Betfred, a bookmaker based in the United Kingdom, will pay £900,000 ($1.19 million) fine to the UK Gambling Commission after failing to prevent gambling harm and safer controls.
The announcements were made on June 30 following a review of the license, which included a compliance assessment conducted in May-June 2024.
The UK Gambling Commission has launched an investigation that has revealed serious deficiencies in Betfred’s monitoring and intervention systems to protect users from gambling-related harm.
Betfred failed to comply with several sections of the Social Responsibility Code (SRCP) 3.4.3 provisions. The SRCP states that it is imperative to establish effective systems to identify, act on, and assess customer risk.
John Pierce, director of enforcement at the Gambling Commission, stated:
The Commission found that Betfred didn’t have sufficiently effective procedures in place, meaning some customers displaying markers of harm were not contacted quickly enough. While the gaps we identified were unacceptable, the licensee acted swiftly to implement interim mitigating controls to address our immediate concerns. They have since delivered an appropriate action plan and taken significant steps to assure the Commission that their current operating model meets our requirements. Investigation also revealed that the automation of damage detection was also inadequate.
According to the Gambling Commission, the operator did not have robust automated processes to record key indicators. This included excessive spending, prolonged gaming time and behavioral patterns associated with harm.
A notable procedural flaw meant that once a customer account was flagged for review, it could not be flagged again for seven days. This resulted in delayed interventions, with one customer reportedly losing £17,900 within 24 hours without follow-up contact.
Following the commission’s assessment, Betfred agreed to pay £900,000 in lieu of a financial penalty.
