The major gambling regulator in the UK has asserted that the local customers’ capability to withdraw funds from their accounts has been raised as a “number one” issue. Lucy Denton, UK Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) director of communications, noted that while gambling operators should not hold back players from the chance to cash out some funds from their gambling accounts, some restrictions in terms of customers’ deposits may apply.
Currently, the UKGC is having some negotiations with industry stakeholders regarding the recommendations issued by the UK Government as part of its White Paper on gambling. At the same time, the gambling regulator is observing a significant number of withdrawal complaints tabled every year to the Contact Centre.
The Contact Centre of the Gambling Commission records approximately 6,000 phone calls on an annual basis on a large number of topics ranging from licensing to issues linked to the country’s gambling sector. Most of the customer complaints, however, are associated with delayed cashout issues, as confirmed by Ms Denton in a blog post.
As the director of communications at the UKGC explained, British gamblers often use the regulator’s direct line to express their frustration when their fund withdrawal requests will take much longer than initially anticipated to become available or when they have been requested to send various forms of information to gambling companies, such as ID verification documents before their cashout requests are processed by operators.
Ms Denton confirmed there have been some delays in cash-out withdrawals that occurred for valid reasons when processing payments. She noted that these delays unfortunately occurred beyond the gambling operator’s control such as a delay caused by consumers’ bank procedures. All casino operators are required to prove their businesses do not receive any proceeds of crime.
Almost All Gambling Operators Process Withdrawal Requests within 24 to 48 Hours
According to data provided by some of the largest and most successful gambling companies, almost all cashouts (99%) are approved, processed and finalised within 24 to 48 hours of the time of the customer’s request. Still, in the context of over 20 million players who gamble every month, there is about 1% of delayed cashouts that can cause some frustration to customers.
The provisions of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) of the UK Gambling Commission require all gambling companies that offer their services in the country to treat their customers in a fair manner. This requirement includes their withdrawal policies.
The large number of complaints linked to withdrawals has, however, convinced the country’s regulatory body to bring some changes to its LCCP back in 2019 to make sure that operators should check the ID of their customers before allowing them to place bets. Furthermore, the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice states that customers should not be asked to provide details about their identity whenever they are willing to withdraw funds in case there has been such a requirement beforehand.
In addition, gambling companies’ should not use the requests to check the potential risk of gambling-related harm as an excuse to delay or prevent players from cashing out their winnings.
Ms Denton promised that the UKGC will continue to monitor customers’ complaints regarding gambling website withdrawals to gain a better understanding of the players’ experiences while using them to check gambling companies’ practices to determine whether it has to make its framework better.
- Author
Daniel Williams
