PINNACLE ACCOUNT "UNDER REVIEW": No explanations, no answers!

[Optional]

Saw the mentions of Mexico in thread and wanted to ask - As someone who lives in the states but travels to Mexico frequently (no Mexican ID or resident ****), would I be eligible to open an account and play Pinny while on my travels down there?

Their terms say both a) must be in a country it is lawful to use the service (ok) and b)not a resident of forbidden country (USA, as i guess any ID i submit would show a US address). So not sure if b) would forbid me from opening account or it's like a state by state thing with the legal apps where you can play as long as in the proper jurisdiction. tia

They don't accept US citizens unless they have residency elsewhere.

But the best way to find out if there is anything you can do is to ask them. They may have a solution.

[impressivegol]

Saw the mentions of Mexico in thread and wanted to ask - As someone who lives in the states but travels to Mexico frequently (no Mexican ID or resident ****), would I be eligible to open an account and play Pinny while on my travels down there?

Their terms say both a) must be in a country it is lawful to use the service (ok) and b)not a resident of forbidden country (USA, as i guess any ID i submit would show a US address). So not sure if b) would forbid me from opening account or it's like a state by state thing with the legal apps where you can play as long as in the proper jurisdiction. tia

[Brooklyn Dick]

And as for such a great book I wonder what would have happened if the OP did NOT have the information they wanted from years ago?...........Would he have got paid? As SportsBettor5 said this should have been done with his deposit, not when he wants to withdraw six figures.........

[SportsBettor5]

Pinnacle did not argue that my account was flagged due to my deposits, but because of the increasing amount of my requested withdrawals. On the other hand they asked for information of my initial deposits which did not make a lot of sense to me either.

Flagging your account because you withdrew too much of your own money. I'd love to have someone come in and explain how that's just.

On a book performing checks on deposits years after they are made: the only scenario I can imagine in which this is fair is the one in which law enforcement reaches out to the book to request such a review. No indication that happened here. Otherwise, the book should perform its checks at time of deposit and be done with it.

[2Sweeet]

Damn we have the Cocaine Grandma here. Who says SBR is dying? Glad u r getting paid. Buy a few Drones now to deal with border patrol. It will always be Gulf Of America unless u get paid in full.

[MercedesPPG]

Curb your enthusiasm. It's nice that this guy regained access to his own money, but Pinnacle never should have denied him access to it in the first place.

This is how it should work:

1) Player sends deposit
2) Pinnacle receives deposit
3) If Pinnacle has any questions about or legal obligations related to the funds, freeze the funds immediately after deposit

a) If Pinnacle sees something it doesn't like, return the funds to player in a timely manner
b) If the funds pass Pinnacle's checks, unfreeze them and allow the client to bet with them

That's it. There shouldn't be any cases of Pinnacle freezing a player's funds like this years after deposit for weeks at a time to demand source of wealth documentation.

As I stated since the very beginning, my intent was never to damage "Pinnacle reputation as an A++, reliable and honest sportsbook". In this same sense, I do not want this to feel that I am trying to defend nor that I agree 100% on the way my KYC verification was handled, specifically with the lack on information from their end. I exposed my case being , I hope, as transparent and as unbiased as I possibly could.

Having said that and responding to your post, Pinnacle did not argue that my account was flagged due to my deposits, but because of the increasing amount of my requested withdrawals. On the other hand they asked for information of my initial deposits which did not make a lot of sense to me either.
I guess it is standard procedure during 2nd level KYC to make a general revision of the account movements, including of course deposits. Fortunately I was able to provide them with enough information that my Source of Funds verification status is not showing as Pending anymore.

Finally, regarding your comment: " It's nice that this guy regained access..."; I just felt the need to clarify. I am not a guy, I am a lady.

[Alfie White]

[SportsBettor5]

People like me are the reason the EU has issued directives preventing the usage of the financial system for money laundering or terrorist financing?



