How Safe is your Money with Bookmakers?

Depending on which online bookmaker accounts you hold, your money may not be as safe and secure as you might think.

Hold on tight as we reveal which bookmakers do not protect your money and could even be taking it away quite legally through their terms and conditions if you don't bet often enough

• Do you know what happens to any money you have in an account with a bookmaker if they go bust? 
• Do you know if it is protected?
• Do you know how many online bookmaker accounts you have?
• Did you know there are charges for not using your account?

Does Your Online Bookmaker Look after Your Money?

You may be surprised to find that some of the more significant brand bookmakers that hold the greatest number of customer accounts have lesser protection for your funds than smaller brands. 

It is possible your money is far from 100% secure.

While there is some security in knowing these are substantial global businesses, there is also a good chance that any money you have sat in your account should they close down suddenly would have no protection.

Small Balances Disappear Because of Charges

Have you ever logged into an old account where you were sure there were funds but found your balance at £0.00?

You may also not be aware that if you have money sitting in a dormant bookmaker account, it may not be there anymore. A little known management fee tucked away in the terms and conditions of many bookmakers eats away at those pennies and pounds you left behind.

Both of these areas are covered in depth below. We let you know both the worst and the best of the bunch. 

There is no case whereby the protection offered to a customer's funds is the same across every operating bookmaker.

There is a set of guidelines that each betting operator has to adhere to gain a license to operate from the UK gambling commission but this does not ensure 100% safety of your funds or a big win.

There are three levels of ratings given to protection of customer funds by the gambling commission on the following basis, and something you may want to consider.

1. Not Protected

Beyond the assurances required for a license, there is no extra protection in place and customer funds would be deemed as part of the business in the event of them going out of business

2. Medium Protection

Customers money is insured in the event of a business going bust

3. High Protection

Customers' funds held in an account that is legally and in practice separate from the rest of the company. the account is controlled by an independent person or external auditor

This list of 'Safest Bookmakers' is based on online betting sites holding customers funds in separate accounts that have full protection.

Customers' money with each of the account brands listed below is held in accounts that are separated and independently controlled or have an external auditor in charge. These can be deemed the safest bookmakers to hold a balance with.

Safe Bookmakers List

• Betfair Sportsbook
• Betstars
• BetVictor
• Betway
• Coral
• PaddyPower

Safe Exchanges List

• Betfair Exchange
• Smarkets

Congratulations on choosing a safe bookmaker if you have accounts with any of the brands listed above.

If you have more accounts, I suggest you take a look below, familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of the site, and make your own call on how safe you consider your money if you leave and considerable balance, or expect to win a life-changing amount of money.

If you decide you want to make a change, take a look at our bookmaker reviews before choosing your next account from the safe bookie list

The first thing you will want to learn is if your money is at risk and why, and which bookmakers are looking after your money better than others.

The bookmakers in the table below leave your money at the risk of being lost should they go bust, with zero recommended protection measures.

Arguably the biggest name on that list is BetFred. Arguably they are the least likely to disappear without a trace being one of the longest established bookmakers in Britain.

It remains a concern, however, that section 12 of the Terms and conditions reads...

So, with this information in mind, it may be worth considering just how many online betting account there are in Great Britain, and just how much money is held within these accounts.

Chances are, you have an account with money in, that you may have forgotten about, or simply do not use very often, if at all.

Get ready, this may shock you!

According to the Gambling Commission latest figures, there are over 30 million online betting accounts currently active in Great Britain between October 2018-September 2019

Within those accounts are over £900,000,000 of players' funds. yes, You have read that right. It is Over 900 million pounds!

We know that there will accounts with very small amounts in some and conversely others with huge amounts, but this figure includes money sitting in accounts that could be subject to management fees, if you do not access them often enough.

This could be time to start checking your accounts to see if you have any money that you should withdraw if you are not going to use the account regularly.

Many betting site accounts that are left dormant are subject to charges. Management fees that can eat into your account balance if you do not use your account.

Let's take a look at how much you could be charged if you do not use your account. Using 14 of the most popular online betting sites, you can see there are no universal hard and fast rules and they can differ from account to account.

In some cases, the full balance will be removed for 'safe-keeping' and will be available upon request, in others, the fess can be claimed back. This all relies on having received this communication from the betting site, and/or reading the full terms and conditions of the betting site account that you hold.

• *bet365 will try to contact you before making charges
• **BetVictor will make your account 'dormant' after 396 days and try to contact you. If there is no activity for 5 years any funds may be donated to the GambleAware charity
• ***Your rights to your balance are not affected
• ****Your balance will be removed, but you will have full access

The information in the table above was collected and collated and is correct as of 24/08/2020

Although there are some horror stories, like one customer charged over £800 in Dormancy fees, in almost all cases, players have the right to claim outstanding balances. the easiest way to avoid these fees is to ensure you are either active and log in, or make a wager with the account, or leave a zero balance when you think you will be dormant for a length of time.

As you have read, there is a huge amount of money currently held in bookmaker accounts, some of which is safe in the event of a business collapsing, or you not logging in for a length of time. In other cases, that money, YOUR MONEY, could be at risk.

We hope that more online betting sites can make the effort to gain the High protection status outlined by the GC, and keep your funds as safe as possible. In any case, check your bookmaker's full terms conditions and how they safeguard your money and use the information above to make a considered decision next time you open an account and don't just make a choice based on the free bets available.