Online casinos

RTP, or return to player, is the share of all money staked on a game that is paid back as prizes, averaged over a very large number of plays. It does not describe a single session. The UK Gambling Commission gives the example that an 85% RTP does not mean you should expect to win back 85p for every £1 you stake while playing.

Source: UK Gambling Commission: Return to player - how much gaming machines pay out

Games at licensed sites must be tested for fairness. In Great Britain, random-number-generated games have to pass an approved test house before release, and operators must keep monitoring them to confirm they perform at their designed RTP. That makes results random, not winnable over time: every game has a built-in house edge, so gambling is not a way to make money.

Source: UK Gambling Commission: How we ensure online gambling games are fair; UK Gambling Commission: Return to player - how much gaming machines pay out

Licensed casinos must confirm your age and identity, and check you have not self-excluded, before you can gamble. In Great Britain they often match your details against credit reference agencies and the electoral roll, and may ask for a passport, driving licence or household bill. A business cannot make ID a condition of withdrawal if it could have asked earlier.

Source: UK Gambling Commission: Age and ID verification

Usually for anti-money-laundering or safer-gambling checks. The UK Gambling Commission says businesses ask about your finances to keep crime out of gambling and to stop customers falling into financial difficulty. Bank statements help confirm your money comes from legitimate sources. The Commission expects these checks to happen during your time as a customer, not for the first time when you withdraw.

Source: UK Gambling Commission: Why gambling businesses want to know about your finances; UK Gambling Commission blog: Key issues and our expectations concerning account withdrawals (18 Jul 2024)

In Great Britain, the Gambling Commission says that, under consumer law principles, customers should be able to withdraw their deposit balance without restriction, subject to legal checks such as anti-money-laundering rules. Those checks can delay a payout but do not give an operator a right to confiscate deposits. Bonus funds and winnings from them can still carry wagering conditions, capped at 10x.

Source: UK Gambling Commission blog: Key issues and our expectations concerning account withdrawals (18 Jul 2024); UK Gambling Commission: Gambling promotions to be safer and simpler

In Great Britain, the gambling business must close your account and return any money in it to you. It must also remove your details from its marketing lists. You can self-exclude from one business through its own scheme, or from all participating online operators at once through GAMSTOP, which is free and cannot be cancelled before the minimum period ends.

Source: UK Gambling Commission: Self-exclusion; GAMSTOP: Terms of use