Got the dreaded SOW request. Explained that I fund my modest gambling by using a tiny bit of the substantial savings and investments I own, but they wanted screenshots of this and I refuse to send this as its none of the casinos business.
I accept that it may well be that to use a casino these days I have to provide them my intimate financial details, but I will never do it. I spend a few grand a year at Tescos but they dont require even my ID let alone ask me how I can afford such luxuries as their Finest range rather than Basics.
Anyway, another one bites the dust.
Good Morning to you,
I'm going to get down to the nitty gritty, as much as I'd like to be able to discuss the inner workings of how these requests come about, that would involve delving into the personals and I think at least from my side, that the details remain confidential.
Unfortunately following UKGC procedure in relation to our request for Source of Funds, winnings from other casinos / bookmakers aren't considered as valid "income"or other wise" and without being able to have hard proof that we can provide to the UKGC in case they come knocking and asking whether we have anything to prove that you could afford the "modest gambling" (I agree, quite modest) that you've been doing.
You'd tell me "What? It's not as if the UKGC will ask about a player with such a low amount of deposits, they're after the heavy hitters." And my answer to that is, I wish that was the case. We've been asked during audits to provide "Documents proving affordability to play" for customers with less a grand's worth of deposits. And if you don't provide them, you'll get a slap on the wrist, while being warned it might not be so lenient on the next audit.
Do not get me wrong, I am not in any way or form trying to entice you back. If you're uncomfortable providing us with the SOW Request, that's fine by me. I feel uncomfortable giving it to my bank when I'm applying for a car loan let alone a gambling company.
Guys and girls, I understand the inconvenience of this. I really do and I wish I could say that this is not the norm however it's heading that way. The UKGC is placing heavy emphasis on licensed casinos to be able to prove affordability, responsibility and "interactivity" with customers.
Each casino is handling this in its own way and I think on the scale of things, we're not handling it too badly. We pay out any balance or withdrawals that the customer has pending in cases where the only "annoying" point is the SOW request and we try our best to limit these requests to the bare minimum.
It might be a bit too early for a post such as this, and I'm pretty sure I've repeated myself once or twice however I'm just trying to paint a clear picture of the situation that UK Casinos are passing through right now.
KR
Tyler
LV BET
Good to hear things from a casinios viewpoint,One things for sure, its a matter of dont shoot the messenger,
not point it getting snotty because a casino makes SOW requests,its an obligation placed on them by the UKGC.No one wants it but its the way it is.
Couple of points, cant work out if winnings are disregarded completely or acceptable as part of the wealth
assessment if documentary proof is provided,should be as the levels of deposits will be related to the players
win\loss history.
The fact that 1k deposit can trigger audits does not bode well,its going to cover almost all players and make
SOW demands unavoidable everywhere.
Since we are stuck with them , the most important thing is the attitude and actions taken when this info
is requested,the worst thing casinos can do is freeze withdrawals and continue to allow deposits, to me that
is just cynical and rogue.
Thank you for replying to this subject, and being quite detailed about it.
Surely the customers you send a sow to should be high risk customers though, as per all the guidance? I do agree that it shouldn't just be customers with a high spend, which is why I think it shouldn't be based on a set threshold.
I don't see how winnings from elsewhere cannot be considered when looking at affordability though. If I won £35 million on the Euromillions, quit my job, then a month later deposited £2000, I would fail the affordability test as I have no income? Or even replace the euromillions with say £1.6 million from a mega moolah jackpot?
Well done to you for paying withdrawals though, unlike certain other scummy casinos.
"Well done to you for paying withdrawals though, unlike certain other scummy casinos." - I'm not sure we deserve a pat on the back for doing the right thing. I think this should be the norm and we shouldn't be applauded for doing what we're meant to do.
Great Questions Shadow, and I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge.
1) cant work out if winnings are disregarded completely or acceptable as part of the wealth
assessment if documentary proof is provided,should be as the levels of deposits will be related to the players
win\loss history.
So, in the eyes of the UKGC, winnings are not considered as part of the Source of Wealth or Source of Funds unless they're placed inside an actual bank account. If I get a screenshot of a customer showing me his winnings from XYZ Casino, unfortunately that for me means nothing.
I need to see it in a recent bank statement to prove that yes, the user hasn't went ahead and spent it again but actually put it into his bank account and is withdrawing it back out from there.
To address the same point, Level of Deposits vs Level of withdrawals means nothing in the eyes of the UKGC, the deposit level can be what might be considered "low" but if you're a customer who in the last month or so deposited a huge bulk of cash, and by huge, I mean even 500 GBP, we're obligated to ask you to let us know how you're able to afford that chunk of cash.
If you come back to us saying "Oh, I'm the CEO of a fortune 500 company and I make six figures a month" and we can't find anything to substantiate that claim, we're forced to ask you to prove it. If on the other hand, we can find something that proves that it might be possible, we might delay that request to a slightly higher figure. However, you'd still be on our monitoring lists and counting down till the request for documentation goes out.
2) The fact that 1k deposit can trigger audits does not bode well,its going to cover almost all players and make
SOW demands unavoidable everywhere.
It's not the 1k in itself that triggers the audit. It's the fact that during the annual audits by the UKGC, the auditor can ask about anything, and trust me, they do. I've even had to walk an auditor through the registration process and asked questions on why the system doesn't immediately add a "Capital Letter" to the name if the customer doesn't do it himself. That's how random the questions can be.
Now as you can imagine on a sensitive subject such as affordability for a customer, they're way more likely to ask questions than on a registration form. So, honestly all UK customers are covered by this request at some point.
Let me know if I can try to answer anything else guys.
KR,
Tyler
You and that wheel had a love hate kind of thing going onLOL...I got the dreaded SoW at @Captain Rizk today. Need to upload a wage slip etc. which I cannot as self-employed. There you go. Took 'em 17k of deposits to ask for proof of income lol.. If I was a problem gambler on a normal income, we'd all be out on the street after that amount spent so it kind of defeats the object.
Well, at least I won't have that stupid wheel of 5 spins to endure again.....
i would like to try them but have to pass,took months to find 3 casinos that are happy with my SOW,but still
have to ration my deposits to stop the axe falling again, really couldnt go through the process again at somewhere new.Shame
Is there a UK welcome package yet for this casino? According to this it's not :
LV BET Casino: €1000 + Up to 1000 LV Spins Welcome Package - Casinomeister
Also, do they run on the highest RTP? Do they support Visa Direct?
Answers from this thread makes it a positive experience, so I might register there for a punt if they are decent otherwise.