An online gambling business has been penalised by the Gambling Commission for not protecting one of its customers from gambling-related harm and money laundering failures.
The Commission’s investigation into 32Red focused on its dealings with a customer who, between November 2014 and April 2017, they allowed to deposit £758,000 without carrying out social responsibility or money laundering checks.
It was revealed that during that time there were at least 22 incidents which indicated the customer was a problem gambler - but instead of checking if they needed help, 32Red gave them free bonuses.
These indications of harm included admissions to 32Red staff that they had spent too much, displaying frustration and chasing losses. The Commission's investigation also showed that 32Red failed to check that the customer could afford their spending on the site.
“Instead of checking on the welfare of a customer displaying problem gambling behaviour, 32Red encouraged the customer to gamble more - this is the exact opposite of what they are supposed to be doing,” commented the Gambling Commission’s Executive Director, Richard Watson.
“Operators must take action when they spot signs of problem gambling and should be carefully reviewing all the customers they are having a high level of contact with,” he said. “Protecting consumers from gambling-related harm is a priority for us and where we see operators failing in their responsibility to keep their customers safe we will take tough action.”
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