By all means, continue to defend the principle of "guilty until proven innocent". Somehow I think this will only weaken our industry.

[Alfie White]

The reason we have AML directives 6, 7, 8, 9 etc is because there are people like you that know how it "should work". It is a very good thing that you have a cognitive ability to think and reason, but I don't think that Pinnacle (out of all other bookmakers) would do something on a whim just to make someone's life miserable.

OP has been flagged and regardless how we, snowflakes, feel about that, it is OPs right and obligation to disprove the flag by providing evidence - which OP did.

[SportsBettor5]

Curb your enthusiasm. It's nice that this guy regained access to his own money, but Pinnacle never should have denied him access to it in the first place.

This is how it should work:

1) Player sends deposit
2) Pinnacle receives deposit
3) If Pinnacle has any questions about or legal obligations related to the funds, freeze the funds immediately after deposit

a) If Pinnacle sees something it doesn't like, return the funds to player in a timely manner
b) If the funds pass Pinnacle's checks, unfreeze them and allow the client to bet with them

That's it. There shouldn't be any cases of Pinnacle freezing a player's funds like this years after deposit for weeks at a time to demand source of wealth documentation.

[MercedesPPG]

Finally the verification process has been completed and my account is back to normal.

Today I got an email from Pinnacle Customer Service Manager. In a very polite and attentive email I was explained that apparently due to the increasing amount of requested money per withdrawal my account was flagged internally as suspicious. On top of this, the fact that Astropay was used as a deposit method (which I absoulutely regret due to a terrible customer support structure) prompted the need for even more verifications from their end.

Being sorry for such a lenghty, information lacking and stressful process, the representative from Pinnacle went on to reassure me I could now continue enjoying their service and thanking me for my preference.

Regarding my pending withdrawal (requested since June 24th), it has been credited back to my account balance.
Now that my account has been cleared I will keep you posted as soon as I request it again.

Thanks once again for your guide and support;

Today I resubmitted my withdrawal request. This time I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the promptness in which Pinnacle processed it; within an hour or so I received the funds (6 digit transaction). The Customer Service Manager has been absolutely amazing.

My Source of Funds verification status is still showing as "Pending" in my account, which I hope will be upgraded to "Verified" soon as this will give a little extra peace of mind moving forward.

THANKS A LOT TO EVERYONE!

[MercedesPPG]

I've been closely following this topic and I have to congratulate the OP for the patience and Pin for doing the right thing. It is always good to be cooperative with the books.

Cheers and thanks for staying tuned.

[Alfie White]

I've been closely following this topic and I have to congratulate the OP for the patience and Pin for doing the right thing. It is always good to be cooperative with the books.

[Optional]

Good news

[MercedesPPG]

Finally the verification process has been completed and my account is back to normal.

Today I got an email from Pinnacle Customer Service Manager. In a very polite and attentive email I was explained that apparently due to the increasing amount of requested money per withdrawal my account was flagged internally as suspicious. On top of this, the fact that Astropay was used as a deposit method (which I absoulutely regret due to a terrible customer support structure) prompted the need for even more verifications from their end.

Being sorry for such a lenghty, information lacking and stressful process, the representative from Pinnacle went on to reassure me I could now continue enjoying their service and thanking me for my preference.

Regarding my pending withdrawal (requested since June 24th), it has been credited back to my account balance.
Now that my account has been cleared I will keep you posted as soon as I request it again.

Thanks once again for your guide and support;

[MercedesPPG]

I think if you leave significant money there long term it can make it more likely to trigger 2nd level KYC, where they ask for the Source Of Wealth.

Makes total sense; however, in my case my account has been with significant money since the very first deposits. It is kind of weird to ask for transactions details two years after they happened. As a matter of fact, it would be even more convinient for Pinnacle to contact Astropay directly fromk a B2B standpoint (I think they should have a dedicated account manager) and ask for whatever transaction details they consider appropriate.

