Man takes bet365 to NT Racing Commission for failing to recognise his ‘red flag’ behaviours

A NT man has demanded a betting company return the more than $6000 he lost in the space of a few hours, for failing to recognise his ‘red flag’ behaviours.

AN NT man who deposited and subsequently lost more than $6000 in sports bets over the course of an afternoon has demanded the bookmaker return his money for failing to recognise his “red flag” behaviours.

The punter appeared before the Northern Territory Racing Commission earlier this month, alleging wagering giant bet365 failed to comply with the Online Gambling Code of Practice when he made 11 deposits in the space of three hours and 22 minutes on May 4, 2020.

“This was well over my usual deposit amount which is normally anywhere between $50-250 every 48 hours,” the man said.

The customer argued bet365 should have recognised his supposed red flag behaviour, which included gambling for an excessive amount of time, changing his gambling pattern, making more frequent deposits, and increasing the amount of money he was depositing.

Following the hefty losses, which totalled $6,318.05, the man emailed the bookmaker indicating he may have a “gambling problem/addiction”.

According to the Commission, bet365 “immediately” suspended his account and “permanently excluded” his account the following day.

The man made his first deposit with bet365 about five months earlier.

bet365 says over the course of the business relationship it took steps to help the customer “remain in control” of his gambling, such as prompting the man to confirm he was happy with his deposit limit when he first signed up.

Subsequently, bet365 also sent several emails and messages informing the man of precautionary tools available to all customers, such as website blocking, self-exclusion, and time-outs.

The bookmaker also submitted that it has an early risk detection system in place that can identify a range of behaviours that may indicate problem gambling, but at no point during the business relationship did he trigger the detection system.

Under the Code, sports bookmakers should monitor customers who display “some, or a number, or a repetition of red flag behaviours” and take appropriate actions to “assist or protect that customer which reasonably corresponds to the circumstances”.

But the Commission ruled in favour of bet365, concluding there was no evidence of noncompliance with either the Code or the Betting Act, saying the man’s behaviour would not have “reasonably raised red flags” to the betting company.

As such, the Commission determined bet365 was not required to pay out any money to the complainant.