Stake.com Suspended My Account and Requested Extreme KYC

Optional · 10-30-25, 11:10 AM

It's annoying to be pushed all the way to level 4 KYC but it's not uncommon.

They wont want to be doing this and unable to earn income from you, and they don't get to keep any monies if confiscated, so try to not get concerned about if it is predatory.

If you can't supply regular income pay slips and are betting large amounts it can get extensive to satisfy. They need to be able to show the licensor that they have checked you can afford to bet as you are, are not using the proceeds of crime and not laundering money.

15cnbrk12345 · 10-30-25, 01:52 PM

If they truly have this obligation to the licensing authority, then they should be asking for these documents before allowing any deposits.

You mentioned that they don’t profit from holding funds, but in reality, many people will simply give up during these long verification processes.
Some, like me, won’t be able to provide payslips or similar proof, and in the end, that money stays with them.

Also, if as you said this isn’t such an uncommon situation, it means they’re holding a significant amount of money from many users.

It doesn’t seem very honest to let people deposit instantly, but then hide behind regulatory obligations when it comes to withdrawals.

SportsBettor5 · 10-30-25, 03:07 PM

A big name in the industry recently told me a similar story in the past couple weeks. Told me that if you are a serious player at Stake you can expect KYC hell. I decided not to sign up for this reason. My guess is Stake just doesn't know how to book and uses KYC to punish winners. Anyway there are still a handful of serious books out there (BOL BM Circa and maybe 105) who don't play these games so I really don't understand why people are playing with Mickey Mouse in 2025.

Optional · 10-30-25, 03:34 PM

Originally posted by SportsBettor5

A big name in the industry recently told me a similar story in the past couple weeks. Told me that if you are a serious player at Stake you can expect KYC hell. I decided not to sign up for this reason. My guess is Stake just doesn't know how to book and uses KYC to punish winners. Anyway there are still a handful of serious books out there (BOL BM Circa and maybe 105) who don't play these games so I really don't understand why people are playing with Mickey Mouse in 2025.

You must not play there or been lucky and just missed all the BM problems if you are seriously recommending them as safe from this stuff anymore.

SportsBettor5 · 10-30-25, 06:23 PM

Originally posted by Optional

You must not play there or been lucky and just missed all the BM problems if you are seriously recommending them as safe from this stuff anymore.

Been a client for 10 years. They are very good. Granted, I've played less with them recently as they don't give me the same limits they used to.

Alfie White · 10-30-25, 11:38 PM

So, OP, you deposited some money and you cannot explain where the funds came from? You invested in crypto and stocks? Where did you generate the funds to invest in the first place? Found them on the street?

Get a hold of yourself, acting as if you have any moral high ground. Money doesn't appear from thin air for most people and it is a normal thing if an operator finds a reason, to inquire about it. I truly don't believe that likes of stake would care about your $600. There is more to the story and people like you make the hell for all the rest of us.

raiders72001 · 10-31-25, 12:07 AM

Stay far away from Stake. KYC can take 6 months with these guys when you ask for a payout.

15cnbrk12345 · 10-31-25, 05:34 AM

Originally posted by Alfie White

So, OP, you deposited some money and you cannot explain where the funds came from? You invested in crypto and stocks? Where did you generate the funds to invest in the first place? Found them on the street?

Get a hold of yourself, acting as if you have any moral high ground. Money doesn't appear from thin air for most people and it is a normal thing if an operator finds a reason, to inquire about it. I truly don't believe that likes of stake would care about your $600. There is more to the story and people like you make the hell for all the rest of us.

You seem to be missing the entire point here.

Yes, I could’ve “found the money on the street”, and if that’s a problem, they should have asked before taking my deposit, not after holding it hostage.

No one is saying they can’t verify funds, but doing it after accepting deposits, freezing accounts, and refusing withdrawals is where the issue lies.

You might have trouble understanding this, but it’s called basic fairness. If KYC and source-of-funds are mandatory, it should be required before letting anyone deposit, not when someone tries to withdraw.

