The UK Gambling Commission says it welcomes enforcement action by the UK Competition and Markets Authority against online gambling firms that place restrictions on customers attempting to withdraw their money.
The authority recently announced it is writing to online gambling firms regarding terms and practices that may place obstacles in the way of withdrawals including regular withdrawals and special terms under bonus promotions.
The authority is focusing on daily, weekly or monthly limits on withdrawing funds that appear unreasonably low. They are also looking at arbitrary short deadlines to verify identity as a condition of withdrawing and ‘dormancy’ terms that allow firms to confiscate funds after a period of inactivity, it said in its press announcement.
“We support the CMA’s investigation,” said Ian Angus, program director at the Gambling Commission in a press release. “Gambling firms should not be placing unreasonable restrictions on when and how consumers can withdraw money from their online gambling accounts. While the CMA continues its inquiry, we expect all online operators to look closely at the terms and practices they have in place and consider if they are fair on their customers.”
Last month, Ladbrokes, William Hill and PT Entertainment agreed to change bonus promotions to ensure players can always access and release their own money, following recommendations from the CMA.
In another story, the Responsible Gambling Association, a trade body for the online gambling industry in Europe, has published a set of guidelines for responsible practice for online gambling firms. According to a press release, the guidelines were drawn from various studies and based on behavioral analytics.
The guidelines include recommended policies for operators, how to train staff to identify and evaluate problem gamblers, what markers to look out for to identify potential harmful gambling activity, and how best to record-keep and report issues discovered, the release said.
“Safeguarding customers and combating problem gambling present many challenges not just for the gambling industry but for all stakeholders,” the guideline report said. “They require a range of responses. For the online gambling industry in particular, because of the account-based nature of the gambling that takes place and the data that provides, the proportionate and effective use of behavioral analytics presents a major opportunity to improve the way the sector meets these challenges.”
The UK Gambling Commission has also recently published a “customer interaction” guide for online operators in the UK that also focuses on recognizing problem gambling behavior. That report advised operators to use a range of indicators in assessing risk and to institute staff training to recognize these indicators.