As far as 2nd level KYC, I totally understand it and I have already complied with it. They requested a "biometric selfie" which I provided promptly. They also requested a Declaration and Proof of Source of Funds/Wealth and they have both been given to them as well. Nonetheless; I am standing here -22 days after my account was made inaccessible- waiting for some transaction details that happend so long ago.

Thanks as always for your help and involvement Opti;

[MercedesPPG]

This stuff is terrifying. I keep a rather large balance with Pinnacle due to their 3x RO requirement (their primary competitors BOL and Circa are 1x) and my relatively infrequent wagering. It's very disturbing to think they might come along years after deposit and start nitpicking over source of funds nonsense. Why didn't they ask for that material at time of deposit?

I totally agree on this.

It has been more than a year since I made a deposit. I do not want to exaggerate here but I am sure I am well over 100X RO and they request documentation that is not accessible from my end, from an account that is very likely I might not have anymore. As I said, fortunately I do have my Astropay account and I have been contacting CS several times per day since Pinnacle requested it, but apparently even for them searching for transactions from 2 years ago takes quite some time and effort. If they had asked for it maybe a month or two after I made such transactions it would have been so easy to gather the information. I wonder what situation would be if I simply did not have my Astropay account anymore...

Anyways, I hope Astropay provides me with the requested transactions soon so I can forward them to Pinnacle.

[Optional]

This stuff is terrifying. I keep a rather large balance with Pinnacle due to their 3x RO requirement (their primary competitors BOL and Circa are 1x) and my relatively infrequent wagering. It's very disturbing to think they might come along years after deposit and start nitpicking over source of funds nonsense. Why didn't they ask for that material at time of deposit?

I think if you leave significant money there long term it can make it more likely to trigger 2nd level KYC, where they ask for the Source Of Wealth.

[SportsBettor5]

However, Pinnacle is still requesting my Astropay account statement from almost 2 years ago. Fortunately I still have my Astropay account but there is no way to generate the 2023 extract from my end. I contacted Astropay Support again and they cannot generate an account statement as such either! I even sent Pinnacle a screenshot of my chat interaction with Astropay Support agent stating the impossibility of generating such statement.
It has been 3 days since I have been contacting Astropay trying to get the details of every transaction during the requested timeframe, but still they have not sent it to me.

This stuff is terrifying. I keep a rather large balance with Pinnacle due to their 3x RO requirement (their primary competitors BOL and Circa are 1x) and my relatively infrequent wagering. It's very disturbing to think they might come along years after deposit and start nitpicking over source of funds nonsense. Why didn't they ask for that material at time of deposit?

[Optional]

If I understood correctly Astropay said they could give you specific transaction details? I think I would ask them to confirm any sent to Pinny and send that back to them. Even if it's not exactly what Pinny say they want.

But, I also would not get too worried about anything the CS person communicating with you says. It's very likely they are not involved in any investigation or decision and are just passing on info. Chances are that your answers will be accepted once the security dept looks at it again. So don't worry spending too much effort getting more info unless they end up asking for it.

[MercedesPPG]

Sounds like they have cleared you as being you and are now at the part where they confirm you can afford to bet the amounts that you are.

Painful and I personally really dislike that bookmakers are the ones required to do this sort of personal check, but it sounds like you are almost there.

So today I got an email from Pinnacle stating that they were not able to conclude their review due to the fact that the documents I provided were "not up to date". Of course they were not up to date! The documents are from September 2023, which was the month when I funded my account and the objective as I understand of submitting the documentation is to prove my source of funds at the time I made my deposits. Of course I could have submitted my last bank statement, actually it was way easier for me, but it would prove nothing as to my availability of funds back in 2023 when I opened my account.

I replied to their email promptly and although they did not explicitly stated the approval of such documents apparently they underestood my point. In case they want up to date documents I can easily provide them as well.

