Gambling firm fined almost half a million by UK watchdog

An online sports betting firm has been fined £442,750 for breaches of social responsibility and money laundering.

UK watchdog the Gambling Commission found that TonyBet failed to “identify customers who may be at risk of experiencing harms associated with gambling”.

The UK Government’s much delayed White Paper on reforming the Gambling Act 2005 is expected later this year.

Unfair terms

TonyBet’s terms and conditions require identification documents for withdrawals but not for deposits, which the Commission deemed unfair.

The watchdog’s Executive Director of Operations, Kay Roberts, said the case was part of the Commission’s “drive to clamp down on anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures”.

Dramatic rise

Last year, it was revealed that the number of gamblers seeking help for their addiction had risen dramatically since the start of the pandemic.

GamStop, which enables gamblers to exclude themselves from online betting companies, reported a 23 per cent increase in people seeking help across the UK.

Also see:

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Betting addict: ‘I gambled away £8,000 in one day’

Gambling adverts banned from having ‘strong appeal’ to children

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