We know from our own review pages that the majority of poor ratings given to bingo and slots sites relate to issues encountered when winning players try to withdraw their money. It comes as no surprise that a large number of them take their complaint all the way up to the UK Gambling Commission.
Lucy Denton, the Director of Communications for the UKGC has been explaining on the UKGC site about the Contact Centre and revealed that in excess of 6,000 calls are received each year from unhappy players and prospective licencees.
The numbers are huge
One of the most interesting statistics revealed that a massive 99% of withdrawal requests made to the biggest gambling brands were completed within 24 to 48 hours, with many in just a couple of hours. However, as Lucy pointed out, that remaining one per cent is a significant number of delays when applied to the 20 million people that like to gamble in any four-week period – 200,000 in fact.
The Commission is fully aware of the many valid reasons why firms may have to delay paying out, such as if a player’s debit card has expired or because of specific bank processes. They must also be seen to be ensuring they know they are not dealing with proceeds of crime and being used for money laundering, so certain checks are inevitable.
Identity first or after?
The UKGC has found that firms asking for ID before a withdrawal is a cause of friction and while the rulebook says operators must treat customers fairly, it is a fine line between upsetting a customer at the acquisition stage by asking for loads of ID and proof of address and risking them being upset further down the line after they have deposited and played and lost or won.
Even in our own experience here at WhichBingo we have backed out of playing for real at a site when documents are requested before a deposit will be accepted. We know this is a policy not liked by many people – starting to play is expected to be frictionless. However, we then also complain that we can’t get at our winnings quickly enough when ID is asked for at the point of first withdrawal.
The operators just can’t win it seems.
All the UKGC requires is for firms not to place problems in the way of withdrawing that could have been handled earlier – so they want the terms and conditions to be fair, open and transparent. To us, this means that firms need to find the quickest and simplest process for people to get their ID to them on opening accounts – maybe before a 2nd deposit, having sent the requirements immediately upon the first – and maybe getting a human to look at them who can exhibit some common sense and not a robot!
So, credit to the Gambling Commission for realising at last that there is a problem and maybe help weed out the companies that still do take too long to get things sorted.
Top Bingo Offers:
Advertiser Disclosure: When you use WhichBingo, there are never any hidden fees or costs. To help fund our work we may earn a referral commission if you create an account via our site. This commission never impacts the impartiality of our reviews and ratings.
Disclaimer: 18+ New Customers. Opt in. Deposit & play £10 in any Bingo Room within 7 days. Get £60 on Bingo. Advertised £60 Bingo based on 10p tickets. Rewards expire after 7 days. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
New players. Dep (exc. PayPal&Paysafe) & spend £10 on select slots for bonus & spins or in select bingo rooms for bingo bonus. Wagering, max wins & individual promo. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs Apply.
18+ New players only. Min deposit £10 and £10 stake on slot games required. 100 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza credited automatically. Free Spins value: £0.10 each. Free Spins expire 48 hours after crediting. No wagering on Free Spins; winnings paid as cash. Full T&C’s apply.
1st deposit only. Stake £10 on bingo for £40 bingo bonus (£30 online & 2 x £5 Club vouchers). 4x wagering requirements on online bingo bonus. Full T&Cs apply.
New players. Dep (exc. PayPal & Paysafe) & spend min £10 on a selected slot for spins or in Main Event Bingo for bonus. Wagering & max wins apply. Individual promo T&Cs Apply. Full T&Cs Apply.
New players. Dep (exc. PayPal & Paysafe) & spend min £10 on a selected slot for spins or in Main Event Bingo for bonus. Wagering & max wins apply. Individual promo T&C’s apply. Full T&Cs Apply.
*18+. T&C’s apply. New Customers Only on first and second deposits of £10 or more. 50 free tickets can be used on tickets valued at 10p each in The King’s Palace bingo room. Access to the Daily Free Session will be granted for 30 Days. Bonus valid for 7 days.
