Betting site £7.8m ‘fine’

888 let addicts carry on playing

ONLINE gambling firm 888 has been hit with a record £7.8million penalty for allowing vulnerable punters to carry on playing.

One customer who had barred himself from the site was able to go on a £1.3m binge, playing for three to four hours a day.

It was discovered the gambler had stolen £55,000 from his employer to fund the spree.

The Gambling Commission said more than 7,000 customers who had chosen to exclude themselves from their 888 accounts were instead allowed to continue playing cyber bingo.

In total, they were able to stake £3.5m over a 13-month period before the problem was spotted.

The regulator slammed Gibraltar-based 888 for what it called “serious failures in its handling of vulnerable customers”.

Sarah Harrison, Gambling Commission chief executive, said: “Safeguarding consumers is not optional. Every company must provide the facility for every customer to be able to bar themselves from gambling.”

The £7.8m ‘fine’ includes repaying the £3.5m deposits made by selfexcluded customers and compensation of £62,000 to the employer from whom money was stolen. A further £4.25m will be invested in measures to tackle gambling-related harm.

888 said: “The company accepts the conclusion of the review and is committed to providing players with a responsible as well as enjoyable gaming experience.”

Brian Chappell, of campaign group Justice4Punters, said: “We receive numerous cases where people who have self-excluded are allowed to gamble again.

“The period of time it takes companies to pick this up varies immensely. This is unacceptable and the whole industry needs to tighten up its policies. We would see more fines being inevitable without fast change.”