CMA unveils “major overhaul” to industry bonusing practices
William Hill, Ladbrokes and PT Entertainment formally commit to competition watchdog’s “landmark changes” to bonus promotions
UK-facing operators William Hill, Ladbrokes and PT Entertainment have agreed to overhaul the way they offer bonus promotions as part of “landmark changes” announced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today.
The competition watchdog this morning said the three operators had committed to change the way their offers to ensure players can always access and release their own money.
The changes are expected to be implemented across the industry, and also include an end to Ts&Cs requiring customers to play multiple times before they can withdraw and a requirement that restrictions on gameplay are made clear.
Operators must also not oblige players to take part in publicity.
The industry is required to implement the majority of changes by 28 February 2018, while prompts for consumers when they are playing with restricted funds must be enacted by 31 July 2018.
“The CMA is here to make sure businesses’ terms and practices are fair for their customers,” George Lusty, project director at the CMA, said.
He added: “We welcome the commitment from these leading firms to address the problems our investigation uncovered, by making important changes to their terms and conditions.
“We now expect others to follow, and look forward to the Gambling Commission’s continued work to make sure all operators in this sector play fair with their customers’ money.”
Today’s announcement follows a more than six-month investigation launched by the CMA last July into what it claimed were “unfair” industry practices and potential breaches in consumer law.
EGR revealed at the time that William Hill and Ladbrokes were among a number of operators under investigation, while the CMA today confirmed Playtech-powered titanbet.co.uk and winner.co.uk (PT Entertainment) were also included.
The investigation was launched in collaboration with the Gambling Commission, which will launch regulatory action against operators which fail to comply with the changes.
Gambling Commission executive director, Sarah Gardner, said: “We back the action taken by the CMA today. Gambling firms must treat their customers fairly and not attach unreasonable terms and conditions to their promotions and offers.
“We expect all Gambling Commission licensed businesses to immediately review the promotions and sign up deals they offer customers and take whatever steps they need to take, to the same timescales agreed by the three operators, to ensure they comply,” she added.
“Operators should be very aware that we will continue to work closely with the CMA to ensure customers are getting a fair deal across the gambling industry.”
Here is the CMA’s 60-second summary to help all gambling operators review their practices.
Undertakings from PT Entertainment (titanbet.co.uk and winner.co.uk)