Not upheld: failure to identify and support problem gambling; duty of care complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A complained that Barclays failed to support him with his gambling addiction between 2023 and 2025, during which he gambled using his account and lost money including part of an inheritance following a bereavement. Barclays upheld the complaint and offered £350, acknowledging it could have done more to identify harm and offer support. The ombudsman did not uphold the complaint, finding that while Barclays should have intervened earlier, there was insufficient evidence that earlier intervention would have prevented Mr A's gambling losses, as he continued gambling on other accounts even after becoming aware of available support measures.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the test of whether it is more likely than not that Barclays' failings made a material difference to Mr A's losses. While acknowledging that Barclays should have identified signs of financial difficulty and problem gambling earlier, the ombudsman concluded that even with earlier intervention, Mr A would likely have continued gambling, as evidenced by his continued use of other accounts after becoming aware of available support measures. The ombudsman therefore found that Barclays' failings were not the likely cause of Mr A's losses.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website