Sky Betting and Gaming Fined £1.17 Million for Sending Marketing Emails to Self-Excluded Customers
The British Gambling Commission has levied a substantial £1.17 million penalty on Sky Betting and Gaming for sending promotional emails to customers who had explicitly requested not to receive marketing communications. The firm transgressed regulations by dispatching these emails to individuals who had self-excluded themselves from gambling activities or opted out of marketing. This constitutes a grave breach of the UK’s gambling rules, which prioritize safeguarding susceptible patrons.
The governing body recognized Sky Betting and Gaming’s rapid response and collaboration during the inquiry.
The Commission, in accordance with its licensing, adherence, and enforcement guidelines, decided to impose a penalty of £1.17 million on the company under Section 121(1) of the legislation.
“Those who have opted out of gambling are likely to be experiencing gambling-related difficulties and should absolutely not be receiving direct mail marketing that could entice them back into gambling,” stated Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission.
“We strongly encourage all operators to learn from Sky Betting and Gaming’s costly errors and ensure their systems are sufficiently robust to consistently prevent self-excluded individuals and those who have explicitly declined marketing from receiving promotional materials.
“The recent penalty would have been considerably higher if Sky Betting and Gaming had permitted any self-excluded customers to actually gamble, failed to cooperate, and had not taken decisive steps to prevent it from recurring.”
The recent penalty follows a series of other enforcement actions against operators in recent weeks.
Last week, the Commission fined 888 £9.4 million for a series of social responsibility and anti-money laundering shortcomings, including setting a deposit threshold for financial checks at £40,000.
BetVictor operator BV Gaming Limited also agreed to pay a £2 million regulatory settlement.
The group has made a few errors regarding equity, social duty, and anti-money laundering.
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