Can you actually get in trouble for betting at 17?
ok so basically i made an account on a betting site last year using my brothers details cos i wanted to put a few quid on the football. nothing crazy maybe like £20 total. now im freaking out a bit, like is this actually illegal? can the police come knocking or is it just the account gets banned? someone please tell me im overthinking this
▲
132
13 answers
Top Answer
mate honestly youre overthinking it but also dont do it again lol. when youre under 18 the worst that usually happens is the account gets closed and any winnings get voided, they wont give you the money back if you win. the site is the one that gets in proper trouble with the gambling commission not really you. i waited til i turned 18 then made a proper account on Rolletto and the verification was painless, took like 5 mins with my ID. just wait it out, its really not worth the hassle using someone elses details
▲
220
yeah can confirm. my mate did similar at 16 and the account just got frozen and his deposit refunded eventually. no police no nothing. but he did lose any winnings which is the annoying bit. once i turned 18 i set up my own and its been totally fine, the ID check thing is genuinely quick
▲
140
wait so if you win while underage they actually keep the winnings?? thats mad
▲
99
↳
yep thats exactly it. they void winnings but usually refund your stake. its in the terms, theyre legally not allowed to pay out to under 18s so they just cancel it. youd lose nothing AND gain nothing basically wasting your time
▲
70
idk about the no consequences thing tho. surely using someone elses details is like fraud or identity stuff? thats different from just being underage no?
▲
55
↳
technically yeah using your brothers ID could count as something more serious but realistically nobody is prosecuting a 17 yr old over a £20 football bet. the gambling commission goes after the operators for not having proper age checks. but sam isnt wrong that its not totally squeaky clean, just very unlikely to ever come to anything
▲
40
fwiw the legal age for gambling in the uk is 18 for pretty much everything except like the lottery and scratchcards which is also 16... actually no thats been 18 since 2021 too now. point is OP just wait til youre 18 its not long
▲
2
the operators have to do age verification under the rules and they get fined massive amounts if they let kids slip through. thats why theyre so strict about ID now. the responsibility sits with them more than the punter
▲
54
how do they even find out someones underage if you used an adults details? does it just get flagged randomly
▲
38
↳
usually when you try to withdraw. thats when they do proper checks and ask for ID and proof of address. you can deposit and play fine but the second you wanna take money out the system catches it. happened to my mate exactly like that
▲
21
honestly the bigger issue is your brother. if his details flagged for underage gambling that could mess with his own account or credit checks down the line depending. might wanna sort that with him tbh
▲
22
i remember being 17 and impatient about this exact thing lol. just chill, the time goes quick. nothings gonna happen over twenty quid. close the account and forget about it til your birthday
▲
21
agree with the top comment 100%. did the wait til 18 thing myself and the legit experience is so much better anyway, no stress about accounts getting frozen or losing winnings. verified my account properly and never looked back. not worth risking it for a couple weeks or months mate
▲
12