Better Business Bureau reports over 10,000 complaints linked to online gambling

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2025/08/25: Better Business Bureau issues scam warning ahead of sports betting launch in Missouri 2025/05/05: Indonesian authorities suspend over 5,000 bank accounts linked to online gambling 2025/07/11: Indonesia blocks more than 17,000 bank accounts linked to igaming 2025/09/03: South Korea succeeds in largest ever repatriation of criminals linked to online gambling in the Philippines

The Backstory

How a niche complaint became a consumer warning

The surge in Better Business Bureau complaints over online gambling did not materialize in a vacuum. It tracks with the rapid spread of legal betting options and the murkier growth of lookalike sites that lean on crypto payments, vague promotions and hard-to-reach operators. Ahead of Missouri’s launch of legal sports wagering on Dec. 1, 2025, the nonprofit issued a scam warning to residents, noting that complaints tied to online gambling have doubled since 2023. Investigators cited misleading terms, frozen accounts and unlicensed operators that present themselves as legitimate. The underlying problem is a marketplace where state-by-state rules leave gaps for bad actors to exploit and for customers to misread what is legal.

That confusion is amplified by sleek app design and aggressive social media campaigns. Consumers who migrate from familiar fantasy sports or social casino games to real-money wagers often discover that return policies, identity checks and withdrawal rules are stricter than the ads imply. When sites are offshore, there may be no meaningful recourse. The Better Business Bureau’s advice to verify licenses and read terms before depositing reflects a wider lesson from other regions that have confronted illegal platforms: once money flows into the gray market, it is hard to get back.

Patchwork laws meet cross-border crime

The United States’ state-by-state approach means operators play by different rules next door, which scammers leverage to blur lines. That dynamic is not unique. Law enforcement in Asia has been grappling with sprawling networks that mix illegal casinos, fraud rings and crypto wallets designed to evade detection. South Korea’s National Police Agency, for example, led its largest-ever repatriation of suspects tied to illegal online casinos from the Philippines, citing a multi-year enterprise that handled the equivalent of trillions of won. The scale underscores how digital gambling operations can fuse with other crimes, from embezzlement to extortion, and move assets across borders faster than regulators can coordinate.

For U.S. consumers, the lesson is practical. The more a platform relies on foreign entities, crypto rails or anonymous payment channels, the easier it is for operators to shut the door on withdrawals or customer service. That is precisely the pattern surfacing in complaints the Better Business Bureau has tracked. And as more states legalize betting, the presence of quasi-legal and illegal options will grow unless regulators and licensed operators communicate clearly about what is authorized and how funds are protected.

Indonesia’s banking playbook offers a stress test

If the United States is in an early phase of reconciling mass-market betting with consumer protection, Indonesia shows what a mature crackdown looks like. The country’s financial intelligence unit began by freezing more than 5,000 bank accounts tied to online gambling as part of a government-wide effort to curb social harms and drain the money supply that sustains illegal sites. Authorities then widened the aperture. The Financial Services Authority directed banks to step up due diligence, monitor dormant accounts and coordinate cyber patrols, ordering the freeze of 17,026 suspected accounts. An Antara News report detailed instructions to flag suspicious transfers, track the sale of accounts and build a rapid-response task force for cyber incidents.

Those actions, while aggressive, reflect a calculus that interdicting payments is the most direct way to shut off illegal operators. Indonesia has also pursued the demand side by removing hundreds of thousands of gambling-linked posts and domains. Still, authorities concede that enforcement pressure is pushing activity offshore. The Foreign Affairs Committee has reported more Indonesians taking jobs in overseas gambling hubs, prompting warnings about “lucrative” offers that mask exploitation. The cycle is familiar: choke points trigger adaptation, not disappearance. For policymakers in the United States, that means consumer education and financial surveillance must evolve together.

Dormant accounts, real-world blowback

Indonesia’s most forceful step so far was a mass freeze that blocked over 28,000 bank accounts believed to hold gambling funds, many of them dormant or bought and sold to mask ownership. The scale produced collateral headaches. Some customers discovered their accounts suspended and took to social media to complain, including a well-known tech entrepreneur whose bank later clarified that the balances did not belong to him and that reactivation was possible through standard procedures. The episode shows how blunt instruments can ensnare innocents when account markets flourish and identity verification lags.

Financial institutions are being pushed to reexamine how they detect mule accounts, how quickly they share data with authorities and how they notify customers when freezes occur. That mirrors the tension in the U.S. market: consumers want fast sign-ups and instant payouts, but frictionless onboarding can invite fraud. As complaints climb, banks and licensed operators face pressure to tighten controls without alienating legitimate bettors. Clear disclosures, visible license markers and standardized withdrawal timelines would address several complaint themes before they escalate into disputes.

The stakes as legalization expands

Missouri’s rollout illustrates the moment. Regulators named Circa Sports and DraftKings as winners of two untethered licenses, drawing attention from first-time bettors and veteran gamblers alike. The Better Business Bureau’s pre-launch warning was aimed at that window when curiosity is high and imposters are most active. The agency urged players to confirm state licensing, study terms that govern bonuses and withdrawals, and avoid sites that push crypto-only deposits or promise guaranteed returns.

The international picture suggests the stakes extend beyond individual losses. Where illegal gambling networks take root, they often blend with cybercrime, human trafficking and tax evasion. Indonesia’s escalating freezes and South Korea’s coordinated repatriations point to a future where financial oversight, platform moderation and cross-border policing are inseparable. For U.S. regulators, the choice is whether to move faster on data sharing and consumer labeling while legal markets are still maturing. For consumers, the takeaway is simple: if a platform is hard to verify, difficult to contact or vague about payouts, the risk of losing funds is high.

The Better Business Bureau’s complaint trend is a barometer. It signals that consumer protection is not just about catching bad actors after the fact. It is about shrinking the gray space where bad platforms thrive, so licensed operators can compete on clear terms and customers know where their money stands.