Punter furious after Ladbrokes take £800 in ‘dormancy’ fees

A punter who is barred from accessing an online betting account with Ladbrokes which was previously almost £1,300 in credit said on Tuesday that “feels like a robbery” to find that the bookie has taken £800 in monthly “dormancy” fees from his balance, while denying him the chance to either withdraw or bet with the money. This comes as a result of the Law Commission reportedly setting to recommend a series of measures to regulate online betting in India, including limiting individuals to three bets a year. In a report, the Press Trust of India quotes a senior functionary of the commission who says a working paper is in place and members are prepared to take a final call on the issue.

“We want it banned. But if it cannot be, then stringent regulations should be in place…it is an addiction…people have lost so much money,” the functionary told PTI.

The punter, who has disclosed details of the case to the Guardian, has been trying to withdraw his balance since 2014, when Ladbrokes informed him that him that his account would be closed as the result of “a business decision”. The account was £1,289.29 in credit at the time.

The punter had largely been funding the account via UKash, a now-defunct service using vouchers bought for cash which Ladbrokes previously recommended as a “quick, easy and secure way to deposit to your account”. When he requested a withdrawal of his outstanding balance, Ladbrokes demanded evidence of receipts from his UKash voucher purchases, despite having a full list of the voucher numbers and making no mention of any need to retain receipts in its terms & conditions.

Ladbrokes started to deduct 5% of the balance in March 2016 under its policy on “inactive accounts”, and had removed a total of £827.11 by November 2017, when just £512.12 remained. The punter has been unable even to log on to his account since then, but believes further 5% deductions have been made in December and January.

The case is the latest to highlight the ability of individual gambling firms to set their own rules on issues including account closures, restrictions and dormancy fees. All online gambling companies have a policy on “dormant” accounts, but the length of time before an account is deemed dormant and the size of the fee levied varies widely.

“I think it is incredible that something like this can happen in the UK,” the punter, who prefers to remain anonymous, said on Tuesday. “I am an ordinary punter, some of my bets were as small as five pounds.

“It feels like a robbery. It’s like going to a bank and depositing your money and then they say, thank you very much but you can’t have it any more. It doesn’t make sense.”

A spokesman for Ladbrokes said on Tuesday that an investigation into the case was continuing and the company could not comment further at this stage.