GAMBLING FIRMS FINED OVER CUSTOMER FAILINGS

TWO online gambling giants have been fined £7.1m for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.

The Gambling Commission fined 32 Red Limited, which runs 32red.com, £4,195,655. Platinum Gaming Limited, which runs unibet.co.uk, was hit with a £2,937,599 penalty.

The investigation found 32Red failed to identify customers at risk of harm based on their session times, and did not have effective enough controls to identify and protect potential problem gamblers. One customer was allowed to deposit £43,000 and lose £36,000 within seven days, the commission said. Some self-excluded or blocked customers were able to register on Platinum Gaming after being blocked on the 32Red platform.

The Mail’s Stop The Gambling Predators campaign continues to call for greater protection for addicts.

Both firms are part of online gambling operator Kindred Group, whose chief executive Henrik Tjarnstrom said the firm recognised ‘that we need to work even harder to ensure a safe and compliant business’.

The commission’s Kay Roberts said the operators ‘failed to interact with customers in a way which minimises the risk of them experiencing harms associated with gambling’.