Tell us who’s behind ‘grooming’ betting giant, MPs demand
THE gambling watchdog last night faced mounting pressure to reveal the identity of the secretive tycoon who owns underfire bookmaker Betway.
The online betting giant caused outrage after it emerged it used ‘grooming’ messages and daily cash bonuses of up to £5,000 to keep its biggest losers hooked.
In one case, Rebecca Jones faced the agony of husband Ben, 30, being jailed for three years for stealing £370,000 from his employer to fund his gambling addiction after receiving hundreds of messages from Betway staff.
In another example, a ‘VIP manager’ handed out £865,000 of cash bonuses to an addict who lost £700,000.
Betway has a shady ownership structure that leads back to a shell company in the British Virgin Islands. MPs said the industry regulator, the Gambling Commission, was ‘complicit’ and demanded to know who owned the betting giant.
The Gambling Commission, a quango funded by the betting industry, refused to tell the Mail who owns Betway, citing data protection laws.
Betway also refuses to reveal who is the ultimate beneficiary of its £282 million-ayear business. The gambling firm’s corporate structure raises serious questions as to why such an opaque company is granted a licence to operate in the UK.
It is also allowed to sponsor major sporting events and teams in the UK and abroad, including the Grand National, West Ham United FC and the current cricket Test series between England and South Africa.
Labour MP Carolyn Harris, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling, said: ‘Devious deals and deception are at the heart of this industry. The more you look the more you find. For too long the actions of this industry have gone under the radar and the Gambling Commission are complicit.
‘They have allowed these kind of Machiavellian dealings to go on unhindered. I urge them to tell MPs who owns Betway so they can be held to account.’
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith added: ‘The Gambling Commission should now come clean. It’s important to know who profits when gambling companies encourage problem gamblers to bet, leaving a wake of destroyed family lives behind them.’
George Turner, from thinktank TaxWatch UK, said: ‘Time and time again, we have seen regulators fail in their job to uphold high standards and ethical practices. It’s just not good enough for the Gambling Commission to say they know who the owners are, while secretive offshore companies hide their real owners from the public.’ Gambling expert Dr James Noyes said: ‘The UK tells big technology companies like Google that if you want to access our market then you need to have a substantial footprint in the UK and pay corporation tax here. ‘As ever, gambling seems to be the exception to the rule.’ Betway said: ‘As a responsible, licensed operator, all of our regulators are provided with the details of our ownership, as is required by law. Betway is fully tax compliant in all jurisdictions and we pay all taxes due.’
The commission said: ‘ We expect applicants for licences to provide us with all the information we need in order to determine whether or not they are suitable to hold a licence. When considering the suitability of an applicant, the commission has regard to the following elements and seeks evidence to support and enable an assessment to be made against each one: identity, ownership, finances, integrity, competence and criminality.’
Bookies let my husband gamble his way to prison