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Free bets and account restrictions (in relation to sports betting)

Do not enforce (or seek to enforce) any Account Restriction against a consumer who has, prior to such Account Restriction being notified to them, made one or more qualifying bets in respect of a Free Bet Promotion, where enforcing such an Account Restriction would:

a. affect the consumer’s ability:

  • to receive any of the free bets, or the full expected value of any of the free bets, from that Free Bet Promotion, having placed all the necessary qualifying bets
  • to receive any of the free bets, or the full value of any of the free bets, to which they would be entitled upon placing the remaining qualifying bets required by that Free Bet Promotion
  • to complete any Wagering Requirements associated with that Free Bet Promotion.

b. materially affect the consumer’s ability to complete the qualifying bets required by that Free Bet Promotion.

Your general terms and conditions must provide the consumer with the opportunity to obtain the full number and value of any free bets in the circumstances as previously set out, and ensure that the terms relating to future Free Bet Promotions make similar provision.

You should ensure that any notification that an Account Restriction has been applied to a consumer informs them:

  • that the Account Restriction is without prejudice to their participation in full in any Free Bet Promotion for which they have already placed qualifying bets
  • of the steps they should take to receive the full benefit of any free bets otherwise altered or removed by the application of any Account Restrictions in contravention of the first paragraph.

What you should do

An operator must not enforce an account restriction if a player has qualified for a free bet promotion, before being notified of the restriction where:

  • the player has placed all qualifying bets and the restriction would stop them receiving the free bets or the value of these
  • the player has already started placing the qualifying bets and the restriction would stop them receiving the free bets or the value of these.

An operator must not enforce an account restriction if a player has qualified for a free bet promotion, before being notified of the restriction, where this would materially affect the player being able to complete the qualifying bets necessary for the free bet promotion.

Operators must consider the effect the account restrictions will have and determine whether this is material. A restriction that significantly reduces the market or odds available to a player would be material.

Terms and conditions must state that players are able to obtain their free bets if they have started qualifying for these before being notified of an account restriction.

When an operator informs a player that their account has been restricted, they must let them know that they are still able to take part in an existing promotion if they have already placed the qualifying bets.

If players have started to qualify for the free bet promotion, they must be told how they can receive any free bets that have been altered or removed.

What not to do

Players must not find it more difficult to complete the qualifying bets as a result of account restrictions after they started to qualify for the free bet.

Example of what not to do:

  • If stake factoring meant that a player would be restricted from making their remaining qualifying bets on the most popular sections on a major football market, then that player would be materially restricted.
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