Self-Excluded UK Player Contacted by Casino to Claim Prize

A self-excluded gambling customer with problem behavior said he was contacted by the online casino he had banned himself from to claim a £100 prize at a time he was battling his addiction, The Mirror reports.

Andy Fowler self-excluded himself from online gambling brand LeoVegas after losing more than £40,000 over a two-year period and realizing that he was a gambling addict. Several weeks after banning himself from playing at the online casino, the player received a text message that invited him to return to the gaming website and claim a £100 prize. Here it is important to note that Mr. Fowler had entered the draw before making the important decision to self-exclude himself.

Mr. Fowler told media that having banned himself from gambling at a particular online casino, he should not be contacted by that casino for any reason that could encourage his addiction. The former LeoVegas player went on to say that although he could not have spent the £100 prize at that casino, he could have gone to any other online casino and spent the money there.

Under UK gambling regulations, players with problem gambling behavior can self-exclude themselves from gambling at one gambling website or another for a period of five years. During that time, they should not be contacted by the website and should not be presented with any promotional content that could fuel their gambling addiction.

LeoVegas, which entered UK’s online gambling market in the summer of 2015, said that the sole purpose of its communication with Mr. Fowler was to inform him about his £100 prize, the draw for which he had entered prior to banning himself from the online casino’s website. The Malta-based iGaming operator went on to say that it did not intend to advertise any of its products to its self-excluded player and that it believed it was acting in full compliance with UK regulations for socially responsible provision of gambling services.