The UK’s financial watchdog has ordered Revolut to pay back a problem gambler who accused the bank of refusing to shut down his account.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) deemed that Revolut must pay £400 to a complainant, known as Mr H, who had informed the bank that he was experiencing problem gambling and using its services to convert cash into cryptocurrency for gambling purposes.
According to the ruling, Mr H contacted Revolut in June 2025 to tell the bank that he was experiencing mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts, as a result of gambling harms.
Revolut informed the customer that he could block gambling transactions, but the feature wouldn’t prevent crypto transactions.
Revolut also gives customers the option to block cryptocurrency transactions separately; however, there is no cooling-off period for the feature, meaning the customer was concerned that he was able to turn it back on instantly.
Similarly, the customer enquired if he could shut down his account. He was informed he could, but nothing was stopping him from reopening his account.
Consequently, he asked if Revolut could close his account down to solve the problem, as customers are unable to reopen an account with the bank if the firm has previously made the decision to end its services for that customer.
However, the bank failed to do so.
“I am at a loss as to why Revolut couldn’t take the decision itself to close Mr H’s account permanently when it has the ability to do this, and Mr H had requested that as a possible solution,” stated the ruling.
“It seems that despite explaining exactly what the issue was and what he needed, this fell on deaf ears. Instead of listening to Mr H and trying to get a full understanding of what the issue was and looking at all the options available to him, Mr H – an extremely vulnerable individual – was given unhelpful advice around options Mr H was already aware of and passed around to teams that couldn’t help.
“Mr H was vulnerable, in crisis, seeking help and took the brave step in making Revolut aware of this. But despite this, it failed to take proactive steps to provide him with the help he’d requested and was seemingly available and instead provided him with information about tools and features he was already aware of and failed to give him the attention he deserved.”
Although the FOS has no power to change a business’s working practices, the ombudsman expressed hope that Revolut will learn from the decision and provide appropriate support to individuals in a similar situation.
When reached out to for comment, Revolut told iGaming Expert that protecting its customers is its “highest priority”.
“We provide all our UK customers with a gambling block feature. When enabled, this tool automatically blocks card payments that are identified as being for gambling. We strongly encourage any customers with concerns about gambling to activate this feature in their app,” the bank’s spokesperson added.
“Revolut offers the option to disable the visibility of cryptocurrency tools for users who do not require them.”
Crypto under the spotlight
The FOS’s ruling once again places the role of cryptocurrency payments within gambling under the spotlight.
In the majority of mature gambling markets, including the UK, crypto payments remain prohibited. This means that they remain the preserve of the black market, which does not typically employ the same responsible gambling guardrails as licensed operators.
However, as the popularity of crypto continues to increase, especially among younger demographics, it is becoming increasingly clear that regulators like the UK Gambling Commission must confront the payment method.
Andrew Rhodes, the UK regulator’s CEO, previously described the “pressure building within the system” as players continue to embrace alternative payment methods.
“The reality is, in some years to come, there will probably be a significant cohort of consumers who use cryptocurrencies because that is what they’re accustomed to. It is a demographic shift that will find they have no place in the legitimate industry because of the currency they use,” stated Rhodes.
On a wider scale, the UK government is also seeking to align with the likes of the US and the EU by developing legislation for cryptoassets, and Rhodes emphasised that any changes made by the UKGC would be led by government-led decisions.
For now, though, the case against Revolut illustrates how shortcomings in the processes of banking establishments like Revolut can facilitate problematic gambling behaviours that thrive in the largely unprotected black market.