I'll preempt this post by saying it's a completely personal opinion based on individual experience and it may very well be an isolated incident but it is bad enough that for the first time in many years of gambling online I feel that based on my experiences with an online casino I have dealt with, 21.co.uk/LeoVegas, it warrants a general warning to fellow punters based on my experience.
My experience starts with having a 21.co.uk (a trading name of LeoVegas Gaming PLC) for about 6 years (since 2017), I've played small stakes there on and off, never won anything worth withdrawing so never tried but easily burned through over 100 deposits through the years. A few weeks ago I deposit as normal play some small stakes, and decide I want to withdraw a very small amount of money (~£250) for the first time, the withdrawal gets held - this is not unusual, but a little strange having been a customer for 6 years you'd think the KYC/AML process would kick in earlier. But as ever I fulfil the obligations like I do with every casino I play with as I appreciate that their UKGC licence requires them to request this information, I have no problem complying.
About a week goes by and I hear nothing, instead I'm locked out of my account and cannot get a hold of support. So I reluctantly open a case via Resolver as recommended by UKGC to get the situation resolved. A couple days later they reply to this, with a generic statement saying they'll look in to it - I think fine, this will be sorted soon. About a week goes past with no update, I then get an email requesting further KYC/AML materials, I provide these even though these are the most intrusive I've ever experience from any UK licenced Casino (payslips, account statements) but at this point I'm determined to get this resolved so obviously I send this highly sensitive information over email (worth noting they provide no facility for sending this via a secure website or licensed third party auditor but rather over email which in my opinion raises question about compliance with data protection). Another week goes by, I ask them for an update via Resolver, they respond with a statement saying they have 8 weeks to respond and do not update.
That is where I am currently, and this is truly the worst experience I've had with any UK licensed casino ever, and the most bizarre thing is it's such an insignificant amount of money. My net position with them is massively in their favour and yet they appear to be determined to refuse my first ever very small withdrawal, they also have requested the most intrusive KYC/AML requirements I've experience, to date I've given them my driving licence, my passport, account statements, 3 months of payslips & proof of address, a significant amount of personal information that could be used for identity theft if mishandled over what I deem to be a fairly insecure way of them reviewing this information.
At this point I don't care about the withdrawal at all, I'm waiting for 8 weeks to elapse and then we'll take it to ADR and I'll explain in full the situation and hopefully raise a formal complaint to UKGC. But I want to warn others out there that in my personal opinion at all costs you should avoid 21.co.uk/LeoVegas Gaming PLC or any under trading names.
My personal recommendations on other casinos with which I've wagered/withdrawn £10,000s without these issues in no particular order:
- PlayOjo
- MrQ
- SkyVegas/Betfair/Paddy Power/Pokerstars - Flutter Entertainment plc
- Bet365
- BetVictor
- William Hill/Mr Green
- Coral/Ladbrokes
- Videoslots/Mr Vegas
- Grosvenor Casino/Rank Interactive
My experience starts with having a 21.co.uk (a trading name of LeoVegas Gaming PLC) for about 6 years (since 2017), I've played small stakes there on and off, never won anything worth withdrawing so never tried but easily burned through over 100 deposits through the years. A few weeks ago I deposit as normal play some small stakes, and decide I want to withdraw a very small amount of money (~£250) for the first time, the withdrawal gets held - this is not unusual, but a little strange having been a customer for 6 years you'd think the KYC/AML process would kick in earlier. But as ever I fulfil the obligations like I do with every casino I play with as I appreciate that their UKGC licence requires them to request this information, I have no problem complying.
About a week goes by and I hear nothing, instead I'm locked out of my account and cannot get a hold of support. So I reluctantly open a case via Resolver as recommended by UKGC to get the situation resolved. A couple days later they reply to this, with a generic statement saying they'll look in to it - I think fine, this will be sorted soon. About a week goes past with no update, I then get an email requesting further KYC/AML materials, I provide these even though these are the most intrusive I've ever experience from any UK licenced Casino (payslips, account statements) but at this point I'm determined to get this resolved so obviously I send this highly sensitive information over email (worth noting they provide no facility for sending this via a secure website or licensed third party auditor but rather over email which in my opinion raises question about compliance with data protection). Another week goes by, I ask them for an update via Resolver, they respond with a statement saying they have 8 weeks to respond and do not update.
That is where I am currently, and this is truly the worst experience I've had with any UK licensed casino ever, and the most bizarre thing is it's such an insignificant amount of money. My net position with them is massively in their favour and yet they appear to be determined to refuse my first ever very small withdrawal, they also have requested the most intrusive KYC/AML requirements I've experience, to date I've given them my driving licence, my passport, account statements, 3 months of payslips & proof of address, a significant amount of personal information that could be used for identity theft if mishandled over what I deem to be a fairly insecure way of them reviewing this information.
At this point I don't care about the withdrawal at all, I'm waiting for 8 weeks to elapse and then we'll take it to ADR and I'll explain in full the situation and hopefully raise a formal complaint to UKGC. But I want to warn others out there that in my personal opinion at all costs you should avoid 21.co.uk/LeoVegas Gaming PLC or any under trading names.
My personal recommendations on other casinos with which I've wagered/withdrawn £10,000s without these issues in no particular order:
- PlayOjo
- MrQ
- SkyVegas/Betfair/Paddy Power/Pokerstars - Flutter Entertainment plc
- Bet365
- BetVictor
- William Hill/Mr Green
- Coral/Ladbrokes
- Videoslots/Mr Vegas
- Grosvenor Casino/Rank Interactive
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