European betting firm TonyBet is having something of an identity crisis.
The continental outfit, who were acquired by Swedish gambling giant Betsson in 2016, have been fined £442,750 by the UK Gambling Commission after failing to be ‘fair and open’ with their customers.
The terms on their website allow them to ask for ID before processing all withdrawal requests, but this was not the case when making a deposit – suggesting that they were trying to make it more difficult for punters to get their hands on their winnings.
Other ‘unfair’ terms, according to the Commission, included the imposition of inactivity clauses after six months, rather than the industry standard twelve, plus a bid to confiscate winnings from players that failed to respond to documentation requests within 30 days.
The director of operations at the UKGC, Kay Roberts, condemned TonyBet’s questionable T&Cs, stating: “Not only does this case illustrate our drive to clamp down on anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures, but also highlights action we will take against gambling businesses who fail to be fair and open with customers.”
As if all that wasn’t enough, TonyBet were also found to have not done enough to identify and interact with customers who were potentially at risk of gambling harm, while the Commission also found the firm of not doing enough to prevent possible money laundering and terrorist financing in their policies and procedures.
The conclusion to be drawn is that TonyBet haven’t been all that concerned about who you are or where your money has come from UNTIL you want to withdraw and take it from their coffers….
Do I Need to Show ID to Withdraw My Betting Winnings?
It’s become a pet hate of those who bet on sport professionally: having to provide identification documents just to make a withdrawal.
In theory, if a bookmaker has done their job properly, they will have your ID on their files already – typically this will be the proof of identity and address you may have provided when registering for an account. This may soon be supplemented by proof of earnings if the government’s proposed affordability checks are anything to go by….
Sometimes, a bookie is able to establish your identity simply by checking the electoral roll (for UK punters), and so this process of ID’ing their players is made easier and does not require any intervention from customers themselves.
A betting firm does have these obligations under the ‘Know Your Customer’ legislation under which they are legally bound to operate if they have a UK licence, however there is no such requirement for punters wishing to make a withdrawal.
Evidently, some firms are simply trying to slow you down or put obstacles in the way that leave you thinking ‘I can’t be bothered with the hassle’.
Hopefully, the judgement arising from TonyBet’s fine will be enough to make betting outfit’s think twice before imposing such unfair rules on their customers in the future.
Obeying the Rules
It’s a condition of holding a UK gambling licence that you must prove you age and identity before you bet.
But when requesting a withdrawal? Absolutely not.
According to the Gambling Commission, a bookmaker ‘….can’t ask you to prove your age and identity as a condition of withdrawing your money if they could have reasonably asked you at an earlier point.’
There are instances where they can ask for ID to satisfy their anti-money laundering requirements, but these are rare cases and they shouldn’t only ask you at the time you come to make a withdrawal.
However, if you believe they are simply delaying your withdrawal or trying to make it difficult to get your hands on your money, you can report them to the UK Gambling Commission and quote Licence Condition 17: Customer Identity Verification.
