Know Your Player Rights: Online Gambling Rights in the UK

What Rights Do UK Players Have in Online Casinos?

You have 8 key rights as a player in an online casino:

1. Right to Contractual Transparency

According to the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all online casinos are expected to be transparent in the wording of their T&Cs. If you’ve ever been confused by the terms of a casino and not sure what you’re signing up for, this Act serves as a measure to protect UK players from unclear contractual clauses. This way, you fully understand what you are signing up for before opting in. In other words, the law prohibits gambling sites from gaining unfair advantages over players.

❗ Important

A casino has to outline every rule regarding bonuses, including wagering requirements and more, withdrawal policies and other terms of usage.

Understanding these terms is necessary, and you have the right to question any term you cannot comprehend clearly.

2. Right to Fair Game Results

All online casinos must feature games with provably fair results. If you’re wondering how are fair results ensured, online casino game results depend on RNGs (Random Number Generators) for that matter. You have the right to verify if these random number generators power the games in a casino. The availability of RNGs gives you a fair chance, as it entails that a casino does not influence the game results.

Casinos often display their RNG information on their pages. Nonetheless, you can always inquire with their customer support teams to ensure fairness. Several independent organisations, such as eCOGRA and iTech Labs, specialise in testing the fairness of these generators, and it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for their certifications.

3. Data Protection & Privacy Rights

You have the right to a safe gambling space, so you must know the methods a casino uses to safeguard your data and the amount of information they are allowed access to. If you’re wondering where to find this data, check out the casino’s privacy policy.

👇 Reminder

The privacy policy has to indicate how much information a casino collects from you, what they use it for, and a clear affirmation that they’ll not trade or share your details with third parties without your consent.

It complies with the Data Protection Act of the UK, which ensures a player knows the information a casino keeps and how they use it.

Casinos need to utilise other security protocols like 128-bit encryption, firewalls, and double-factor authentication. Every nation has a set of regulations set up specifically for the protection of gamblers. In the UK, these regulations all operate under the Gambling Act, which controls gambling in the country.

4. Right to Responsible Gambling Tools

According to the The National Health Service’s (NHS) estimate, there are about 400,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain, and close to 2 million more gamblers risk being problem gambling victims. For this reason, the UK Gambling Commission takes responsible gambling seriously.

The aim of responsible gambling tools is to encourage safe gambling habits among players by introducing several tools, including deposit limiters, break reminders, gaming session limiters, and more. A player has the right to request access to the best responsible gambling tools available at a casino, as it’s a system designed specifically for the gamblers and not the house.

5. Secure Payment Rights

Since gambling online requires making deposits, and the casinos often ask for your payment details during this process, they have to safeguard your payment details from possible threats online. If you sign up with reliable casinos, you can rest assured as they use SSL encryption technology to encrypt data across gambling servers. Encryption certificates keep your private information and bank details safe during transmission. A reputable casino need to indicate if they use these technologies to ensure players’ peace of mind.

6. Segregation of Funds

According to the customer funds segregation principle, licenced casinos that hold players’ funds have to keep these funds in separate accounts so they can remain intact even if the casino goes bankrupt. This is a security condition to meet the UKGC standards. Casinos implement it to safeguard customer funds so players can access their money as required. The UK government has no direct influence on the money you deposit to use for gambling. As a result, the only protection measure the government implements is the customer funds segregation principle.

UK casinos segregate customer funds into bank accounts (local or international), payment merchant accounts, or investment accounts.

Since the UKGC offers these three routes for customer funds safety, an operator can choose which system would better match their operation mode. As a customer, you’re entitled to know this information so you can always find out the category of customer funds protection a casino utilises and ascertain the level of security.

7. Licencing

Licences authorise the legal operation of a casino, betting facility or game studio. For UK casinos, all licenses come from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

✔️ Keep in Mind

Gambling sites must specify their licencing information on their official websites, as well as their registered business information, headquarters address, etc.

False licencing is an offence in the UK. As a player, you have the right to ensure you’re gambling on the right platform. Always choose top casino recommendations from our page or do adequate research to ensure you’re selecting a trustworthy platform. To verify the licencing of a UK casino, you can search the UKGC register. Visit the UKGC website and input the licencing number of the casino you want to use or the brand name to get more details.

8. Right to Issue Complaints

Casinos often have an outlined procedure containing the steps involved in laying a complaint that punters can use when resolving an issue or confirming a detail. If the complaints procedure of a casino is unresponsive, there are other bodies where you can lay your reports.

How to Complain if You Have Issues or Suspect Illegal Activities at a Casino

Below are the steps to file a complaint if you suspect a casino is treating you unfairly:

● Confirm The Terms and Conditions

Some casinos trick players with contractual wordings, so you have to ensure you aren’t on the wrong side of the situation. If you’re considering filing a complaint, go through the terms and conditions linked to your complaint

● Contact The Casino

Before contacting an external body, get in touch with the suspecting casino directly to enquire and make confirmations of your situation. If you’re facing just minor complications or issues with a casino, you can request their complaint policy via email.

● Use the Free Online Resolver

If the preceding step is not applicable, you can opt for the free online casino resolver tool. It gives players guidelines on submitting complaints and handling these situations online.

● Wait For Response

Depending on the casino, it can take around eight weeks to resolve certain complaints. If you still do not have answers to your queries after the wait, you can forward your complaint to an ADR provider.

● Escalate Complaint to an ADR Provider

Filing with an ADR system is the most effective way to report a casino. If you fail to go through the normal casino complaint process, you can file a casino complaint to an ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) body.

❗ Important

ADR providers do not accept reports associated with customer service issues or a casino’s refusal to accept a bet. Casinos have the right to set their rules of operation, so they can choose who they accept and what terms of usage they permit.

It usually takes up to 90 days for an ADR to analyse all the information available to make an adjudication for your report. However, they give feedback every 30 days to keep you updated with the latest state of your complaint.

Your Obligations as a Player in UK Casinos

Below are 4 general rules you need to comply with while playing at any gambling site in the UK:

1. Be of Legal Gambling Age

According to the Gambling Act 2005, underage gambling is a crime in the UK, so casinos reverse bets and return money from players younger than 18. If you violate this Act, the law states that you will be prosecuted. Your duty as a player is to ensure you’re of legal gambling age before signing up at any casino.

2. Use Your Legal Name

Following the KYC policy, you have to provide some documents for proof of identity before being eligible for casino withdrawals. Casinos use this law to secure player accounts, making it impossible for third parties to withdraw funds. Legit gambling sites should take you through their KYC policy so you can understand the overall process before opting in. You must comply with these rules, as some sites will restrict your activities if you cannot prove that an account belongs to you.

3. Do Not Use Credit Cards

The UK Gambling Act 2005 prohibits the use of credit cards in gambling so credit play is not allowed, and most casinos do not support credit card options. Even if you can use such means, do not attempt to gamble on credit, as it’s against the UK gambling regulations.

4. Respect Casino T&Cs

While you have some rights as a player in a casino, the operator has terms and conditions you must comply with. If you’re playing at a UK casino, you have to understand the site’s internal rules and regulations. This way, you’ll avoid breaching your contract. Breach of agreement can lead to disqualification, legal consequences or even a deduction of your casino balance.

Final Thoughts

Though you have certain rights as a casino player, it all depends on the licence, regulation and privacy policy of the casino you use. Make sure you understand the wording of a casino’s terms and conditions before signing up. You can also seek advice from the customer support team of your preferred casino.