And please, don’t act like Stake doesn’t care about $600 — if this is happening to hundreds of users, that’s a lot more than pocket change.

So next time, maybe read before jumping to defend a multi-million dollar company against the very people it’s supposed to treat fairly.

Optional · 10-31-25, 05:47 AM

Originally posted by 15cnbrk12345

they should have asked before taking my deposit

Can you nominate any other bookmaker that does KYC before deposit?

If not, you probably should not rely on that argument. It's not going to be at all meaningful or significant to them.

I'd suggest just concentrating on "helping them" to find a way to protect themselves from any allegation they have not cleared you in a proper way. That's what they care about. The 100k+ fine they could face if they don't. Seriously, try to put yourself in their shoes and try to think of a way to give them what you can to help clear you. That's how you will see your money fastest. Not by arguing that all bookmakers should act differently than they all do.

SportsBettor5 · 10-31-25, 06:21 AM

Originally posted by Optional

Can you nominate any other bookmaker that does KYC before deposit?

Steelman him. He means "upon deposit". He's obviously correct about this. It is absurd for a book to take deposits, allow extensive play with those deposits, and then to ask for KYC only at time of withdrawal request. It reeks of excuse-finding to prevent paying a winning player.

More to the point: are these books actually compliant with regulations (as your posts suggest) if they are taking crypto deposits and performing zero KYC in the cases that the player loses the funds? That seems very unlikely and this seems to be a major hole in your argument.

Now to your question. Are there any books that do KYC upon deposit? I haven't encountered it at a sportsbook, but I did at a crypto exchange. Upon discovering that I was a national of a place they didn't want to do any business with, they returned my funds promptly and never let me trade with them. This model is feasible for Stake and others to adopt.

Brooklyn Dick · 10-31-25, 06:25 AM

What a crock of shxt. Anyone that believes they need to do this for $600 is a total moron...

Optional · 10-31-25, 06:37 AM

Originally posted by SportsBettor5

Steelman him. He means "upon deposit".

ok, on deposit. The point remains exactly the same.

And far from "steelmanning him" I'm trying to help him get paid. Not entertain readers with useless indignation about how stuff should be managed and regulated.

Brooklyn Dick · 10-31-25, 06:41 AM

Originally posted by Optional

ok, on deposit. The point remains exactly the same.

And far from "steelmanning him" I'm trying to help him get paid. Not entertain readers with useless indignation about how stuff should be managed and regulated.

You are a good man for sure and really want to help players but it is time you realized that all this is not for the good. It is only to avoid paying and nothing more. :You are wasting your valuable time with a bunch of frauds posing as Bookmakers.

Alfie White · 10-31-25, 07:08 AM

Originally posted by 15cnbrk12345

You seem to be missing the entire point here.

Yes, I could’ve “found the money on the street”, and if that’s a problem, they should have asked before taking my deposit, not after holding it hostage.

No one is saying they can’t verify funds, but doing it after accepting deposits, freezing accounts, and refusing withdrawals is where the issue lies.

You might have trouble understanding this, but it’s called basic fairness. If KYC and source-of-funds are mandatory, it should be required before letting anyone deposit, not when someone tries to withdraw.

And please, don’t act like Stake doesn’t care about $600 — if this is happening to hundreds of users, that’s a lot more than pocket change.

So next time, maybe read before jumping to defend a multi-million dollar company against the very people it’s supposed to treat fairly.

As said, there must be more to the story. Not a single bookmaker will make fortune out of $600. For that kind of money to be worthwhile, they would need to scam tens of thousands of customers; and if that would happen, you would see thousands of exclusively bad reviews (1xbet anyone?).

Since that is not the case, and me knowing a bit of the industry, I can be quite certain you are hiding something and are acting entitled as if you have any rights. You don't you, you have accepted their T&C and you can always file a complaint to their regulator (Curacao has stepped quite a bit, lately).

I don't care about stake or any other crypto peddling casino sh**show, but I hate BS and I can smell tons of it here.

To play the devils' advocate here, you say your balance is $600, how much did you deposit in total there? Given that your stake size is $50-100, you must be depositing in a range of $1000-2000 or so. Would you please share what is your total deposit amount with them?