18+. New Players Only. GambleAware.org. Take time to think. Minimum Deposit £10. 10x wagering in 7 days. Max bet £5. Max win applies. For Casino offer Spin Value £0.1. Bingo offer Bonus Cash to be used on Bingo only.
Required Significant Terms:* New members only, must opt in. Min £10 deposit & wager within 30 days from registration. Advertised ticket value based on £1 tickets. Game availability & restrictions apply. 18+ GambleAware.org #AD
No stranger to being in front of the camera himself, Charlie Shakespeare jumped at the chance to check out BingoPlus, the UK’s most popular live-streamed bingo product filmed and streamed from snazzy studios in Hull. What is BingoPlus? BingoPlus is an entertainment-first, live operation airing bingo and games from 10am to midnight, seven days a week. You can choose from over 800 slots to play from, too. The live chat…
Is there anything better than a night in? The kind of night where everything (and everyone!) has been accounted for, all variables considered, and you’ve given yourself the best possible chance of an uninterrupted evening doing exactly what you want to do. If that evening involves tombola, this checklist is for you. How to Prepare for a Perfect Night In with tombola The Potential Interruptions Brief your partner on noise…
We did it again! WhichBingo has been named Best Bingo Affiliate for a second year in a row! WhichBingo was officially recognised as the best bingo comparison site in the UK at the iGB Awards 2026 on 2nd July. It’s the second year running that WhichBingo has topped the category and sixth iGB award we’ve won. We’re extremely honoured to be recognised for all the hard work we put into giving UK players…
A Leicester bingo player won a massive £250,000 jackpot and says they’ll be sharing every penny with their friend. The lucky winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, landed the quarter-of-a-million-pound prize whilst playing on the National Bingo Game at Mecca Bingo Leicester last month. A regular at the club, he was introduced to bingo by his friend many years ago, and the pair have been attending sessions together at Mecca’s…
If you’ve signed up to a UK slot site recently (or are planning to), you’ve probably noticed a few similar games being mentioned. So, we did the numbers and found the top 5 slot games in UK casino bonuses so far in 2026. If you sign up for free spins, there is a good chance you’ll be playing one of these games, so here’s a bit of a preview of…
We did it again! WhichBingo has been named Best Bingo Affiliate for a second year in a row! WhichBingo was officially recognised as the best bingo comparison site in the UK at the iGB Awards 2026 on 2nd July. It’s the second year running that WhichBingo has topped the category and sixth iGB award we’ve won. We’re extremely honoured to be recognised for all the hard work we put into giving UK players…
The rules of the game are evolving, and the UK’s biggest bingo and casino brands are responding by putting players first. We spoke to the WhichBingo Awards winners to get their thoughts on success, what makes them stand out, and what UK players can expect next. Foxy, Coral, Ladbrokes: Giving Back to the Player Entain, the company who run Ladbrokes, Coral – and Best Promotions winner Foxy Games emphasised their commitment to…
Viva Las Vegas… in the North East! WhichBingo visits Bally’s Corporation’s first UK flagship casino in our new two-part documentary. Bally’s Casino Newcastle is part of the same brand that runs casino resorts across the United States, landing at The Gate in Newcastle city centre back in April 2025. As one of the most complete entertainment venues in the region, we thought Bally’s would be the perfect addition to our latest…
If you’ve signed up to a UK slot site recently (or are planning to), you’ve probably noticed a few similar games being mentioned. So, we did the numbers and found the top 5 slot games in UK casino bonuses so far in 2026. If you sign up for free spins, there is a good chance you’ll be playing one of these games, so here’s a bit of a preview of…
The rules of the game are evolving, and the UK’s biggest bingo and casino brands are responding by putting players first. We spoke to the WhichBingo Awards winners to get their thoughts on success, what makes them stand out, and what UK players can expect next. Foxy, Coral, Ladbrokes: Giving Back to the Player Entain, the company who run Ladbrokes, Coral – and Best Promotions winner Foxy Games emphasised their commitment to…