However, Pinnacle is still requesting my Astropay account statement from almost 2 years ago. Fortunately I still have my Astropay account but there is no way to generate the 2023 extract from my end. I contacted Astropay Support again and they cannot generate an account statement as such either! I even sent Pinnacle a screenshot of my chat interaction with Astropay Support agent stating the impossibility of generating such statement.
It has been 3 days since I have been contacting Astropay trying to get the details of every transaction during the requested timeframe, but still they have not sent it to me.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

[MercedesPPG]

Sounds like they have cleared you as being you and are now at the part where they confirm you can afford to bet the amounts that you are.

Painful and I personally really dislike that bookmakers are the ones required to do this sort of personal check, but it sounds like you are almost there.

Yesterday I sent the requested declaration along with the documents that prove my source of funds/wealth, meaning bank statements and savings account which support my original deposit. All the documents were uploaded on my account and they showed "Pending Status".

Regarding my Astropay account extract, I contacted an Astropay representative via chat and apparently they do not offer an account statement as such, which I notified Pinnacle about (along with a screenshot of the chat); however, they are able to give me all the details of any transaction(s) that I am interested in, which I also notified Pinnacle of (via email).

Until now I have not heard back from Pinnacle and my account is once again inaccessible.

Hoping to hear from them soon;

[Optional]

Today, 18 days after my account was made inaccessible, I was contacted by Pinnacle. They are requesting from me a proof of funds/wealth and a couple of AstroPay statements (which was my original deposit method).

My account is now active, meaning I am able to log in and upload the requested documentation, but it is still restricted (I cannot bet nor withdraw) until I complete this verification process.

I will be uploading the requested documents as soon as AstroPay provides me with the extracts I need.

Regarding the withdrawal that was requested since June 24, it still has not been processed nor credited back to my Pinnacle balance. I hope it clears once the verification process is completed and approved.

I will keep you updated;

Sounds like they have cleared you as being you and are now at the part where they confirm you can afford to bet the amounts that you are.

Painful and I personally really dislike that bookmakers are the ones required to do this sort of personal check, but it sounds like you are almost there.

[MercedesPPG]

Keep us updated. I am also a Pinnacle client and resident of Mexico. I travel between the US and Mexico often. I imagine Pinnacle has quite a few clients that fit this description and let's see if they try to play any dirty tricks.

Today, 18 days after my account was made inaccessible, I was contacted by Pinnacle. They are requesting from me a proof of funds/wealth and a couple of AstroPay statements (which was my original deposit method).

My account is now active, meaning I am able to log in and upload the requested documentation, but it is still restricted (I cannot bet nor withdraw) until I complete this verification process.

I will be uploading the requested documents as soon as AstroPay provides me with the extracts I need.

Regarding the withdrawal that was requested since June 24, it still has not been processed nor credited back to my Pinnacle balance. I hope it clears once the verification process is completed and approved.

I will keep you updated;

[MercedesPPG]

Keep us updated. I am also a Pinnacle client and resident of Mexico. I travel between the US and Mexico often. I imagine Pinnacle has quite a few clients that fit this description and let's see if they try to play any dirty tricks.

I willl for sure; until now I still have not heard back from them. As I stated, my intention is not to damage their reputation at all but rather to ask for your guidance. I hope it does not take too long before the "review" is completed.

[MercedesPPG]

You probably do not need to worry too much.

6 working days is not really an unusually long time for them. Remembering that they actually do proper KYC unlike most offshore books, and this can take a bit of time.

One example that can make it take longer is if they are concerned about your account being connected to another one they might need to gather ID from other people. Only takes one of those to ignore them and it will stay on hold for at least a couple of weeks.

They are supposed to have any investigation completed within 28 days max.

From much previous experience there is not much to be done to hurry them up. You can't help speed this up by chatting with CS people about this, but you can create extra suspicion.

I would suggest just trying to be patient until you get an official decision from the security dept and deal with it then if you need to.

