32Red slapped with £2m fine for failing to protect a customer

The Gambling Commission has slapped a £2m fine on gambling business 32Red for failing to protect one of its customers.

The UKGC said on Wednesday that an investigation into 32Red’s dealings with a customer between November 2014 and April 2017 found that the company allowed them to deposit £758,000 without carrying out social responsibility or money laundering checks, even when the customer admitted to staff that they had spent too much and were just gambling to chase their losses.

During that time, there were at least 22 incidents which indicated the customer was a problem gambler. However, rather than checking if they needed help, the company gave them free bonuses.

The investigation also revealed that 32Red failed to check that the customer could afford their spending on the site.

Commission executive director Richard Watston 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."