 has been given a record £7.8 million fine for failing to protect vulnerable customers. The Gambling Commi){kind=link}
The online betting company 888 (LON:888) has been given a record £7.8 million fine for failing to protect vulnerable customers.
The Gambling Commission found “outrageous” failings when those who had voluntarily banned themselves from the website were still able to access their accounts.
The regulator’s ban comes just after a new report has found that over two million people in the UK are at risk of a gambling addiction.
“Our requirements are that every company must provide the facility for every customer to be able to bar themselves from gambling. These 7,000 looked to do that. But 888 didn’t deliver it as effectively as they should have done,” said Sarah Harrison, chief executive at the Gambling Commission.
She said that the fine will ensure “lessons are learnt”.
Self-exclusion of gambling websites is an important feature for those trying to quit. With 7,000 888 customers still able to access account meant many were unable to resist the temptation.
888 will have to repay £3.5 million in deposits that were made by users who had self-excluded themselves from the site to stop gambling.
Marc Etches, chief executive of Gamble Aware said: “Clearly this company did not do enough to protect vulnerable customers. The industry is working at improving protection of vulnerable customers and finding ways to intervene. But much more needs to be done and it needs to be done more quickly.
“This is a sector that represents more than 40 percent of gambling and will soon be more than 50 percent. They [the gambling websites] have access to data in a way that offline businesses [such as high street bookmakers] don’t, so they need to up their game.”
Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “This outrageous case is more evidence of a gambling industry that needs to do more to protect vulnerable customers. With 430,000 problem gamblers in the UK and over 2 million more at risk of addiction, the sector has to take responsibility and help people not to bet more than they can afford.”
888 is not the only betting company who has had to pay a fine for encouraging addicted users to gamble. Last February, Paddy Power paid £280,000 after came to light the company encouraged a problem gambler to carry on betting until he lost five jobs, his home and access to his children.