Lloyds Banking Group has announced they are now providing customers of Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and Halifax access to gambling-blocking software, Gamban, adding an extra layer of protection for. If you are not happy with your expenses on gambling and you are a customer of the Royal Bank of Scotland, you can regain that power you have over your credit card by setting up a gambling block through these three basic steps. Download the app first.

Three more UK high-street banks have announced plans to allow customers to control and block particular payments via mobile applications, following Barclays’ lead.

Lloyds, Santander, and RBS have approved proposals to develop payment-blocking functions that are set to affect transactions made in high street bookmakers and online betting sites and provide greater protections to those who have an issue with compulsive gambling.

The move comes after Barclays announced back in December a plan to integrate a ‘gambling block’ component across its customer-facing digital platforms.

The trio will update mobile banking apps in order to ensure customers are able to take control over when and where money can be spent.

RBS, which currently has approximately 30 million customers, announced that it would be implementing similar measures to those issued by Barclays late last year.

Barclays’ gambling-block feature allows customers to turn off engagements with all gambling-related properties, as well as blocking payments in four additional categories: food and drink; petrol stations; groceries and supermarkets; and premium websites and phone lines.

Customers will also be able to implement controls that are specifically designed to limit withdrawals from ATMs, as well as credit card purchases both in-store and online. Santander and Lloyds are also due to implement similar controls for the 14 million and 22 million customers respectively.

A spokesman for Lloyds commented: “Throughout 2019 we will be enhancing our customer communications so customers are informed and alerted to their gambling spend, as well as introducing tools to improve self-service options such as gambling restrictions.

“New card controls give customers more control over debit card transactions for extra peace of mind.”

Following Barclays’ announcement to develop blocking functions late last year, Marc Etches, chief executive of GambleAware, welcomed the initiative: “There are 340,000 problem gamblers in Britain and a further 1.7 million at risk, and initiatives like this can play an important role in helping to reduce gambling-related harms.

“There are no limits to stakes and prizes for online gambling, and credit cards are allowed so it is important to make it easier for people to control their spending.”

While the move comes as a positive step towards tackling compulsive behaviours, responsible gambling advocates are continuing to campaign for a significantly longer ‘cooling off’ period between deactivating a payment block and the ability to complete transactions.

Since 2015, Gamban has gone from strength to strength, setting the standard in gambling blocking software. Gamban is the smartest and most effective software for blocking gambling sites and applications. First-hand experience of problem gambling, combined with the most talented minds in the field of self-exclusion software have resulted in the most effective cross-platform solution for creating friction and aiding willpower in the fight against gambling addiction.

We're extremely excited to announce a partnership between Lloyds Banking Group and Gamban, enabling Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and Halifax customers access to Gamban. This is in addition to the Lloyds Banking Group Gambling Transaction Freezes which customers can activate from within the mobile banking app, providing an additional layer of protection from potential gambling harm.

“We know that gambling related harm can have serious and long term impacts on our customers and we are committed to making sure they can easily access a wide range of support. In addition to our card controls that allow the freezing of gambling transactions we are delighted to have developed a pilot with Gamban offering our customers three months free access to their software, providing another level of protection” Elyn Corfield, Managing Director, Consumer Finance, Lloyds Banking Group

Gambling addiction is a complex problem and offering vulnerable customers a multi-layered form of protection is the best approach to help people control gambling activity. By blocking transactions and access to online gambling, people can more effectively tackle their relationship with gambling.

Lloyds Banking Group has been working closely with experts in the field of gambling support to ensure that customers have easy access to a wide range of help and support options.

Can Lloyds Bank Block Gambling Account

'It’s very positive to see forward-thinking banking institutions such as Lloyds Banking Group rise to the challenge of protecting vulnerable customers from gambling addiction through barriers such as spend control and collaboration with market-leading gambling-blocking technology, Gamban.' - Jack Symons, Founder, Gamban

Lloyds Bank Block Gambling Transactions

Initial integration of Gamban within Lloyds Banking Group banking offering was completed towards the end of January 2020 and a significant number of people have already activated the blocking protection, protecting iOS, Android, Windows and MacOS devices from thousands of gambling sites and applications.

More information on the Lloyds Bank Gambling Support: https://www.lloydsbank.com/help-guidance/customer-support/help-with-gambling.asp

More information on the Bank of Scotland Gambling Support: https://www.bankofscotland.co.uk/helpcentre/help-with-gambling.html

More information on the Halifax Gambling Support: https://www.halifax.co.uk/helpcentre/help-with-gambling/

Find more information on how to block gambling transactions from your bank account here.