Are Fined iGaming Operators Learning From Mistakes?

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has made it very clear in recent years that they are taking the treatment and protection of vulnerable and problem gamblers at online casinos very seriously.Two of the most recent fines from the Commission were given to Sky Betting & Gaming (SkyBet) and LeoVegas, and both companies have since taken very public steps to apparently ensure mistakes were not repeated.

SkyBet

SkyBet, who received a hefty fine of £1 million from the UKGC over violations relating to responsible gambling and the failure to protect players who had self-excluded, have introduced a new responsible gaming campaign that is aimed at raising the awareness of problem gambling at 72 English Football League clubs.The programme is to be delivered by EPIC Risk Management and will cover all 72 clubs next season.

LeoVegas

Earlier this month it was revealed that LeoVegas had been fined £600,000 for misleading advertising, as well as sending marketing materials to players who has opted to self-exclude and allowing self-excluded players to return without contacting them or applying a cooling off period.LeoVegas’ next step towards rectifying these issues was to sign up with GAMSTOP, the fairly new service that allows a player to exclude themselves from all UK casinos instead of just the ones they choose.However, GAMSTOP has, itself, come under the scrutiny of the UKGC after it was found to have failing when it came to the synchronisation of marketing lists between operators, meaning players who had self-excluded were still receiving promotional material.It has been suggested by some that operators like SkyBet and LeoVegas need to be fined before they make progress, but the hope is that other operators heed the warnings and start to make steps to improve without having to be told to.

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