Sky Bet Failed To Protect Vulnerable Customers, Says Watchdog
Sky Bet stopped working to secure susceptible consumers, says guard dog
Sky Bet is to pay ₤ 1m for "stopping working to protect susceptible clients", the Gambling Commission has actually stated.
It did not stop problem bettors even after they had actually asked to be banned from its sites, the guard dog said.
Sky Bet president Richard Flint said the firm accepted that it "needed to do more" to stop self-excluded gamblers from opening duplicate accounts.
He included that Sky Bet had actually tried to return the cash in their accounts.
People who feel they are having difficulty controlling their gaming can ask wagering firms to decline their service.
But 736 self-excluded Sky Bet clients were able to open and use replicate accounts, the Gambling Commission said.
In addition, about 50,000 people who had excluded themselves got marketing e-mails, texts or push alerts through a mobile app.
And 36,748 customers did not get the balance on their account returned after self-excluding.
Richard Watson, Gambling Commission programme director, said: "This was a serious failure impacting thousands of potentially susceptible consumers and the ₤ 1m penalty package must act as an alerting to all gambling businesses.
"Sky Bet reported the issues to us rapidly, co-operated with us and has actually taken this examination seriously."
Betting temptation
Matt, a trainee accounting professional from London, began betting as quickly as he turned 18. He states he lost as much as ₤ 30,000.
"It's a 'lad culture' thing," the 22-year-old just recently informed the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
"You can't go to the pub on a Saturday afternoon without having the football on the TV, and after that certainly there's adverts that come on and you get the urge to wager.
Sky Bet stopped working to secure susceptible consumers, says guard dog
Sky Bet is to pay ₤ 1m for "stopping working to protect susceptible clients", the Gambling Commission has actually stated.
It did not stop problem bettors even after they had actually asked to be banned from its sites, the guard dog said.
Sky Bet president Richard Flint said the firm accepted that it "needed to do more" to stop self-excluded gamblers from opening duplicate accounts.
He included that Sky Bet had actually tried to return the cash in their accounts.
People who feel they are having difficulty controlling their gaming can ask wagering firms to decline their service.
But 736 self-excluded Sky Bet clients were able to open and use replicate accounts, the Gambling Commission said.
In addition, about 50,000 people who had excluded themselves got marketing e-mails, texts or push alerts through a mobile app.
And 36,748 customers did not get the balance on their account returned after self-excluding.
Richard Watson, Gambling Commission programme director, said: "This was a serious failure impacting thousands of potentially susceptible consumers and the ₤ 1m penalty package must act as an alerting to all gambling businesses.
"Sky Bet reported the issues to us rapidly, co-operated with us and has actually taken this examination seriously."
Betting temptation
Matt, a trainee accounting professional from London, began betting as quickly as he turned 18. He states he lost as much as ₤ 30,000.
"It's a 'lad culture' thing," the 22-year-old just recently informed the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
"You can't go to the pub on a Saturday afternoon without having the football on the TV, and after that certainly there's adverts that come on and you get the urge to wager.