Sportingbet Casino - Refusing to pay £15,000 in winnings with unjustified accusations

22nd August: I deposited £100 at Sportingbet Casino. I won £15,000 playing slots. When I cashed out I was asked to send in an ID and proof of address. I sent these and they were approved. Some days later Sportingbet asked me for an alternative proof of address.

I do not have my name on any of the utilities in my home since someone else is responsible for the bills. In order to comply with Sportingbet I had been trying to arrange to somehow get a second proof of address with my name on it. This was proving very difficult since I don’t pay the bills here. But while I was trying I received the following email:

Hi Jay,

Due to the breach in our terms and conditions below, we have made a business decision to permanently close and retain all winnings on the account.

1.11 It is each customer's responsibility to ensure that they comply with their own local laws or relevant regulations with regard to betting. You should take your own independent advice before placing any bets with Sportingbet and ensure that your gaming is legal and compliant with the relevant regulations. Internet gambling may be illegal in the jurisdiction in which you are located and if so, you are not authorised to use your payment card to undertake transactions.

The action above was taken due to evidence on your account which has shown the account has been accessed from a prohibited area .

The total funds deposited (£100) have been sent back to Neteller account used to place funds at Sportingbet.

Any attempt to reopen an additional account will result in closure and retention of all funds deposited.

Regards

Samuel < surname removed >

This email must have been sent in error. I live in the UK. I have a UK address on the proof of address I provided them with. I have a UK passport. All my play has been from the UK.

Furthermore, I was allowed to deposit and play on the site. Surely if I was playing from a prohibited country I would not have been able to join the casino in the first place let alone place bets. If my account has been accessed from a prohibited area like they say then that is a security concern for me.

Sportingbet accepted my bets. They certainly wouldn’t be returning them if I had lost. I would like to add that I was not playing with any bonus. I was risking my money and they have simply decided to seize my funds. What gives them the authority to do so? I doubt the UK Gambling Commission approve of their decision.

I can only surmise that this must be some kind of error. I ask Sportingbet to please review their decision on this because I really don’t believe what is happening.