Online bookmakers criticised for ‘unfair’ promotions that siphon off players’ money

Ladbrokes, William Hill and operator Titanbet have been criticised for “unfair” online promotions that are believed to have cost punters millions of pounds.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has investigated gambling companies over concerns that customers are being forced to play for longer than intended before they can withdraw their own money.

Following their investigation, the bookmakers have “formally committed to changing the way they offer bonus promotions to ensure players can still access and release their own money.”

With these changes, players will no longer need to play multiple times before they can withdraw their own money, and any restrictions will need to be clearly communicated to customers in advance.

Bonus promotions are usually offered by casino-style gambling sites, offering extra funds when players deposit their own money.

The CMA has now published guidance for businesses to understand their obligations and players know their rights – the watchdog stressed that the bookmakers’ commitments did not constitute an admission of violation of the law.

His investigation found that online platforms were trapping players’ money through opaque terms and conditions that often required them to accept multiple bets before they could release their winnings.

One website offered to match a customer’s opening deposit with a welcome bonus – but the punter was required to wager 50 times their deposit before they could withdraw their winnings or any money they had placed in their account.

The findings come at a sensitive time for bookmakers, with the sector’s largest retail operators being the most important. Faced with restrictions on the use of fixed odds betting terminals – nicknamed the “crack of the game” by their detractors.

The CMA warned on Thursday that the Gambling Commission could impose penalties on firms across the £4.7bn-a-year sector if they fail to comply with the new rules.

CMA project director George Lusty said: “Gambling always carries risk, but players should never face unfair restrictions that prevent them from accessing their money.

“Companies must not distort players’ chances by putting unfair obstacles in their way or making it difficult for them to stop playing when they want.

“The CMA is there to ensure that companies’ conditions and practices are fair to their customers.

“We welcome the commitment of these large companies to address the issues revealed by our investigation, by making significant changes to their terms and conditions.

“We now expect others to follow our lead and look forward to the continued work of the Gambling Commission to ensure that all operators in this sector play fairly with their customers’ money.”

Ladbrokes and William Hill have responded by welcoming the regulator’s clarification on the issue.

Brian Chappell, founder of campaign group Justice4Punters, said: “It is almost 30 months to the day since Justice for Punters submitted evidence of the use of unfair terms and conditions to the CMA and Gambling Commission.

“Since that day millions have been lost and many people have been scammed by the terms and conditions of these promotions, but I hope this will now stop.”