The UK Gambling Commission has ordered Gala Coral to pay out £880,000 after they allegedly allowed a problem gambler to keep wagering on games. According to the UK Gambling Commission, the player was so far behind in his debts, he stole from family and friends to keep on playing. The ruling is based on a particular clause in some casinos, which states that VIP players must maintain a gambling rate of a specific amount in order to keep their VIP status.
Massive Payout
The UK Gambling Commission has stated that £846,664 will need to be paid to the VIP gambler and his family, and that Gala Coral will also have to pay £30,000 to the Gambling Commission as costs for investigating the case. The UK Gambling Commission was apparently furious, and slammed Gala Coral for allowing the player to keep wagering and making deposits, never once wondering where he had acquired such a vast fortune from.
Gambling Problem
Because all of the transactions came from one UK bank account, Gala never suspected anything. The gambling authority insists that there were clear signs of problem gambling going on in the players accoun, though, and that they should have been spotted by Gala Coral.
Tightening Supervision
The UK Gambling Commission has not gone as far as to threaten Gala Coral with a review of their gambling license, although in extreme cases that can sometimes be the case. There can be no doubt that Gala Coral will be tightening their supervision of their VIP players after this inquest. At the moment, Gala Coral have not commented on the fine, although in all likelihood, they aren’t thought to want to fight it. This would draw unnecessary bad press to the casino, bingo, and games giant at a time when a major merger is underway.