Two British gambling firms, Jumpman Gaming and ProgressPlay, have been ordered to stop forcing players to cash out the funds from their casino accounts in stages after a ruling from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
What happened?
Sites from both operators had previously paid players in instalments when they made withdrawals from their accounts, as opposed to releasing all a player’s money in one go.The CMA have ordered these “unfair” conditions to be removed, along with fees that both operators charged players who had left their accounts inactive for a certain period of time.
UKGC
The ruling from the CMA has been supported by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) who also urged players to refuse unfair conditions from gambling sites.Speaking of the ruling, Executive Director of the UKGC, Paul Hope, said:“Gambling firms should not be placing unreasonable restrictions on when and how consumers can take money out of their accounts.”Hope added a warning for all gambling operators in the wake of the ruling, saying:“In July, we announced new [rules] which will make it quicker and easier for the Commission to take action for breaches of consumer law. That includes taking action where firms breach the principles laid out by the CMA.”
UKGC clampdown
The UKGC, alongside the CMA and other regulatory bodies, has been cracking down on unfair gaming conditions for some time now.While Jumpman Gaming and ProgressPlay have not been fined for their unfair conditions this time, fines to many other companies, including a £6.2 million fee for William Hill, show that the Commission is ready and willing to impose a fine when the situation calls for it.This all points to the fact that players will be able to enjoy fairer gaming conditions going forward.