It can be frustrating when you’ve nailed it on a football bet, but for one reason or another you cannot access your winnings immediately.
If you’re this kind of problem we’re here to help!
There are a number of reasons why you could have Draftkings withdrawal issues, but the three we’ve highlighted below are the common ones with most sportsbooks:
1. Winnings have not been processed
Some winnings may need to go through a clearing process where they are reviewed by Draftkings accounts before they are approved and transferred to your balance. This can take up to 72 hours for larger winnings.
In most cases this will eventually be cleared and you should see your winnings in your balance to withdraw.
2. Wager Requirements Not Met
This is generally applies to casino offers, but in some cases can include sportsbook deals. Most offers will come with a few caveats such as bonuses being credited as free bets and wagering requirements before any winnings are released. Here’s an example with Draftkings Casino:
This simply means that you will need to wager or place bets that amount to 10 times the original deposit plus bonus before any winnings will be released for withdrawal.
So, in the example below if you deposited $100 you would need to wager $2,000.
$100 deposit + $100 bonus X 10 = $2,000
In addition, the amount you bet will contribute as a percentage of the wager requirement:
$10 bet = 100%
$2 bet = 20%
$1 bet = 10%
Continuing from the example above, this means that if you were only placing $1 bets on a $100 deposit, you would need to wager a total of $20,000 before any winnings were released.
It’s important to know that you have met the criteria for withdrawal, so be sure to read the terms and conditions before you do anything else.
4. Banking Error
I know one case with Draftkings, where the customer had deposited with a bank card, but when it came to withdrawing winnings months later, the customer had inadvertently closed the same account.
This resulted in a delay of payment which took nearly 3 weeks to resolve as Draftkings had to make a chargeback on the monies sent to the wrong account and then finally sending to the correct one.
While these things can be easily resolved it’s important to check that your account and banking information is correct before requesting a withdrawal.
Know your rights
While it can be a pain and confusing to understand at times, it is always a good thing to read the terms and conditions of any sportsbook promotion.
You should see the explicit terms of the promotions just below the promotion landing page, but there are also General Terms and Conditions which also need to be adhered to.
How to Resolve Withdrawal Issues – Things You can Do
1. Check Your Account:
Be sure that you have met the requirements to withdraw any winnings. That you have either a bank card or digital payment that can receive funds back into your ewallet.
With large winnings, some sportsbooks place the cash on hold as they need to be reviewed by accounts to ensure that the win is genuine (and not a mistake) before releasing the funds. So, it’s best not to over-react if you are having withdrawal issues with Draftkings and speak to customer services.
2. Make First Contact:
This could be a quick phone call to raise the issue for the team to investigate further. If you are struggling to get through to customer services, you could send a message via Live Chat or on social media. Hopefully, the customer service representative should be able to find the reason as to why you are unable to withdraw cash and to discuss your options.
It’s always a good thing to record the number of times you speak to the team over the phone and the duration, so you can highlight to them the amount of time you have spent trying to resolve this, if the problem persists.
3. Send Written Proof:
If you find that you are not getting anywhere after a few of calls, then you need to send an official letter, either as an email or physical letter as written proof should this escalate any further. Do so gives you a written record of your dispute which could be used later as evidence as to how long the issue has been going on for.
The simplest method is to send an message via their Contacts page. Generally, you will receive a quicker response on email than sending a letter. Be sure to include your account number, the date at which you had the issue, and any communication between yourself and Draftkings over the phone.
4. Seek Legal Advice:
Litigation is an expensive process. So instead, I suggest you first speak to Citizens Advice, who will arrange a free meeting with you to discuss your problem. They will first review your issue to see if you have a case and help you to look at your options if a sportsbook is refusing to payout.
Summary
I know it can be difficult in the heat of the moment (especially when money is at stake) but the best approach to resolve any issue is to remain calm. Staff that are on the other end of the phone or responding via social media are generally there to resolve any problems you may be facing.
While the first reaction to any dispute is to lash out, remaining calm puts you in the driver seat to come to a resolution and hopefully receive your winnings.