Bookmaker fined £7.8m over ‘serious failings’

ONLINE bookmaker 888 has been fined a record £7.8m for “serious failings” in its handling of vulnerable customers.

The action from the Gambling Commission follows the discovery of “significant flaws” in 888’s social responsibility processes, which aim to protect consumers from gambling-related harm.

An investigation by the commission found that, due to a technical failure in 888’s systems, more than 7,000 customers who had chosen to self-exclude were still able to access their accounts – meaning they were able to deposit a total of £3.5m into their accounts and continue to gamble for more than 13 months.

The commission said 888’s procedures were “not robust enough” and failed to protect potentially vulnerable customers.

The firm also failed to “recognise visible signs of problem gambling behaviour” displayed by an individual customer, which was so significant that it resulted in criminal activity, the commission said.

The customer staked more than £1.3m, including £55,000 stolen from their employer. The commission said that during a 13-month gambling binge, the customer placed a large number of bets, gambling on average three to four hours a day.

The £7.8m includes repayment of 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 paid to a socially responsible cause to invest in measures to tackle gamblingrelated harm. The commission has also ordered an independent audit of 888’s processes relating to customer protection.