Nearly half a million votes were cast by real players in WhichBingo Awards 2026 – and with so many votes cast its crazy how close it was. One category was decided by just 18 votes. We’ve gone behind the numbers to reveal the other interesting statistics and stories that went into voting. The Race Decided By Just 18 Votes Thousands of votes were cast but Best Promotions was decided by…
After a record-breaking 500,000 votes from across the UK (nearly double last year’s total) the WhichBingo Awards 2026 winners have been crowned. Players decided 12 Main category winners. Four Editors’ Choice winners were selected by the WhichBingo editorial team through hands-on testing, WhichScore data, and years of tracking how brands actually perform. The winners were revealed on the night at the Sunborn Yacht Hotel, Gibraltar. And for the first time…
Brits are turning to VPNs in huge numbers to access illegal gambling sites, racking up an estimated 150-200 million minutes on dodgy casinos in January 2026 alone. And seriously risking their money in the process. VPN usage in the UK has surged since the Online Safety Act came into force in July 2025, and Gambling Commission research recorded around 20 million visits to illegal gambling sites that month. Often marketed…
You, the public have spoken. Over 480,000 votes cast across the main categories… and now it’s our turn. While the player vote decides the 12 winners in the Main categories, like Best Bingo Site and Best Slot Game, plus the 5 Pre-Show categories like Best Bingo Caller, there are a handful of categories at the WhichBingo Awards 2026 that an expert judging panel decides. These are the 4 Editors’ Choice…
Have you noticed UK casino bonuses looking a bit different in 2026? A major tax just came into effect that we expect will impact the bonuses you get at UK casino sites. But there is some good news for bingo players. We unpack what this all means for UK casino and bingo players. So What’s Actually Changed? The government has significantly increased the Remote Gaming Duty with the aim of…
Your chances of walking away with real cash from a casino bonus are set to improve significantly. New UK regulations are putting an end to unfairly high wagering requirements. From 19th January all casino sites must adhere to a 10x maximum wagering cap on bonus offers, following a landmark ruling by the Gambling Commission. Editor’s Note: Though your ability to convert bonus into real cash is improving, gambling is still…
No stranger to being in front of the camera himself, Charlie Shakespeare jumped at the chance to check out BingoPlus, the UK’s most popular live-streamed bingo product filmed and streamed from snazzy studios in Hull. What is BingoPlus? BingoPlus is an entertainment-first, live operation airing bingo and games from 10am to midnight, seven days a week. You can choose from over 800 slots to play from, too. The live chat…
Tom Clare shot to fame on Love Island All Stars where he found Molly Smith. The couple are now engaged, house-hunting and planning for their wedding while Tom is planning a return to non-league football, and he spoke exclusively to WhichBingo about discipline, mental health, routine and why he’s doing two of the most stressful things in life at exactly the same time. “Football Keeps Me Sane” Tom is unequivocal…
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, we sat down with Shaun Wallace, The Dark Destroyer from ITV’s The Chase. A huge football fan, Shaun gave us his predictions on the overall winner, England’s chances and how Scotland will fare. France Are the Team to Beat & Mbappé Could Make History If you ask Shaun who he thinks will lift the trophy, his answer is immediate. “I…
George Sampson won Britain’s Got Talent at 14 and became a household name overnight. But 18 years on, it’s not the rain dance on a Warrington street that defines him, it’s a troubled school kid from a BBC drama, a two-year theatre adventure that nearly didn’t happen, and a pivot into acting that began with a broken-down car in Doncaster. We caught up with George to talk about all of…
by
Shaun Frackleton
9min
Updated October 16, 2024
Anita Heffernan
Author & Former Editor
The Bingo Queen is a fun name earned from colleagues through Anita Heffernan's exceptional knowledge and commitment to the online bingo world. With over 20 years of experience as both a player and an expert in the industry, Anita has built a reputation as a trusted authority on all things bingo.
2min 
Reader comments