You sound like you know you have done nothing wrong. If so, there is 99% chance Pinny will agree with that once done.

Thank you so much for your response. Now I know what is the maximum time an investigation should take. Per your advice I will continue to wait patiently until I hear back from them.

Thanks again;

[SportsBettor5]

Keep us updated. I am also a Pinnacle client and resident of Mexico. I travel between the US and Mexico often. I imagine Pinnacle has quite a few clients that fit this description and let's see if they try to play any dirty tricks.

[jim]

I totally understand that Pinnacle has the right to review my account any time they want; however, taking more than 10 days to do so and making my account inaccessible during the process, with no updates at all is unreasonable and worrisome to say the least.

no excuse for not responding.

I was with them for over 20 years, like you got the ''please resubmit your documents'' request after being cleared; I finally got fed up with their stalls and moved on.

regrettably I was not a winning gambler, mainly due to money management issues ...

[Optional]

You probably do not need to worry too much.

6 working days is not really an unusually long time for them. Remembering that they actually do proper KYC unlike most offshore books, and this can take a bit of time.

One example that can make it take longer is if they are concerned about your account being connected to another one they might need to gather ID from other people. Only takes one of those to ignore them and it will stay on hold for at least a couple of weeks.

They are supposed to have any investigation completed within 28 days max.

From much previous experience there is not much to be done to hurry them up. You can't help speed this up by chatting with CS people about this, but you can create extra suspicion.

I would suggest just trying to be patient until you get an official decision from the security dept and deal with it then if you need to.

You sound like you know you have done nothing wrong. If so, there is 99% chance Pinny will agree with that once done.

[MercedesPPG]

Greetings from Mexico:

I have no intent on damaging Pinnacle reputation as an A++, reliable and honest sporstbook, so it is truly against my will that this whole situation has gotten to a point where I have decided to start this complaint with SBR.

I have had my account with Pinnacle since 2023 with no problems whatsoever, being able to deposit and withdraw funds uneventfully on several occasions. I am talking about 6 figure transactions here.

Two weeks ago, on Tuesday June 24th, I requested a withdrawal (which I have proof of) and the process apparently went as smooth as it had always gone. The funds were deducted from my balance; however, on Wednesday morning my account had been restricted, meaning I was not able to place bets nor withdraw money from it until I had verified my ID. It is worth mentioning that my account had already been verified since the very beginning both with my ID and proof of address; nonetheless, I complied with the new type of verification they were asking for. This time they did not want a picture of my ID but they requested a live biometric selfie which I completed promptly and of which I also have proof stating that my profile had been verified successfully. I even received an email from Pinnacle thanking me for submitting the requested selfie and within hours my account was back to normal. I did not use my account for the rest of the day nor on Thursday.

On Friday morning, June 27th, my account was inaccessible, meaning that I was not even able to log in to my account. After contacting Pinnacle I was asked for patience due to the fact that my account was "under review" without specifying any apparent reason and I was reassured as well that any updates were to be notified to me immediately.

I waited patiently until last Tuesday to send them a very polite email asking for any updates on the case. Noting that after 24 hours my email was not answered I resent it on Wednesday (five days ago) which until today has not been answered either.

As of this writing, the withdrawal that was requested since June 24th has not been processed, my account is still inaccessible and no answer has been received from their side.

I totally understand that Pinnacle has the right to review my account any time they want; however, taking more than 10 days to do so and making my account inaccessible during the process, with no updates at all is unreasonable and worrisome to say the least.

I have been indeed a winning player -which they openly welcome- whose 99% of bets are prematch (hours in advance) betting on nothing but major leagues -NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB-, very rarely placing live bets (loosing more than what I have won) and never ever having played casino with them. Given these circumstances I cannot wrap my head around Pinnacle taking so long to review my activity.

Convinced that there has been no wrongdoing from my side at all, I rely on your help and expertise to guide me through this unfortunate process.

Thanks in advance;