Financial Ombudsman orders Santander to refund eligible UK gambling losses
Regulation1 min read
The Financial Ombudsman Service told Santander to refund identifiable gambling losses, less winnings, on transactions made from 15 August to 17 September 2025. It excluded £16,000 spent before the customer disclosed his gambling problem and ordered 8% interest on eligible transactions plus £500 compensation. The ombudsman said it saw no basis for intervention before the disclosure.
A UK ombudsman ruling requires Santander to repay gambling losses to a customer. Repayment covers identifiable gambling losses, net of any winnings, incurred from 15 August to 17 September 2025. No fixed total amount has been set for the refund.
The Ombudsman considered that Santander was not liable for the earlier spending because it saw no basis for the bank to intervene in Mr R's transactions before that date. It added that the customer was responsible for setting his own restrictions before he told Santander about his gambling problem. Santander must also add 8% interest to each gambling transaction made between 15 August and 17 September and pay £500 in compensation for distress and inconvenience.
According to the report, the blocks work against firms that the Gambling Commission licenses and regulates. After Mr R sold his house in July, all the money he gambled went through offshore companies. Mr R said he could keep gambling even once Santander added an international block on gambling transactions. The report also pointed to Gambling Commission data suggesting that people scoring eight or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index are the most likely to use offshore platforms.