A former board member at the Gambling Commission and the BHA has become the latest high-profile individual to reveal their frustration with gambling checks after being locked out of his betting account for nearly a week and questioned about whether his betting was problematic.
Ben Gunn said he had bet with the same bookmaker for 30 years and described himself as a “moderate punter” whose gambling consists of £10 win or each-way wagers, and an occasional patent – a multiple bet made up of three selections – on horseracing.
However, after winning £670 on Saturday, Gunn had his William Hill account suspended. When he asked why, Gunn was initially told by a customer service agent via the live chat function that it was for a security check which would be completed “with the utmost priority”.
With his account remaining suspended, Gunn again engaged the bookmaker via a live chat service and was asked by an operator: “May I ask if you don’t mind, can you confirm how you are doing in terms of your level of gambling? Are you still in control and comfortable with it?”
Having confirmed he was, Gunn was provided with a link to safer gambling tools with no reference made to any security checks. In a subsequent interaction, the operator said: “Your account is still under routine security checks. No worries – this check is part of the requirements from the Gambling Commission that will ensure the security of every account.”
Gunn, who was chief constable of Cambridgeshire police before becoming a commissioner (effectively a board member) at the Gambling Commission and a BHA non-executive regulatory director, said he had become concerned not only by his experience but by those publicised by BHA chair Joe Saumarez Smith and former MP Laurence Robertson this week.
Saumarez Smith detailed how his Betfair account had been suspended for nine days after he happened to mention his cancer diagnosis. He added that betting firms were “becoming more restrictive and fearful rather than less, exactly the reverse of what the Gambling Commission and the government are telling us is happening”.
Robertson revealed he had been asked “ridiculous” questions by bet365 about whether his betting losses of £30 over three months had kept him awake at night or affected his life before his account was reinstated.
Joe Saumarez Smith: BHA chair voiced his experiences with account restrictions
Gunn, who works as a sports integrity consultant, said: “It’s mixed messaging and it’s unclear what they are asking about. If it’s security I’m happy to go along with that, but then two days later I’m being asked questions specifically whether I’m in control of my gambling, which is a different spin entirely from a security check.
‘I’m confused as to what the purpose of these things is’
“It’s seeking out the ‘are you a problem gambler’ issue. I’ve never been subject to these sorts of questions before, and I’m not aware of any of my colleagues who have been asked that sort of question. It’s not an affordability angle, it’s to do with problem gambling and that’s a much wider issue. During my time at the commission nobody could really define what it even is.
“I’m confused as to what the purpose of these things is. If they think I have a problem they should’ve asked that on the first occasion, but when you’re being passed from person to person on a chat it’s a nightmare.
“I still don’t know whether my account is being looked into with the thought that I am a problem and beyond that when I answered the initial questions saying I don’t have a problem with my betting and I’m very happy with my patterns, that I continue with my normal bets which has been the same for 30 years, I am then presented with an anodyne link to safer gambling tools.”
Gunn added: “What concerns me most of all is not the fact that they are checking. What concerns me is that there is no way of speaking to a human being to try and express the frustration, disappointment and getting towards anger.”
William Hill are understood to have contacted Gunn on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to resolve the issue, with a technical error delaying the security check that prompted the suspension.
Read more:
BHA chair sounds alarm after being ensnared by gambling checks
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