Paddy Power shady practices

General chatter about that dark and cold world of only back betting.
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Wolf1877
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:59 am

I opened an account and placed a bet with Paddy Power (betfair sister company) recently which won. Not a huge amount of money but worth having. I then tried to withdraw my stake and winnings and its a nightmare. Got to upload driving licence or passport, utility bill or bank statement and photos of card used to make deposit (which i have done).Then I have to wait for an indefinite amount of time before they do anything. I have tried the chat bot and even got through to an agent who just repeats the schpiel.
Basically feels like they are trying to steal my money by placing impossible hoops for me to retieve it.Also there seems to very little in the way of protection against online bookie mispractice. At the very least they should set a time limit rather than saying we are exceptionally busy and they might oneday get around to it. I'll give it a couple of weeks but I aint confident and this kind of nonsense is not good for the reputation of the online gambling industry. Its almost as though you are allowed to gamble with them but dont dare win.
Anybody else had similar problems with Paddy Power? Or betfair?
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Derek27
Posts: 23475
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:44 am
Location: UK

Wolf1877 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:46 pm
I opened an account and placed a bet with Paddy Power (betfair sister company) recently which won. Not a huge amount of money but worth having. I then tried to withdraw my stake and winnings and its a nightmare. Got to upload driving licence or passport, utility bill or bank statement and photos of card used to make deposit (which i have done).Then I have to wait for an indefinite amount of time before they do anything. I have tried the chat bot and even got through to an agent who just repeats the schpiel.
Basically feels like they are trying to steal my money by placing impossible hoops for me to retieve it.Also there seems to very little in the way of protection against online bookie mispractice. At the very least they should set a time limit rather than saying we are exceptionally busy and they might oneday get around to it. I'll give it a couple of weeks but I aint confident and this kind of nonsense is not good for the reputation of the online gambling industry. Its almost as though you are allowed to gamble with them but dont dare win.
Anybody else had similar problems with Paddy Power? Or betfair?
Unfortunately this has become standard industry-wide practice. It's a bit late now but my advice to anyone who opens an account is not not place a bet until you've completed all the checks. They usually tell you when you sign up that you can't withdraw until you've completed the KYC checks.
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ShaunWhite
Posts: 9731
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:42 am

The Gambling Commission (govt dept) are now 'encouraging' the industry to do additional personal checks so your experience isn't unusual. Also unauthorised access to accounts is a problem, so extra identity checks especially when withdrawing for the first time or an amount that's not usual for you has been tightened up.

What do you see as being an "impossible hoop"? Disputes can be raised with the Gambling Commission directly.
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ShaunWhite
Posts: 9731
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:42 am

You beat me Derek, similar sentiment.
Wolf1877
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:59 am

Derek27 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:51 pm
Wolf1877 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:46 pm
I opened an account and placed a bet with Paddy Power (betfair sister company) recently which won. Not a huge amount of money but worth having. I then tried to withdraw my stake and winnings and its a nightmare. Got to upload driving licence or passport, utility bill or bank statement and photos of card used to make deposit (which i have done).Then I have to wait for an indefinite amount of time before they do anything. I have tried the chat bot and even got through to an agent who just repeats the schpiel.
Basically feels like they are trying to steal my money by placing impossible hoops for me to retieve it.Also there seems to very little in the way of protection against online bookie mispractice. At the very least they should set a time limit rather than saying we are exceptionally busy and they might oneday get around to it. I'll give it a couple of weeks but I aint confident and this kind of nonsense is not good for the reputation of the online gambling industry. Its almost as though you are allowed to gamble with them but dont dare win.
Anybody else had similar problems with Paddy Power? Or betfair?
Unfortunately this has become standard industry-wide practice. It's a bit late now but my advice to anyone who opens an account is not not place a bet until you've completed all the checks. They usually tell you when you sign up that you can't withdraw until you've completed the KYC checks.
OK I understand that they may be obligated to check ID. As it happens I'm not sure that they even give the option to complete KYC before you deposit funds or bet. What's a reasonable timescale though after providing ID? A week, a month, 6 months? This is the problem - they dont acknowledge upload of documents (though the online human chat agent confirmed it was received) and they dont give any kind of service level to say it could take up to 14 days or whatever. No doubt if I file an official complaint in a months time they'll claim that I never uploaded the document or something. Anyway I shall be steering well clear of Paddy Power and telling anyone else to do the same.
Wolf1877
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:59 am

ShaunWhite wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:58 pm
The Gambling Commission (govt dept) are now 'encouraging' the industry to do additional personal checks so your experience isn't unusual. Also unauthorised access to accounts is a problem, so extra identity checks especially when withdrawing for the first time or an amount that's not usual for you has been tightened up.

