PAB in progress BETMGM UK verification checks

[chamonechappelle]

BETMGM verification checks are taking ages. Have sent everything they asked for. Had the account a few months and in that time had no issues depositing or withdrawing. I've got £3k stuck there and I'll I keep getting told is my account is under review and they don't need anymore documents.

 

[jasonuk]

Need to be a bit more specific here when you say "ages". KYC/AML checks may take a while - days, possibly weeks. Once you've triggered an AML threshold (€2k is the magic number, but can happen for lower amounts of deposit and/or withdrawal too, e.g. linked transactions) then they are required to do a check - which may or may not request documents.

This won't be a fully automated process, and likely be completed during office hours - if you've already given them say 14 days you may want to look into escalation.

They are on the same license as LeoVegas, so linked to an accredited site - which suggests PAB should be an option. There is a rep account (@LeoVegas Rep) but they haven't posted in a year so unclear if they are still active or not - perhaps @maxd can comment in that regard.

 

[maxd]

Yeah, the rep account has pretty much gone dormant, I believe as a result of the MGM acquisition. That said, I am in regular contact with the LeoVegas people and that has proven quite productive in terms of dealing with player issues for LV and SOME of the associated brands.

As to BetMGM itself, I can’t say that we’ve had a great experience with them because they’ve not responded to the case or two we’ve brought to their attention over the past couple years. HOWEVER, they did resolve those cases when we raised the PABs with them so maybe that’s their idea of taking care of business.

- Max

 

[chamonechappelle]

Thanks for replies

So I just received this from their verification team. Is this normal? They're asking for a lot of info (I have provided it). If they say they can't verify my income, does that give them reason to hold onto my funds?


Thank you for linking your bank account via Kreditz.

After reviewing the provided information, it seems we will need some additional details.

It was noted that transfers from various sources were received in your Monzo accounts. To verify the source of your account funding, we kindly ask you to provide the following information:

Clarification regarding the origin/purpose of the payments referenced as *snip*

**Far too much information, let it suffice to state they are questioning a few aspects of your bank credits.**

 

[chamonechappelle]

I won circa £15k at Grosvenor Casino last week, I won two poker comps for £30k in July. The 15 was paid through my bank, the poker winnings I took half as cash then withdrew the remainder in cash over the last couple of months.

I just want to withdraw my funds and be done with them

 

[mulven]

So I just received this from their verification team. Is this normal? They're asking for a lot of info (I have provided it). If they say they can't verify my income, does that give them reason to hold onto my funds?

Thank you for linking your bank account via Kreditz.

Kreditz is an an open banking platform (they can see your transactions after you link it). Not a huge fan of that sort of integration.

They have flagged some transactions for potential third-party funding. If you can back up each of the highlighted transactions and prove you haven't been funded by a third party they will move on to the next stage.

I have only had extremely deep and privacy invading checks done twice in all my casino history, so it's not too normal, although if open-banking checks really take off it might happen more often. I use a separate bank account to keep all my gambling neatly inside one place and I had to provide months of my personal bank account too as it was linked to that one through transactions I had to provide them. It's not a nice experience.

Source of Wealth (SOW, overall financial position) are common but usually involve a questionnaire and if necessary, require proof of earnings or alternative funding. This seems to be a Source of Funds (SOF, how and why) check after flagging specific transactions.

These kind of checks are done to uncover collusion, third party funding, money laundering etc etc. If you haven't done anything like that then you have nothing to worry about but the privacy invasion is unpleasant to say the least. SOW checks on the other hand are extremely standard, common and legally required after a spending threshold.

 

[chamonechappelle]

It seems pretty invasive to be honest.
I've sent other bank statements in and explained that I have a self employed business, consulting work and poker income. How am I supposed to prove poker income if I play a lot of private games and then deposit once in a while to my bank account to deposit onto sports betting sites

 

[chamonechappelle]

I'm not worried about any AML checks. More concerned they'll make excuses up and keep my funds? And potentially drag this matter out over months

 

[mulven]

I'm not worried about any AML checks. More concerned they'll make excuses up and keep my funds? And potentially drag this matter out over months

If you can explain away the transactions they highlighted, as well as whatever transactions they will highlight from the further months of statements they requested (different accounts?) then that should be that. The grosvenor win and poker tournament wins should be easy to prove if they are challenged. If they flag any transactions derived from private poker games I'm not sure the best way to approach that but there will be one.

As of right now they have only flagged a few transactions, most of which appear to be salary / savings as well as the one 4k transfer and the "stock" transfer and are fishing for further transactions to flag in the prior months.

When this happened to me and once I'd given them all the documents they needed they had a chunky list of transactions that I went through one by one explaining. They'd then come back with a shorter list as some transactions required extra explanation/proof which I would then provide. This repeated a few times until there were none left and I eventually got paid. Took like two weeks though.