JAKEPEAVY21 · 10-31-25, 07:27 AM

I can only speak to my personal experience with Stake. I'm in California so do not have access to the sportsbook but have played poker and casino there for years and made hundreds of crypto deposits/withdrawals and never once had any issue.

Hopefully OP gets his situation sorted out but I agree with Optional as far as giving them the info that they are requesting as that seems like the best/quickest route to get access to your money.

15cnbrk12345 · 10-31-25, 08:07 AM

Originally posted by Alfie White

As said, there must be more to the story. Not a single bookmaker will make fortune out of $600. For that kind of money to be worthwhile, they would need to scam tens of thousands of customers; and if that would happen, you would see thousands of exclusively bad reviews (1xbet anyone?).

Since that is not the case, and me knowing a bit of the industry, I can be quite certain you are hiding something and are acting entitled as if you have any rights. You don't you, you have accepted their T&C and you can always file a complaint to their regulator (Curacao has stepped quite a bit, lately).

I don't care about stake or any other crypto peddling casino sh**show, but I hate BS and I can smell tons of it here.

To play the devils' advocate here, you say your balance is $600, how much did you deposit in total there? Given that your stake size is $50-100, you must be depositing in a range of $1000-2000 or so. Would you please share what is your total deposit amount with them?

I don't have to prove anything to anyone here, but if it will put your mind at ease: I made a $775 deposit in October. Before that, in January 2024, I deposited $200 and lost it — I think my wife and I just played casino for fun and lost.

I guess we all get impressions about people or services at times; certain smells can hit our noses. In your case, I’d say your receptors aren’t working very well. My point is not to contest the $600, that’s not the main issue.

This is a large forum and people like me come here to research and evaluate bookmakers. Given the country I live in and the general betting landscape, there aren’t many places to effectively defend our rights, so I find posts like this useful for others who want to check a book. Even though $600 is a small amount, it still hurts to be left helpless.

And no, I’m not going to try to prove to book-loving people like you that your “smells” are wrong. There’s nothing more to this story — that’s it. I only bet on NBA/NFL player props and I’d been away from betting for a long time. I chose Stake because their product seemed good and reliable; apparently many people haven’t had issues, but it happened to me. Maybe it won’t happen to many others, but I wanted people to read about my experience.

Of course the site isn’t obsessed with $600 personally, they don’t have a grudge against me — but you know these situations can happen at any book, and they can become very unpleasant processes. I can sympathize with that to an extent, but if I were to share the documents I gave them and the ones they rejected, you’d see how they drag things out. As players, we’re left exposed to the books, and in the end you just get a rejection and the humiliation of being stuck.

Alfie White · 10-31-25, 08:16 AM

Does your wife also have an account?

15cnbrk12345 · 10-31-25, 08:27 AM

Originally posted by Alfie White

Does your wife also have an account?

Oh, am I chatting with a Stake live help now? If so please don't act like a chatbot. Just so you know, I’m not here to turn this into a private Q&A. The point of sharing my experience is to show people what they might be facing, not to entertain speculative questions about my personal life.

You can think of it like logging into my own account, streaming some slot games on TV and playing them — I guess today my only job will be to put your mind at ease.

Alfie White · 10-31-25, 08:31 AM

No problem, get your dog an account as well and then make another complaint. Don't worry, I will be around to call you out again.

SportsBettor5 · 10-31-25, 10:31 AM

Originally posted by Optional

I'm trying to help him get paid.

Yes, that is part of what you did in your post, and good on you for that.

However, you also imputed to Stake motivations ("That's what they care about") which you couldn't know unless you are them. That was uncalled for. There are many books that play the "KYC merely to punish winners" game.

Optional · 10-31-25, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by SportsBettor5

Yes, that is part of what you did in your post, and good on you for that.

However, you also imputed to Stake motivations ("That's what they care about") which you couldn't know unless you are them. That was uncalled for. There are many books that play the "KYC merely to punish winners" game.

Do you also suggest that someone coming at me saying I am steel manning a user I am helping could not know that without being me??