What do you see as being an "impossible hoop"? Disputes can be raised with the Gambling Commission directly.
Maybe I'm being overly sceptical then Shaun and it will be resolved within another week or so. Its already been a week which I think is unacceptable. As I said in my response to Derek, first they should acknowledge ID docs have been uploaded and secondly they should commit to a time window to check the ID and respond.
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jamesedwards
Posts: 2234
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2018 6:16 pm

Wolf1877 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 6:04 pm
Derek27 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:51 pm
Wolf1877 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:46 pm
I opened an account and placed a bet with Paddy Power (betfair sister company) recently which won. Not a huge amount of money but worth having. I then tried to withdraw my stake and winnings and its a nightmare. Got to upload driving licence or passport, utility bill or bank statement and photos of card used to make deposit (which i have done).Then I have to wait for an indefinite amount of time before they do anything. I have tried the chat bot and even got through to an agent who just repeats the schpiel.
Basically feels like they are trying to steal my money by placing impossible hoops for me to retieve it.Also there seems to very little in the way of protection against online bookie mispractice. At the very least they should set a time limit rather than saying we are exceptionally busy and they might oneday get around to it. I'll give it a couple of weeks but I aint confident and this kind of nonsense is not good for the reputation of the online gambling industry. Its almost as though you are allowed to gamble with them but dont dare win.
Anybody else had similar problems with Paddy Power? Or betfair?
Unfortunately this has become standard industry-wide practice. It's a bit late now but my advice to anyone who opens an account is not not place a bet until you've completed all the checks. They usually tell you when you sign up that you can't withdraw until you've completed the KYC checks.
OK I understand that they may be obligated to check ID. As it happens I'm not sure that they even give the option to complete KYC before you deposit funds or bet. What's a reasonable timescale though after providing ID? A week, a month, 6 months? This is the problem - they dont acknowledge upload of documents (though the online human chat agent confirmed it was received) and they dont give any kind of service level to say it could take up to 14 days or whatever. No doubt if I file an official complaint in a months time they'll claim that I never uploaded the document or something. Anyway I shall be steering well clear of Paddy Power and telling anyone else to do the same.
It's exactly the same everywhere in the UK. The GC rules give every excuse to bookmakers to manage their cashflow and/or lower customer service levels. It costs loads for them to adhere to the process so no doubt they try to balance this off with any gains they can make elsewhere. In short, everybody loses.
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Derek27
Posts: 23475
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:44 am
Location: UK

All gambling operators have to do it but some are more efficient than others. They've usually dealt with me quickly, especially Neteller and PayPal but I've heard horror stories about Betfair not receiving documents and dragging their feet for weeks. Most annoyingly, Neteller insist that you take a selfie while holding up a document. They're like kidnappers!
Wolf1877
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:59 am

There are a few other things. The Gambling Commission should be looking to protect consumers from unfair bookie practices. I dont mean nanny state, I mean where bookies are taking liberties.
It strikes me that the KYC (Know Your Customer) thing is just a flag of convenience and an excuse for bookies to drag their heels. If I walk in a bookies bet £10 and win £100 I dont have to prove ID so why should I have to do so at an online bookies? They already adopt a closed loop process - i.e. payouts have to be sent to the same account the stake was paid from and so really KYC for relatively trivial payouts of say £100 or less is complete overkill.
If the bookies are going to adopt KYC standards as per the financial services industry then they should also be forced to adopt TCF standards too (Treating Customers Fairly) and it seems they are a long way short of this.
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Archangel
Posts: 1987
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:03 pm
Location: Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills Hotel

Your not supposed to withdraw winnings
Wolf1877
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:59 am

Archangel wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:21 pm
Your not supposed to withdraw winnings
So it seems Archie!

Anyway I will update the thread as and when they something happens. See if I am being overly cynical or it takes months.
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Derek27
Posts: 23475
Joined: Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:44 am
Location: UK

Wolf1877 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:29 pm
Anyway I will update the thread as and when they something happens.
I often change my mind over what I'm writing but forget to delete a word like "they". :D
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The Silk Run
Posts: 902
Joined: Mon May 14, 2018 12:53 am
Location: United Kingdom

Wolf1877 wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 5:46 pm
I opened an account and placed a bet with Paddy Power (betfair sister company) recently which won. Not a huge amount of money but worth having. I then tried to withdraw my stake and winnings and its a nightmare. Got to upload driving licence or passport, utility bill or bank statement and photos of card used to make deposit (which i have done).Then I have to wait for an indefinite amount of time before they do anything. I have tried the chat bot and even got through to an agent who just repeats the schpiel.
Basically feels like they are trying to steal my money by placing impossible hoops for me to retieve it.Also there seems to very little in the way of protection against online bookie mispractice. At the very least they should set a time limit rather than saying we are exceptionally busy and they might oneday get around to it. I'll give it a couple of weeks but I aint confident and this kind of nonsense is not good for the reputation of the online gambling industry. Its almost as though you are allowed to gamble with them but dont dare win.
Anybody else had similar problems with Paddy Power? Or betfair?
Depending on how much they are withholding file a small claims court against them. Not sure what the minimum amount is but I did this about two years ago. Funds released, but no apology. You have to prove that you have engaged with them and that it is somewhat protracted and your not making ground !!! At the end of the day they are not the Police Authority, but they think they are.
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The Silk Run
Posts: 902
Joined: Mon May 14, 2018 12:53 am
Location: United Kingdom

And forget about GC, your wasting your time ...
Barneyboy33
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2022 3:14 am

send an email to [email protected]

Complain that you haven't received any assurances that your data is safe, while waiting to be processed.

worked for me a few months back
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