Unfortunately I believe they are entitled to investigate to a conclusion now that they have flagged transactions. I think I tried complaints/adr to avoid the invasion of privacy but the ruling was they were within their rights.

 

[chamonechappelle]

How do I go about ADR? it's coming Upto a week. I think I've deposited £8k in the last few months and withdrawn around £3.5k with a little under £3k in my account balance. I don't really want to have to explain ALL of my transactions, I have multiple accounts with multiple transfers going through each one, from payments from customers to depositing cash to transferring between my accounts.

If I just wanted to close my account would they still require all info before initiating a withdrawal?

Every other bookmakers that has asked for verification, I have sent in passports proof of address and bank statement from the account I deposited from and that always did the trick

 

[chamonechappelle]

I have sent in payslips for the part time consulting I do. I have sent them all my business account statements as well as Monzo which they have access to. I'm not prepared to explain all of my financial dealings, quite frankly it's none of their business.

My income is high enough to bet at the stakes I bet at. I'm not bothered if they want to limit my deposits or anything. But I want my money back asap.

 

[mulven]

How do I go about ADR? it's coming Upto a week. I think I've deposited £8k in the last few months and withdrawn around £3.5k with a little under £3k in my account balance. I don't really want to have to explain ALL of my transactions, I have multiple accounts with multiple transfers going through each one, from payments from customers to depositing cash to transferring between my accounts.

I was trying to explain that I tried the ADR route and it didn't work as they were working within their rights and were not found to be "taking the mickey" so to speak. As I said you won't need to explain all your transactions, just ones they flag. Obviously my case was with a different casino with a different licence so it doesn't necessarily mean you would get the same result.

I have just realised that I never saw the original replies to this thread and based on them, I'd echo the recommendation to use the PAB service if you get nowhere with them and they become unreasonable.

If I just wanted to close my account would they still require all info before initiating a withdrawal?

Yes, closing your account would not result in the funds becoming available.

Every other bookmakers that has asked for verification, I have sent in passports proof of address and bank statement from the account I deposited from and that always did the trick

Those were regular AML/KYC checks, you are currently having an extensive source of funding check.

My income is high enough to bet at the stakes I bet at. I'm not bothered if they want to limit my deposits or anything. But I want my money back asap.

This would be relevant to a Source of Wealth check which is different to your situation, although you might be asked for that too.

 

[L&L-Jan]

I posted this on another SOW/SOF topic, but good to remind people:

You cant have incoming transfers of a significant amount towards your account that is after used for gambling online.

You need to make sure the account you use to gamble online is clean, that means:
- You own the account
- Salary comes in
- Subscribtion, utility etc is paid from it
- No weird, risk valued transfers come in from another person. For that use a different account that is not cnnected to your gambling activities.

An online casino now a days, is like a bank. You need to be able to explain everything and provide supporting documents.

--

So for OP: as long as you cooperate, nothing is going to happen. You went for the fast route with open banking, but unfortunately activity shows that requires explanation and possible additional proof.

 

[jasonuk]

Thanks for replies

So I just received this from their verification team. Is this normal? They're asking for a lot of info (I have provided it). If they say they can't verify my income, does that give them reason to hold onto my funds?

Yes, this is the Customer Due Diligence merry-go-round I'm afraid. The more information they have, the more questions they will ask until they are satisfied that your money belongs to you (that is, not funded by a third party and not a risk for money laundering).

It is worth mentioning that you can refuse this under the

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

- and in that case they must close your account and should return the balance at the time of the Customer Due Diligence request. So if you have winnings after the CDD request (because you played on) or you wish to keep the account, then you must comply.

The problem in general is that any operator wants you to comply, so some may try all the tricks in the book to get you to do so - including threatening to confiscate your balance, and we've even seen threads of the odd unscrupulous operator attempting that.

Complaints procedures including ADR won't really help at this moment - because they are still asking you to comply with a regulatory obligation. Once the CDD process has concluded then those conversations resume if there's still a problem...

Thank you for linking your bank account via Kreditz.

Personally I would never do this, casinos (as a whole) have been pretty poor with information security over the years, and that's a lot of information to be handing over - particularly when the more they see, the more they'll ask questions!

The good news is most of the requests are for clarification - so your explanation might be enough to settle that. However, if the last one is asking for a bank statement from somebody else then perhaps it's time to tell them where to go... politely of course

Yes, closing your account would not result in the funds becoming available.

You would have to explicitly refuse the CDD, and they would close your account. Closing the account alone wouldn't necessary work because the CDD is still active.

Those were regular AML/KYC checks, you are currently having an extensive source of funding check.

Not necessarily, they're asking for clarification of transactions that have been flagged up when they submitted their bank statement (or open banking in this case). The lines have blurred considerably in recent years and entry-level AML checks are similarly intrusive to source of funding checks of old.

