If you’re worried about how much you're spending on gambling, then there is lots of support out there to help you. Including banks.
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What Tools Do Banks Provide Their Users?
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Can banks block gambling transactions? We run through the major UK high street banks and outline what services they provide to their at-risk customers.
Many banks are now working on plans to help customers restrict their spending on gambling, offering gambling blocking solutions, with some banks allowing customers to 'turn off' payments to certain types of retailer, including gambling services.
What is the Gambling Block?
While each scheme operates in their own way, fundamentally they all work the same. The gambling block is a feature that allows you to block your bank account/bank card/credit card from being used for gambling transactions.
Which banks offer a Gambling Blocking Services?
Royal Bank of Scotland
Offers a card locking feature to customers which include a blocker specifically for gambling transactions.
Learn more about the Royal Bank of Scotland's services below.
Lloyds Bank
A feature within their banking app, which lets customers quickly freeze and unfreeze different types of transactions on their debit or credit cards. As well as offering their customers access to Gamban.
Learn more about Lloyds Bank's services below.
Halifax
Offers customers various useful tools and support such as; financial tracking, personal support and advice and access to Gamban licences to block online gambling.
Learn more about Halifax's services below.
Bank of Scotland
Offers a card freezing feature, which, include a blocker specifically for gambling transactions.
Learn more about the Bank of Scotland's services below.
mbna
Allows customers to keep track of their bills and spending by using their Online Card Services.
Learn more about mbna's services below.
HSBC
Allows customers to voluntarily add or remove gambling restrictions on their debit cards or credit cards (including Pay by Bank app). HSBC also offers a 'Cool Off Period', this means that customers can opt to lift the gambling restriction, but transactions will still be declined until the 'Cool Off Period' has completed.
Learn more about HSBC's services below.
Monzo
Allows customers to block gambling transactions on their Monzo account, straight from the app. To turn off the block, customers will need to talk to Monzo's customer support team. Where they'll ask questions to see if their situation has changed since first switching on the restrictions.
Learn more about Monzo's services below.
Starling Bank
Allows customers to block online payments, including gambling transactions, easily from their banking app.
Learn more about Starling Bank's services below.
Natwest
Offers customers a card locking feature, which includes a gambling transactions blocker, within the banking app.
Learn more about Natwest's services below.
Barclays
Allows customers to block debit card payments to certain types of merchants, including gambling websites and apps, within their banking app.
Learn more about Barclays' services below.
Santander
Allows customers to block specific transaction types without freezing their Mastercard entirely (iOS devices only, coming soon for Android).
Learn more about Santander's services below.
Why are banks doing this?
People who have gambling problems and decide to stop can choose to self-exclude from gambling, use software to block online gambling sites and self-exclude physically from betting shops and casinos. While these are all helpful ways for people to get support, many banks believe they can do more to support self-exclusion too.
HSBC Holdings PLC (LON:HSBA) will take its turn to announce results for the final three months of 2020 on Tuesday, with the Asia-focused lender’s promised strategy update likely to be the main focus.
A year ago, chief executive Noel Quinn unveiled plans a year ago to cut 35,000 jobs around the world and then last autumn pledged to accelerate the transformation of the bank’s US business.
Plans to spin off the US business have now morphed into totally scrapping the North American arm instead, according to media reports.
HSBC is also stepping up its ‘pivot’ to Asia, with stories at the start of the week suggesting a raft of senior management are being shifted from London to Hong Kong, with further expansion planned in Singapore.
Section heads, including Greg Guyett, co-head of global banking and markets; Nuno Matos, chief executive of wealth and personal banking; and Barry O’Byrne, chief executive of global commercial banking; are among those said to be moving to Asia.
Plenty of investors will still be focused on the bank’s financials, including the dividend.
FTSE 100 peers Barclays and NatWest led the way with the sector’s expected resumption of shareholder payouts last week after the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) lifted its ban but called for prudence.
Hsbc Gambling Block
The City is predicting the bank will make a full-year payment of US$0.13 per share for 2020, with the average forecast pointing to a reported pre-tax profit of US$8.3bn following almost US$9.1bn of expected credit losses and impairments. Net interest margin is forecast to be 1.34%.
Hsbc Mortgage Gambling
Quinn’s US restructuring is expected to depress its profitability in the near term, JPMorgan said in a recent note, though the analysts expect economic growth to rebound faster in Asia and across emerging markets than the UK, the meaning there could be “upside potential from loan growth and lower impairments”.
Unemployment numbers
UK employment data will be released on Tuesday, with the unemployment rate expected to climb.
“In theory that could be negative for [the pound], but the pound has been preternaturally strong recently as the market concentrates not on the economics but rather on the country’s surprisingly successful vaccine rollout,” said market analyst Marshall Gittler at BDSwiss. “I’d expect only a temporary dip unless it’s a disaster.”
Moreover, business surveys signal clearly that the rate of decline in employment has eased in recent months, following the extension of the furlough scheme until the end of April, noted economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
They only expect a modest rise in the headline unemployment rate to 5.1% in December from 5.0% in November.
Significant announcements on Tuesday February 23:
Hsbc Australia Gambling
Finals: HSBC Holdings PLC (LON:HSBA), Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC (LON:IHG), Croda International PLC (LON:CRDA)
Interims: Clinigen Group PLC (LON:CLIN), Diurnal Group PLC (LON:DNL), McBride PLC (LON:MCB), Springfield Properties PLC (LON:SPR)
Economic data: UK unemployment