The U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) has fined PPB Counterparty Services Limited, which operates Paddy Power and Betfair, £490,000 ($604,319) for sending promotional materials to gamblers who had self-excluded. The incident occurred in November 2021, Yogonet reported.
The UKGC has increased the imposition of fines against gambling companies to encourage them to prioritize the protection of the vulnerable.
Paddy Power and Betfair’s app offered enhanced odds on an English Premier League soccer match to devices that were connected to GAMSTOP accounts and self-excluded accounts.
This violated commission rules, which require gambling companies to prevent marketing materials from going to self-excluded customers. They are also required to remove personal information of such persons from their marketing databases within two days of being notified of self-exclusion.
UKGC Executive Director of Operations Kay Roberts said in a statement: “Although there is no evidence the marketing was intentional, nor that all the people with apps saw the notification or that self-excluded customers were allowed to gamble, we take such breaches seriously.”
The heavy fine is likely to get the attention of the entire industry and encourage operators to beef up their systems to prevent excluded customers from being targeted.