 

[chamonechappelle]

So live chat have just advised my account is in the last stage of review. I'm guessing they won't be asking me to clarify anything further? I'm already uncomfortable at how much info I've had to divulge

 

[chamonechappelle]

Coming Upto a week and still no review completed. Their live chat is useless and patronising. It feels like they're deliberately taking long

 

[noahbrons]

Hi, chamonechappelle!

In my experience, some casinos deliberately delay verification in the hope that you will play out your balance, so hang in there and wait.

You can also check their Terms & Conditions to find out the max verification timeframe, and if they go over it you may escalate your issue.

 

[chamonechappelle]

Hi, chamonechappelle!

In my experience, some casinos deliberately delay verification in the hope that you will play out your balance, so hang in there and wait.

You can also check their Terms & Conditions to find out the max verification timeframe, and if they go over it you may escalate your issue.

I've now been locked out of my account. I don't think they have any time frame. Asked them a million times and they refuse to provide. They really can do as they please

 

[chamonechappelle]

This is the usual garbage reply from their live chat. They may as well employ bots..

After checking your account, I can see that your account is still under review. Rest assured, this is a normal procedure, nothing to be alarmed about, however this can take some time due to the busy period and as this procedure necessitates the team's utmost effort and diligence. I can assure you once we've got an update, we'll contact you by email.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused, and thank you for your patience
I completely understand, and we apologise for the inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.

I'm afraid we don't have a timeframe and the time can vary from account to account

I'm giving up hope that this will be resolved in a timely manner. I've literally given them everything and I get treated like a mug

 

[chamonechappelle]

This is the email from their complaints team. They really don't give a crap. Just another load of generic bs

Thank you for waiting, I appreciate your patience. I hope my email finds you well.

Kindly note that player verification is of utmost importance to us, as it plays a crucial role in safeguarding both you & the integrity of our platform. This verification process helps us to maintain a secure, fair, & responsible environment for all players, ensuring a seamless experience.

We fully understand that being asked to provide additional information may feel like an inconvenience, & we truly appreciate your understanding. However, please rest assured that this step is necessary for the relevant department to conduct their investigation thoroughly & complete a comprehensive review.

The relevant department has reached out to you via email with specific instructions & details to help facilitate this process smoothly. Once all required information is submitted & the verification is complete, the funds should be approved & released from our side shortly thereafter.

Furthermore we apologise for any delay & inconvenience caused in this matter. We would also like to thank you for your patience & understanding, as we appreciate it greatly.

Should you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help.

Kai
BetMGM Team
Part of LeoVegas Group and MGM Resorts International

 

[chamonechappelle]

Are there any reps on this site that can assist with this please

 

[jeckiesz1]

Are there any reps on this site that can assist with this please

I think you should initiate a complaint *snip*. If a casino cares about reputation, its management will pay attention to it and investigate.
If that doesn't work, I would advise you to contact the regulator of the casino's license directly.

[maxd says: Please don’t tell one of our readers to go somewhere else. That is rude and uncool. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.]

 

[jasonuk]

I think you should initiate a complaint on CasinoGuru or AskGamblers. If a casino cares about reputation, its management will pay attention to it and investigate.

If only CasinoMeister had a complaint service for accredited casinos... oh wait...

Note we're talking about a UK player rather than a Canadian one, so the optimal order would be internal complaint, PAB (click "submit complaint" at the top of the page), ADR (which in this case is IBAS) then any legal avenues beyond that.

Once a complaint goes to ADR, all direct communication would cease - which would prevent either PAB or internal complaints from continuing. Some casinos will also get funny with people talking to the UKGC, even though they don't deal with player complaints directly.

 

[jeckiesz1]

If only CasinoMeister had a complaint service for accredited casinos... oh wait...

Note we're talking about a UK player rather than a Canadian one, so the optimal order would be internal complaint, PAB, ADR then any legal avenues beyond that. Once a complaint goes to ADR, all direct communication would cease - which would prevent either PAB or internal complaints from continuing.

However, CasinoMeister is just a forum, while *snip* have a greater influence on the general opinion among players, and as practice shows, casinos often respond to such complaints and help solve the problem in order to preserve their reputation.

 

[dunover]

I think you should initiate a complaint on CasinoGuru or AskGamblers. If a casino cares about reputation, its management will pay attention to it and investigate.
If that doesn't work, I would advise you to contact the regulator of the casino's license directly.

And why would you recommend other sites when here you have a pretty successful and effective complaints service?
Online Casino Complaints

As for 'just a forum' you need to take a look around before making such uninformed statements. The forum is just one aspect of CM as the extensive menu up top may indicate if you examine it. This site was pushing player advocacy and offering dispute resolution while your favourites were still wearing nappies. Or is it 'diapers' where you are?