Customers of Santander have accused the high street bank of “massive overreach” after it emailed customers regarding their gambling spend, with the Racing Post reporting the communications were sent to individuals “even when they are in profit.”

Santander has been accused of “massive overreach” after the bank issued emails to customers regarding their “high” gambling levels, with directions to safer gambling tools and links to GamCare’s support services.

Reporting on the incident, the Racing Post spoke to several of those contacted, who described the unexpected communications from the bank as “madness” and “way over the top.”

“I understand about problem gambling and it is important there is help available for people who need it, but this is way over the top,” Terry Broughton told the paper. “I’ve never had an email of this kind before and it came right out of the blue.”

“For most people gambling is a little release – it is a hobby and something that people enjoy – so it seems madness for a bank to get in touch about your gambling activity.”

Fellow punter Sam Ward was also sent the same email, and added: “It’s a massive overreach, I don’t need the institute I bank with to be contacting me about gambling.”

Commenting on the emails, the Horseracing Bettors Forum warned Santander that its methods of communication risked being “overly intrusive,” and could potentially push bettors towards unregulated markets.

“The methods employed must carefully balance protection with respect for personal autonomy and privacy,” said HBF chair Sean Trivass. 

“Overly intrusive measures risk not only infringing on individual rights but also driving consumers towards unsafe betting practices, ultimately jeopardising both personal welfare and the economic health of the horseracing industry.”