It was reported last week that over a five-year period, the UK Gambling Commission collected nearly GBP 60 million in penalties from gambling entities. These payouts, either in the form of financial sanctions or voluntary settlements made, spanned the period June 2014 until December 2019.
Some of the key points from the report, commissioned by the Gambling Business Group:
- Of the GBP 58.9 million collected, GBP 24 million was returned to players who were victims of illegal gambling activity, GBP 34.8 million was spent on what the UKGC called “socially responsible services,” and the remaining GBP 756,997 was used to cover the Commission’s investigative costs.
- A total of 39 fines and settlements was collected.
- The largest fine in this five-year period was paid by 888. The gambling giant was hit with a GBP 7.8 million penalty for problems with its social responsibility process. Some GBP 3 million was returned to players who had signed up for 888’s self-exclusion program.
Gambling Business Group asked to have the information made public after the Commission failed to provide it. GBG wants to establish whether the funds that the UKGC allocated for socially responsible services were effectively spent and whether they had the desirable impact.
Gambling Business Group charged that the Commission does not have an independent process in place to make these evaluations.
“This is despite the fact that within the Commission’s own Statement of Principles there is an obligation to meaningfully evaluate the effectiveness of the spend on socially responsible purposes,” said CE, Peter Hannibal.
