Poker Players Banned on GGpoker Due to New UK Gambling Commission Laws

GGPoker have been called out for allegedly using new UK gambling affordability checks as an excuse to ban winning players, despite the players in question proving they have more than enough funds to play…

That was British pro Andy Wool’s take after GG contacted him and stated, “We will no longer accept you as a player at GGPoker.”

They added by way of explanation: “Please understand that there was no accusation of wrongdoing implied and that this action was born of compassion and a sincere desire to help. We don’t want to see anyone hurt.”

In response to questions from Phil Galfond, Wool revealed he had provided documentation that “show more than enough means to play $100 avg games,” explaining he had “requested deposit limits of 1k day, 5k week, 6k month.”

Wool explained to CardsChat, “If the proof of monthly income and cash I gave to GGPoker isn’t enough, I really wonder how anyone can play there. That’s why I put out the warning to UK players.”

GGPoker’s apparent targeting of winning pros hit the headlines last summer, with German mid/highstakes reg Tobias Duthweiler claiming that he had his account closed and $180,000 confiscated as soon as he started winning.

Though the reasoning was different, many players believe it is part of a deliberate strategy by GGPoker to find ways to ban winning players and regs, in favour of recreational players who take much less money from poker-room pockets.

The UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission) and their ongoing efforts to introduce a new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms are the official reason behind the GGPoker decisions.

However, other operators, such as PartyPoker, get the thumbs up from Wool for their approach to the UKGC’s affordability checks on customers.

Other British pros and regs weighed in with similar stories of GGPoker making life difficult for them, despite providing enough information to prove they have the wherewithal to play at their desired limits

“Same issues here. I’ve gone from an 8k a day 20k a week 50k month deposit limit to a $200 a day limit. I’ve sent all relevant docs to prove my sources of income and proof of funds to play within these limits yet they still decide to cap me at 200 a day ridiculous.” - Andy ‘wiisssppppaa’ Taylor

“Hi, I had a similar experience, deposit limit is $200/day, asked for increase, could not provide payslips bc i play poker for a living. Showed acc balances of >100k, they told me unfortunately it was deemed that I could not afford an increase, radio silence from them ever since.” - Ryan Hutchison

GGPoker’s Paul Burke explained to CardsChat that the poker-room was simply following “strict safer gambling measures” and their “hyper-vigilant” approach, “might be a cause of frustration in the eyes of some players.”