Pro punter Neil Channing questions bookmaker ability to make 'moral judgements'

One of Britain's most recognisable professional punters says he does not believe betting operators should act as "moral arbiters" when it comes to deciding how much a given individual should be allowed to bet.

Neil Channing is concerned that a "once in a generation" opportunity at reforming legislation around betting and gaming has been derailed by an obsession with problem gambling, an issue he does not expect to be effectively tackled by the proposed introduction of affordability checks and deposit limits under the Gambling Review.

Channing says his activity has already been slightly affected by operators implementing their own checks, a move which was highlighted by the case of a man with £300,000 of savings and an annual pension income of £70,000, who was told he would be limited to depositing £300 a month by one firm.

Read more on this subject:

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'Hours and hours wasted' – the punters already affected by affordability checks

But his main concern is for how regular customers will react when asked to provide detailed financial proof of income and means before firms then decide on appropriate levels beyond which they should not bet.

Channing said: "Taking the story reported in the Racing Post, do we have to look at how much this guy spends on food every month? Whether he lives in an expensive area like London or the rural north? How many children has he got?

"Why are bookmakers being asked to make moral judgements on what is a reasonable amount to spend on gambling?

"The one good thing we could get out of it would be for the Gambling Commission to lay down a standard set of strict procedures that are followed by everyone."

Mandatory affordability checks could drive both sensible recreational punters and problem gamblers away from the internet towards other avenuesCredit: Dan Mullan (Getty Images)

Campaigners have been lobbying the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to include limits as low as £100, after which a customer would be required to submit proof of income, a prospect which could see many recreational punters decide, in Channing's words, "it's not worth the hassle".

"This is supposed to be a once-in-a-generation look at the gambling industry and what could be better about it," said Channing. "And we spend the whole time talking about 0.2 per cent of the population.

"In terms of problem gambling, I'm not sure it would work. If the companies tell someone they believe they have a problem and that person doesn't agree, either there's been a misunderstanding of that person's behaviour, or else they do have a problem but they're not ready to accept it.

"Either way, they won't go to their GP, and they will find another way of gambling, in casinos, the bookies or on track, and they'll do their money there.

"Given how much information the operators have on their customers already – they know how to market their products to them and how to cross-promote, how to restrict them if they’re winners or too price-sensitive – I don't see how they don't already have enough information to identify problem gamblers."

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