Everyone has two very important numbers that dictate what happens in significant parts of their lives. One is the Taxpayer ID number (TIN) that government agencies use to track the financial activities of the nation’s residents. Yes, everyone is required to pay their fair share in taxes every year for the right to use public resources and government services. And yes, that applies to UK residents.
The other important number is the credit rating. A person’s credit rating is used to determine exactly what kind of lifestyle each individual gets to live. A good credit rating translates to the individual getting access to money to buy cars and houses. A poor credit rating translates to the individual renting and riding a bike to school or work.
The Value of a Good Credit Rating for Online Players in the UK
Here is a question. How does a gambler’s credit rating affect their ability to gamble online with a UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licensed operator?
Well, a gambler’s credit rating is of no significance to the online gambling operator. Anyone of age with a pulse can open an online gambling account without complicated KYC procedures with one caveat. They can’t be registered with the GamStop Self-exclusion scheme if they are trying to open a gambling account with a licensed UK online gambling operator. More on GamStop below.
The only way the credit rating affects an online gambler’s ability to use online gambling accounts is it dictates what kind of banking options might be available. An online gambler with a good credit rating can secure and use credit cards to facilitate their online gambling activities. A good credit rating might also make it easier for the online gambler to open and fund a crypto-wallet account, which they could use to fund crypto-only gambling accounts.
By the way, gamblers who might want information about funding non-GamStop gambling accounts with credit cards can find credit card casinos via Casino-Wise.com.
Conversely, an online gambler with a bad credit rating would most likely have to accept being a “cash basis” online gambler. That means they would have to use cash transfer options like bank transfers and prepaid eWallet accounts.
How a Player’s Credit Rating Will Be impacted By Gambling in Foreign iGaming Sites
A gambler’s credit rating will almost never be directly impacted by their gambling activities whether it be with a retail or online casino in the UK or abroad. That doesn’t mean their credit rating can’t be indirectly impacted by their UK or foreign casino gambling activities. How might that happen?
Retail and online casino gambling are great forms of adult entertainment. That’s absolutely true for the people who fully understand they should never gamble with more money than they can afford to lose. Unfortunately, some gamblers don’t understand That particular “rule of thumb.”
What happens when someone loses more than they can afford to lose? First, they might struggle to pay normal bills like rent/mortgage, utilities, car payments, and credit card payments. What happens when someone falls behind in their bill-paying? Landlords and creditors get upset. When they get upset, they report issues to the top credit rating reporting agencies. When these agencies get derogatory reports, they lower credit ratings.
It doesn’t matter where or what kind of a casino a gambler is using. If their gambling causes financial issues, their credit rating is at risk. By the way, it would be irresponsible to not mention that some high rollers are privy to credit from their favorite casinos. If a payment problem arises within one of these arrangements, retail and online casinos can issue derogatory reports to credit rating reporting agencies.
How to Avoid Having a Credit Rating Impacted By Gambling Activities
Mention has already been made about gamblers never gambling with more than they can afford to lose. Anyone who does that on a consistent basis is probably a problem gambler and needs help.
The other way to prevent gambling activities from affecting one’s credit rating is to stop gambling. If someone in the UK would like help doing that, they might want to consider registering to be blocked by the aforementioned GamStop Self-exclusion program.
FYI: GamStop is the brainchild of the UKGC. The program represents the Commission’s best efforts to help problem gamblers. They facilitate this scheme by mandating that all licensed UK online gambling operators become GamStop members. This mandate does not affect foreign online casino operators.
To receive the protection provided by GamStop, UK gamblers have to go through the free GamStop registration process. While doing that, gamblers have to provide the personal information that the GamStop database will use to track their gambling activities. The good news is the registration process is voluntary, which gives registering gamblers the right to dictate the length of their self-exclusion period.
Once gamblers complete the registration process, they can expect to be denied access to any and all gambling accounts associated with any and all of the licensed gambling operators in the UK.
While the GamStop program works quite well, the self-exclusion is limited to UK licensed gambling websites. That leaves motivated gamblers who change their minds with other options. Some of these other options include:
- Using the aforementioned foreign gambling sites
- Using crypto-only gambling sites while hiding behind crypto anonymity
- Using UK gambling sites not on GamStop
- Using gambling accounts under other identities with permission
For what it’s worth, credit ratings won’t be directly impacted by using any of these options. But, 100% advice, without harming your wallet or credit rating, is to simply play your favourite game using a gaming console for example.
