Online gambling firm 32Red has been penalised to the tune of £2m for self-exclusion failures by the UK’s Gambling Commission.
An investigation by the regulator found that a customer was able to deposit £758,000 with 32Red between November 2014 and April 2017 without social responsibility or money laundering checks being conducted.
During that time, there were at lest 22 incidents indicating the customer was a problem gambler – but instead of checking if they needed help, 32Red instead gave them free bonuses.
Indications of harm included admissions to 32Red staff that they had spent too much, displaying frustration and chasing losses.
The Commission investigation also showed that 32Red failed to check that the customer could afford their spending on the site.
Richard Watson, executive director at the Gambling Commission, said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
