Draconian measures used to force players to comply with the National Lottery's new verification processes

When I tried to buy lottery tickets on Ithuba National Lottery's website on 19 January 2023 with funds that I had previously deposited into their account I was prevented from doing so UNLESS I was prepared to upload sensitive personal documentation for their 'verification' processes.

I then requested their call centre agent to delete my account once they had reimbursed me and they insisted that I forward an email to them advising the reasons for the deletion/closing of my account.

They did not bother to READ any of the emails that had been sent through to them explaining the reason for wanting to delete my account which was that I was not prepared to upload any of my sensitive personal documentation for ‘their’ verification purposes.

I do not buy lottery tickets on credit! I’m not applying for credit, renting or buying a property, renting of buying a car or dealing with a bank. I use their website purely for on-line gambling purposes and for convenience sake and I only buy tickets after I have already transferred the funds directly into their account.

With online ******** becoming the new norm I am not prepared to upload personal documentation as there is a likelihood that it could fall into the wrong hands and used for ********** activities, which is not convenient for me.

They already have my ID and cell number and if that is not good enough for them then it is also not good enough for me.

I currently have R234.66 in my account and I would have liked to have used these funds to buy lottery tickets until my funds were depleted. Unfortunately, I am being prevented from doing so as their new ‘verification’ process insists that I first upload my personal documentation, which I believe is an act of coercion and which I am not prepared to comply with.

I have explained all of this to them telephonically and via email but it seems to be a case of feigned ignorance. The more emails I send them trying to explain to them that there are a lot of online ***** cases and identity theft nationally and internationally the more responses I receive from them requesting me to upload my personal documentation.

This personal documentation wasn't deemed necessary when I first registered with them many years ago and when I transferred funds into their account quite recently but now, suddenly, out of the blue, it has become a case of no uploading of personal documentation, no play!

With the proviso that I upload my personal documentation, requests for a refund have fallen on deaf ears. PAY BACK MY MONEY!

A very dissatisfied and disillusioned ex-customer