When a player requests an account closure this means that should the player wish to reopen the account later, they may do so simply by requesting this from the customer service team. Whilst general account closures can be requested for many different reasons or no reason at all, it is important that the Operator confirms with the player that the closure request has not been made due to gambling issues or problematic gambling. Probing a player’s responses during this conversation is recommended to ensure that the Operator is entirely satisfied that the closure request is not related to gambling harm.
Whilst an account which has simply been closed can be reopened later upon request, if the player mentions problematic gambling or any issues related to their control of their gambling, the Operator must set a self-exclusion on the account. The self-exclusion can be for either a definite or indefinite timeframe, dependent on the player’s request, the information provided by the player, and the Operator’s discretion, which only extends so far as increasing the self-exclusion timeframe. The Operator must never apply a self-exclusion for a shorter timeframe than the player’s request, nor attempt to persuade or induce a player to set a lesser timeframe.
A self-exclusion is different to a general account closure, as a self-exclusion is a responsible gambling tool which prevents a player from gaining access to the account for either a set timeframe, or indefinitely. If a self-exclusion is set, the account can only be reopened once the exclusion has expired, or on the Player’s request, at the operator’s discretion. Self-exclusions are designed to allow players to take a break from gambling, with the further security that there are additional steps to reopen the account.