In 2018 the Gambling Commission forced LeoVegas to pay a £600,000 penalty for a series of transgressions after a review of the company’s licence to operate in the UK. The Gambling Commission is understood to have collected evidence relating to the case and is examining whether LeoVegas breached the conditions of its licence to operate in the UK. Online casinos and bookmakers are not currently required to check whether gamblers can afford their habit before allowing them to place bets. The case comes as the government conducts a review of whether regulations covering online betting should be tightened, including through stronger ID checks and rules that prevent gamblers from placing bets on credit.

Where we see evidence that those rules are not being followed, we will investigate.” We also need to see immediate action to scrap credit card betting and end the practice of bombarding gambling addicts with gambling ads.”Ī Gambling Commission spokesman said: “We are absolutely clear with operators about the rules that they must follow to prevent and protect their customers from experiencing harm from gambling.

“The whole system seems the wrong way round. Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, who is pushing for tighter controls on online gambling, said: “It makes no sense for gambling companies to be doing ID and affordability checks after gamblers have lost huge sums rather than before they’ve placed the bets. Once again, though, sister companies in the Leo Gaming group resumed sending marketing emails from a host of its sites, offering free spins and refunds on losses.Īs well as using his mother’s card without permission, the gambler had racked up thousands of pounds in debt from payday lenders including 247Moneybox, MyJar and Satsuma. He proceeded to gamble away about £20,000 before 21.co.uk asked for ID verification and, on realising that he was using someone else’s card, eventually blocked his account. He used the same name and email address but this time registered his mother’s debit card. In January 2019, after months of receiving the emails, the gambler set up a new account with 21.co.uk, also part of the Leo Gaming group. The account was suspended days after LeoVegas received a £600,000 penalty from the Gambling Commission for separate incidents of accepting bets from problem gamblers.ĭespite the suspension, sister companies in the LeoVegas group, including Pink Casino and Castle Jackpot, continued sending him marketing emails as often as four times in a day offering “free spins” and bonuses. The recovering addict, who is receiving treatment but could still face prosecution, had his account locked by LeoVegas in May 2018 after a customer service employee flagged up “concerning” communication during a live webchat.

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