That's a complete nonsense argument. Much like your first attempted crack at me about saying "before" instead of "upon deposit" (when i was quoting OP who said before

). Have you come up with an example book that does KYC "upon deposit" as yet? Or was that just a nonsense point too?

After more than a decade dealing with thousands of cases and talking to many many bookmakers about this exact sort of issue, I think I do speak from a place of some real knowledge about Stake's motivation btw.

SportsBettor5 · 10-31-25, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by Optional

Do you also suggest that someone coming at me saying I am steel manning a user I am helping could not know that without being me??

That's a complete nonsense argument. Much like your first attempted crack at me about saying "before" instead of "upon deposit" (when i was quoting OP who said before

). Have you come up with an example book that does KYC "upon deposit" as yet? Or was that just a nonsense point too?

After more than a decade dealing with thousands of cases and talking to many many bookmakers about this exact sort of issue, I think I do speak from a place of some real knowledge about Stake's motivation btw.

You're all mixed up. I was encouraging you to steelman the TS, not attacking you for steelmanning him. Steelmanning means to take the stronger version of the argument instead of taking the easy, low-hanging fruit. It is a good thing to do. See the attached Wiktionary link.

Yes, the many many bookmakers you have talked to will always say that they have no choice but to do hardcore KYC to withdrawing players. Next time you talk to them, try asking why they don't instead do this same KYC upon taking deposits from said players. If the book's goal is to combat money laundering and/or comply with AML regulation, then the book must be unwilling to allow people to play with potentially dirty money at the book.

Look at FATF recommendations. Delaying CDD/KYC to withdrawal is non-compliant under FATF because it permits the establishment of a business relationship with the client prematurely. The UK Gambling Commission, for example, explicitly labels this practice both unfair and non-compliant.

Brooklyn Dick · 10-31-25, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by SportsBettor5

You're all mixed up. I was encouraging you to steelman the TS, not attacking you for steelmanning him. Steelmanning means to take the stronger version of the argument instead of taking the easy, low-hanging fruit. It is a good thing to do. See the attached Wiktionary link.

Yes, the many many bookmakers you have talked to will always say that they have no choice but to do hardcore KYC to withdrawing players. Next time you talk to them, try asking why they don't instead do this same KYC upon taking deposits from said players. If the book's goal is to combat money laundering and/or comply with AML regulation, then the book must be unwilling to allow people to play with potentially dirty money at the book.

Look at FATF recommendations. Delaying CDD/KYC to withdrawal is non-compliant under FATF because it permits the establishment of a business relationship with the client prematurely. The UK Gambling Commission, for example, explicitly labels this practice both unfair and non-compliant.

All true. The reason NO books do KYC on deposit is exactly the point here. They would take a Hot Stove. No refusing from anyone on any amount. Try that with a Bank in your local area and see if they just take it like these thieves do...

15cnbrk12345 · 10-31-25, 01:58 PM

Thanks for all the input, everyone. I just want to clarify that I didn’t open this thread to debate abstract theories about KYC or gambling regulations. I shared my experience because I believe it can help other players make informed decisions before depositing.

If Stake or any other book truly applies these rules for compliance purposes, then the right time to request full KYC should be before accepting deposits — not after a player has already deposited and played. Otherwise, it feels less like “compliance” and more like selective enforcement.

This isn’t about $600. It’s about transparency and fairness. These situations can happen to anyone, and people deserve to know what they might face when choosing a bookmaker.

--

By the way, I still have Level 3 and Level 4 pending, and I want to complete them somehow to get my balance back. For Level 3, I took my internet bill PDF and the payment receipts for those exact amounts, then merged them into a single file — after getting rejected a couple of times.

But Level 4 is going to be a real struggle. The documents they ask for are similar to what embassies request when you apply for a **** to another country. At this point, I think withdrawing money from Stake might actually be harder than getting a U.S. ****.

