Three UK high street banks have followed in the footsteps of Barclays in introducing measures to allow customers the ability to restrict certain transactions. Lloyds, Santander and RBS will allow customers to block gambling operator payments.

• Lloyds Bank Block Gambling Transactions
• Lloyds Bank Gambling Block Software
• Can Lloyds Bank Block Gambling

Lloyds is now offering offer a gambling block which takes 48 hours to deactivate once it has been turned on. Do we need more friction? A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group said, “We continually review our products and procedures, and this is part of that.” Lloyds Banking Group made the announcement right after Facebook announced they will block any, and all advertising that promotes digital currencies services or products. Gambling blocking software maker Gamban has secured a partnership with Lloyds Banking Group. As part of the arrangement, customers of the Group will have access to Gamban’s software which prevents payments for gambling-related products or services. Gamban Agrees on Lloyds Banking Group Deal © Pixabay. Lloyds Banking Group, a UK retail banking group, has announced a partnership with security tech firm Gamban to provide its customers with a gambling protection programme. The software, set to be rolled out by Lloyd’s, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers, aims to protect against problem gambling sites and applications, across several.

Three further banks have introduced software to block certain transactions being made. © Pexels.

Barclays pioneered the move in blocking gambling transactions in December last year, allowing the customer to control and block particular payments via mobile applications. Three more UK high street banks, Lloyds, Santander, and RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) have now followed suit. They have approved a proposal to develop payment-blocking functions that will affect transactions made in high street bookmakers as well as online betting sites.

Barclays was the first to make these changes when they announced a plan to integrate a ‘gambling block’ component across its customer-facing digital platforms. The main aim of this bold step is to protect clients, especially those who have any issues with compulsive gambling. The new changes are simply an upgrade to the mobile banking apps and will give customers control over when and where money can be spent.

RBS is one of the biggest banks in Europe with a customer base of about 30 million, Lloyds has approximately 22 million customers and Santander has a client base of about 14 million. Customers of these three banks join the 24 million Barclays customers who already have access to this facility.

The new gambling-block feature allows the customers to turn off engagements with any product related to gambling. Furthermore, the ability to block transactions is not just limited to gambling, with customers also able to prevent other transactions. These come under four subsections, which are petrol stations, premium websites and phone lines, food and drink purchases and supermarkets.

The customer will also have the ability to manage and limit withdrawals from cashpoints, in-store and online purchases, and credit card purchases.

A spokesman for Lloyds said that they have a plan to enhance customer engagement by improving their communications to regularly inform the users on their gambling expenditure over a specified period of time. He said:

Throughout 2019 we will be enhancing our customer communications so customers are informed and alerted to their gambling spend, as well as introducing tools to improve self-service options such as gambling restrictions.–Statement Lloyds Bank

The move by Barclays last year to empower customers has forced other banks to follow suit and has been widely welcomed by harm reduction agencies. It is likely to be rolled out by other key players in the financial markets.

Charity GambleAware is pleased that the high street banks are offering these facilities. He said that his organisation was fully behind the initiative and that the blocking functions will help the more than 340,000 compulsive gamblers in Britain. He believes a further 1.7 million are at the risk of falling to the same fate. He further added that such initiatives play an important role in reducing if not stopping gambling related effects and harm.

Three of the UK’s biggest banking groups are exploring ways to support customers who are problem gamblers, although the trio have denied that definitive timeframes for the introduction of payment-blocking tools have been finalised.

Lloyds Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Santander Bank have all confirmed to iGamingBusiness.com that they are considering introducing new tools for clients that would allow them to block debit card transactions to certain sectors, including gambling.

This would bring the trio in line with Barclays Bank, which introduced controls that give customers the option to block or limit transactions with gambling websites, lottery tickets and scratch cards, as well as at retail betting shops, casinos and race tracks in December 2018.

While UK media has suggested that the three banks are likely to introduce such controls within months, all denied that launch dates had been set.

“We are working on functionality for debit card holders to turn off a number of broad categories of spend, for example gambling,” a Santander spokesperson said.

Lloyds Bank Block Gambling Transactions

RBS, which also owns the high street banking chain NatWest, added: “We recently launched the ability for our customers to freeze their credit cards and set spending budgets using our mobile app, and are always looking at further ways to help customers manage their money.”

Lloyds, which like Santander and RBS also told iGamingBusiness.com that it had not offered any guidance on when exactly such tools could be brought in, said: “We have plans to support our customers who need help with gambling.

“Throughout 2019 we will be enhancing our customer communications so customers are informed and alerted to their gambling spend as well as introducing tools to improve self-service options such as gambling restrictions.

Lloyds Bank Gambling Block Software

“New card controls give customers more control over debit card transactions for extra peace of mind. This will allow users to quickly and securely restrict card usage, for example if a card has temporarily been misplaced or to avoid a card to be used in certain ways.”

Can Lloyds Bank Block Gambling

Barclays became the first high-street bank to enable customers to block transactions with gambling companies last month.

After working with the Money Advice Trust and other advisers to develop the required tools, Barclays Mobile Banking app users can now block and control spending on gambling, supermarkets, restaurants, takeaways, pubs and bars, fuel and premium rate websites and phone lines

Earlier in 2018, digital banking services Monzo and Starling Bank introduced voluntary schemes to allow customers to block gambling transactions.