Online casino account linking: why can't you merge duplicate accounts?

so the other day i realized i’ve got two accounts on the same casino after using a different email last year when my old phone died. both have a bit of cash sitting in them, nothing crazy, but it’s annoying. tried to get support to just merge them, but they say it’s not possible. they’re worried about fraud or bonus abuse i guess, but it’s my own info, same name, even same bank and id. i even told them i don’t need any double promos, just let me move the balances together and close one account.

kinda bugs me that the system isn’t smarter about this. feels like there should be a way for regular players to prove it’s legit and tidy up their accounts without all this drama. anyone ever have them actually sort this out, or is it always a dead end?