Online Gambling Affect On Mortgage Approval
Online Gambling Affect On Mortgage Rates
Online Gambling Affect On Mortgage Loans
Online Gambling Affect On Mortgage Refinance

How to Explain Gambling Winnings on a Mortgage Application. Especially after the housing crash in the mid-2000s, mortgage lenders are careful when confirming whether potential customers are able to make their house payments. This means that, as a mortgage applicant, you are responsible for proving all income or assets. There are state lotteries that 18 year-olds can play, and some casinos have an 18+ policy on poker, but the real cause has been the rise of online gambling. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 tried to restrict online gambling, targeting poker sites such as PokerStars, Absolute Poker and Full Tilt Poker. Lenders will look at whether such payments could affect your ability to pay back a mortgage. Having these loans isn’t necessarily a bad thing—especially if you demonstrate a history of timely payments—but banks do want to get a handle on the extent to which the expense already eats into your income.

It probably won’t surprise you that gambling and mortgages generally don’t mix well. When a bank lends you money for a mortgage loan, it means they trust you will be able to pay it back. However, if they see that you’re an active gambler, then this may go against your application.

However, it is important to note that there is a difference between those who gamble large amounts of money on a regular basis (including those who are professional gamblers), compared to those who put a small bet on every now and then.

How will gambling affect my mortgage application?

If you’re a professional gambler and you want to use your winnings as evidence that you can afford to take out a mortgage, the banks see this as being a lot riskier than someone who has a job and gambles occasionally, so you may come across a few challenges. However, being a professional gambler and getting a mortgage isn’t impossible. Some lenders who are willing to lend you the money might alleviate this risk by increasing the interest rate and only lending a small amount of money.

You may argue that professional gambling is no greater risk than being self-employed…but lenders see it differently. Gambling is deemed more of a risk than being self-employed especially if there is no trace of regular savings but a build-up of debt instead.

You need to be aware that if you’re a professional gambler, this activity is seen as a risk and could result in your mortgage application being declined.

When won’t gambling affect a mortgage application?

When lenders conduct their affordability checks, they will look at your bank statements from the previous 3-6 months. This means that any gambling during this period will be seen by your potential lender. The primary concern of the lender is that you aren’t getting yourself into debt by funding your gambling. If you’re gambling using your own money and you’re not in any debt, then this is unlikely to have an impact on your mortgage application.

If you only put the odd bet on here and there, you won’t need to worry about gambling affecting your mortgage application. However, it is important to be mindful, if your finances begin due to betting, then this may begin to affect things.

How to get mortgage approved

If you do gamble and you’re worried whether you can get a mortgage, you could try the following things to help improve your situation and get yourself mortgage ready:

Clear your debts - Clearing off any debt shows that you’re responsible when it comes to your finances.
Make regular savings- If you can evidence that you have a savings account that you regularly pay into, the lender will see you as a low-risk borrower.
Good credit history- Work on your credit score if required. Having a good credit history improves your chances of getting a mortgage.
Stop gambling- The most obvious, but this can only happen if you want to stop.

Get the right mortgage advice

Booking an appointment with a mortgage broker can help you get the advice you need to get yourself onto the property ladder. Your broker will be able to address any queries you may have about your spending habits.

At Mortgage Advice Bureau, we deal with people from all walks of life and we do not judge anyone's personal circumstances - we are simply here to help.

Get help for your gambling addiction

If you’ve previously been refused a mortgage due to gambling, then it may be the right time to seek advice. Visit the GambleAware website for help with a gambling addiction https://about.gambleaware.org/.

For further information call: 0800 652 6649

Email: scotland@mab.org.uk or visit: mortgageadvicebureau.com/scotland

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

There will be a fee for mortgage advice. The actual amount you pay will depend upon your circumstances.

The fee is up to 1% but a typical fee is 0.3% of the amount borrowed.

Online Gambling Affect On Mortgage Approval

Q: What does your credit score and online compulsive gambling have in common?

A: Both are largely dependent on your ability to borrow money.

Can you gamble away your credit score?

You betcha. Even if you have the financial means to fund your online gambling habit, more times than not, you are using some sort of electronic funding option that is credit score dependent, such as a bank’s credit card. But the long term consequences of a poor credit score are staggering, even if you are not addicted to online gambling. More here on how online gambling can affect your credit rating. And a section for questions about credit and online gambling at the end.

Gambling away your credit score

Like it or not, an individual’s credit score is not an indicator of wealth or financial security, it only indicates whether or not you are good at borrowing money, and paying it back. But the lingering effects of bad credit may last longer and affect more life changing decisions than a compulsive gambling addiction. So who is at risk of ruining credit? And what can you do about online gambling problems? We explore here.

What is credit rating?

Simply put, not paying your credit cards bills on time will drastically lessen your credit score. And once your credit score is damaged, the fix is not simple. The most obvious effect of bad credit is the lost ability to qualify for any type of major purchase, or additional credit including an automobile, rental apartment or a home. Another effect often overlooked, about half of employers are pulling credit information to consider individuals for employment. This includes employer’s in the private sector, public sector and even military. The most shocking part of this scenario, is this is happening to individuals in their 20’s, or even younger.

How gambling affects your credit score

Often compulsive gamblers can open numerous credit card accounts. This action in and of itself will lower your overall credit score. Then, you can get into the cycle of using one credit card to pay off the debts of other credit cards. Generally, each subsequent credit card balance transfer is tied to a higher interest rate, increasing financial burden.

And what’s more is that compulsive gamblers commonly lie, cheat or steal to continue fueling their gambling addiction and feeding the credit cycle. This cycle is not easily broken, and often times ends up in bankruptcy. Additionally, there is typically a lag between the time problem gamblers begin an actual financial meltdown, and the time when credit score actually takes a hit. This lag gives gamblers the opportunity to continue borrowing money and get even deeper in debt.

High risk online gamblers

Why do gamblers gamble? Either for recreation and entertainment, or to avoid and cope with the emotional or psychological stresses of life. But who is particularly at risk of ruining a good credit score?

1. Young online gamblers – Unfortunately, younger gamblers (those ranging from 18 years of age