Optional · 10-31-25, 02:05 PM

Originally posted by SportsBettor5

You're all mixed up. I was encouraging you to steelman the TS, not attacking you for steelmanning him. Steelmanning means to take the stronger version of the argument instead of taking the easy, low-hanging fruit. It is a good thing to do. See the attached Wiktionary link.

Yes, the many many bookmakers you have talked to will always say that they have no choice but to do hardcore KYC to withdrawing players. Next time you talk to them, try asking why they don't instead do this same KYC upon taking deposits from said players. If the book's goal is to combat money laundering and/or comply with AML regulation, then the book must be unwilling to allow people to play with potentially dirty money at the book.

Look at FATF recommendations. Delaying CDD/KYC to withdrawal is non-compliant under FATF because it permits the establishment of a business relationship with the client prematurely. The UK Gambling Commission, for example, explicitly labels this practice both unfair and non-compliant.

Apologies for the misunderstanding then.

UKGC said books had 28 days to do initial KYC and then never really enforced it. Books get around having to do everyone manually by implementing a type of automated KYC via a third party ID verification service using public records and pseudo AI as level 1 KYC.

I don't know what Stake do for sure, but that's what I believe all the major US licensed books do to comply with similar rules they all have as well.

Optional · 10-31-25, 02:09 PM

Originally posted by 15cnbrk12345

But Level 4 is going to be a real struggle. The documents they ask for are similar to what embassies request when you apply for a **** to another country. At this point, I think withdrawing money from Stake might actually be harder than getting a U.S. ****.

Don't worry if you can't supply exactly the records they ask for. Just offer what you have and think will be seen as reasonable proof of the source of funds.

The book isn't supposed to do an FBI investigation of every claim you make. Just that you and they have made a reasonable effort to confirm SoF and SoW if a regulator should ever question the account.

raiders72001 · 11-01-25, 04:19 PM

I don't know the motive but I'm not exaggerating when I say the KYC can take 6 months at Stake. It most likely has to do with this since Stake has gone KYC wild. https://www.gamingcontrolcuracao.org.../online-gaming

15cnbrk12345 · 11-02-25, 07:34 AM

I’ve submitted detailed documents for both Level 3 and Level 4, and there’s really nothing else I can provide beyond that. We’ll just have to wait and see — I’ll make sure to update here once it’s resolved.

SportsBettor5 · 11-02-25, 08:45 AM

Originally posted by 15cnbrk12345

I’ve submitted detailed documents for both Level 3 and Level 4, and there’s really nothing else I can provide beyond that. We’ll just have to wait and see — I’ll make sure to update here once it’s resolved.

Thanks. We're watching. What did Stake request for Level 4?

15cnbrk12345 · 11-02-25, 08:49 AM

Originally posted by SportsBettor5

Thanks. We're watching. What did Stake request for Level 4?

For your Level 4 documentation to be accepted, the statement must include:

Your full name
Account number
The brokerage firm’s name and address
The value of the investments and any dividends or interest earned

Brooklyn Dick · 11-02-25, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by 15cnbrk12345

For your Level 4 documentation to be accepted, the statement must include:

Your full name
Account number
The brokerage firm’s name and address
The value of the investments and any dividends or interest earned

This could qualify for late night jokes. All this over where he got $600.........Pathetic, and anyone that sanctions this is just as pathetic...

15cnbrk12345 · 2025-11-05T06:21:58+00:00

Update:

Just a quick update on my case with Stake.

Today they confirmed that my Level 3 verification has been successfully completed, which means they’ve accepted my utility bills and payment proofs.

Now, they’re asking for Level 4 verification — which normally includes payslips and a bank statement showing salary deposits.

However, as I’ve already explained and documented several times, I’m not a salaried employee. My income comes from long-term investments in stocks and crypto, and I’ve already sent them detailed brokerage statements showing this.

At this point, I’ve provided everything possible and I’m now waiting for a manual review of my Level 4 submission. I’ll keep this thread updated once I receive any new information.

Honestly, this entire process has been unnecessarily long and complex for an account with a $600 balance, but I’ll continue to follow up until it’s resolved.

SportsBettor5 · 2025-11-05T09:58:55+00:00

Thanks for the update. Absurd.