British poker pro Andy Wool has been playing online poker full time since giving up his day job a year ago. Patrick Leonard was the poker pro who convinced him to go pro and acted as his coach, mentor, and backer.
Wool Laments Unfair Move by GGPoker
Wool who uses the virtual name of “dawhiteninja” at the virtual felts, has been successful so far in his chosen career. His latest win came in the recent PokerStars’ Blowout Series where he won $150,000. His total poker earnings currently sit at more than $1 million.
Wool recently took to social media to say that he has been dealt a bad hand after GGPoker permanently closed his account. That’s despite his impressive online record. Wool took to Twitter to share his experience, posting a “warning” to fellow poker professionals based in the UK.
According to Wool, his account was shut down by GGPoker after he asked to increase his deposit limits, adding that the site also ignored his appeal request. In his Twitter post, Wool included a screenshot of an email he received from the “GGPoker Responsible Gaming Team”, informing him that he could no longer play at the site.
More UK Players Complain
Based on the email, Wool’s account was terminated for reasons related to responsible gambling. The British poker pro is crying foul over this, claiming it was a deliberate move to prevent winning pros from playing at the site. A number of UK poker players share the same opinion, including Ryan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson said GGPoker also declined his request to up his deposit limit. At the moment, his daily deposits are limited to just $200. The poker pro has called into question GGPoker’s affordability criteria when his account balances even exceed the $100K mark. Hutchinson also said that he couldn’t provide wage slips because he’s playing poker full time.
For Hutchinson, it seems illogical that GGPoker is allowing minimum wage earners to deposit their entire monthly income, but refusing to increase deposit limits for pros who are showing net worth of six figures. This led Hutchinson to believe that GGPoker could be using the recent amendments to the country’s gambling laws for their own personal benefit.
It’s All About Gaming Regulations
Based on UK gambling regulations, operators should conduct stricter checks to determine whether or not a player can afford an increase in deposit limits. One way to ensure that the player will not end up over spending is checking his or her proof of earnings (e.g. payslips).
But this requirement isn’t always applicable to full-time poker pros as some are unable to provide payslips to show they have a stable income. What they can present instead is a record of their account balances, and GGPoker won’t accept that. This could have been the main reason why requests for an increase in deposit limits from certain players were turned down.
GGPoker Denies Accusations
GGPoker also clarified their position on this. The site’s spokesman Paul Burke said their actions are all in line with the UKGC regulations. He said operators are required to enforce strict safer gambling measures especially during these uncertain times.
Burke also junked allegations that they’re purposely shutting down the accounts of pros or winning players.
So who’s telling the truth?
Well, a comment from poker pro Brian Tougias suggests that it’s not only GGPoker that’s caught up in a similar situation. Tougias, who relocated to London, has had his PokerStars UK account banned five months ago, and the issue also revolved around deposit limits.
The UK’s strict gambling laws may not sit well with a lot of poker players, but they’re currently needed to effectively deal with problem gambling in the country. The operators, including GGPoker and PokerStars UK also want to make sure they’re complying with the rules to avoid the risks of being slapped with a massive fine or much worse, being booted out of the country.