Leo Vegas, one of the biggest online casino groups has come under fire from the Gambling Commission for bombarding a gambling addict who gambled away £20,000 of his Mothers money and encouraged him to carry on playing.The Guardian had recently reported the findings, sparking MP’s and gambling campaigners to reiterate the message to operators to carry out more stringent checks, before a player can actually place a bet.
Suspended Account
Leo Vegas locked the gamblers account after a member of staff noticed ‘concerning’ communication during a live chat.Despite having his account suspended the gambler still received emails, up to four per day, from sister companies, Castle Jackpot and Pink Casino offering bonuses and free spins.The gambler resisted for months, but in January 2019, registered a new account at 21.co.uk, another company under the Leo Vegas Group. The gambler used his own name but used his mothers debit card to fund his account, racking up £20,000 debt.
Stolen Money and Payday Loans
It was only after he had spent £20,000 the casino then asked for ID verification details, once realised he had used someone else’s debit card they suspended his account. Not only had the player used his Mothers card unbeknown to her, he had racked up huge debts with payday loans, MyJar and Satsuma.
‘Wrong Way Round’
MP’s have been campaigning for operators to add more strict regulations on players registering. Labour MP Tom Watson who is campaigning for tighter regulations said,“ It makes no sense for gambling companies to be doing ID check and affordability checks after gamblers have lost huge sums rather than before they’ve placed bets.“The whole system seems the wrong way round. We also need to see immediate action to scrap credit card betting and end the practice of bombarding gambling addicts with gambling ads.”The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have made it quite clear to operators what rules are to be followed to protect problem gamblers from harm or debt. They are still seeing evidence these rules are not being carried out and will be investigating the claims.The UKGC are in the process of investigating Leo Vegas in to whether they have breached the conditions of its license to operate in the UK. Leo Vegas have declined to responded to the allegations.