Executives of the U.K.’s two biggest gaming companies earned £100 million in seven years, a fraction of the fines their companies paid out for failing to effectively fight problem gambling. This was brought to light by a Mail on Sunday investigation.
Flutter CEO Peter Jackson earned £8.4 million in 2021, and in March the company was fined £1.7 million for sending “free spin” offers to people who had opted out from such marketing. Flutter owns Paddy Power and Sky Bet.
Entain CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen earned £2.53 million; the company was fined £17 million for “unacceptable” failures. This was the largest fine ever levied by the Gambling Commission. She and the CEOs before her have been paid £68 million in the last seven years.
The activist group Clean Up Gambling Director Matt Zarb-Cousin told the Daily Mail: “This is clearly a very bloated sector that has got away with a lack of regulation for such a long time. These firms are deriving the majority of their revenue from people addicted or at risk.”
Entain, based on the Isle of Man, has been warned that it could lose its license if it doesn’t improve its record.
