawal speed
• Promotes responsible gambling
• Shows that casino prioritizes player protection

Although withdrawal lock may sound like a tool aimed only at those who have trouble managing their funds, it’s actually aimed at everyone interested in gambling responsibly. It’s an extremely helpful and convenient option that guarantees the withdrawal won’t be reversed and money re-played.

Are Manual Flush and Withdrawal Lock the Same Thing?

If you are familiar with the concept of manual flushing, then you know both of them to serve the same purpose. Manual flushing speeds up the withdrawal procedure by skipping the pending period and ensuring a player won’t change his/her mind.

The withdrawal lock option goes a step further than that, and locks the transaction, leaving no room for second thoughts. Once the option is activated, a player cannot reverse money and continue gambling. Instead, he/ she will actually manage to withdraw the winnings.

So, these two options are not exactly the same, but they have the same goal, which is promoting responsible gambling practices. Knowing that some customers may be tempted to re-gamble the money they won, both manual flushing and withdrawal lock come in as handy in preventing this.

Tips for Safe Withdrawals

Needless to say, the first and foremost thing to do is pick a reputable casino, and then proceed with everything else. That’s the most important condition, which will define the rest of your gambling experience. Below is the list of online casinos which offer withdrawal locks, so feel free to explore, and compare them.

When it comes to transactions…

…pending period is where things can go in either right or wrong direction, so let’s see what can be done to minimize the potential issues. As a growing number of online casinos request some sort of ID verification, perhaps the best time to complete it is during registration, unless otherwise specified in the Terms.

By having the documents fully verified prior to making a withdrawal a player can even completely eliminate the pending period and withdraw the winnings quickly. In the best-case scenario, a casino will offer an instant withdrawal option.

If that’s not the case, then opt for payment methods that are processed faster. Those are e-wallets and cryptocurrencies, while credit and debit cards, as well as bank transfers, can be slower. This way, the money will be credited to you faster, without the possibility to reverse it.

Don’t be afraid to communicate with the support department whenever you have some doubts about the transaction. Their job is to make your stay as pleasant as possible, so don’t hesitate to ask them anything that’s bothering you, as long as it’s casino-related, of course.

More Options to Gamble Responsibly

Not all online casinos offer the option to lock withdrawal or flush it manually, so players interested in maintaining responsible gambling behavior should look for additional solutions.

Luckily, the vast majority of operators do offer such tools, either because the local regulator requires them to, or simply because they care about their players. To activate them, consumers can either press the buttons in the cashier or, in case they don’t exist, contact the customer support team.

Let’s start with time spent playing games. If you want to decrease the duration of your playing sessions, then you should apply a time block or time alert. Time block allows customers to limit the access to the account during a predefined period of time, while the time alert (also known as the reality check), notifies a consumer that he/she has been playing for some time, for example, an hour.

As for money management, players can limit the amount of money they want to deposit, but they can also specify the amount of wagers or losses. Once the threshold is reached, a consumer is notified, and he cannot gamble more until a new circle begins. For example, if a player has decided to set money limits for 24 hours, he won’t be able to deposit/ wager/lose more than the amount set until this period is over.

In addition to this, players can opt for cool-off and self-exclusion, which allows them to take a break from playing online casinos for a specific period of time. This ranges from 24 hours to up to a couple of months.

All in all, there are many ways to explore casino games while staying responsible, so make sure you use them!