LeoVegas could face UKGC investigation over self-exclusion failings
Newspaper investigation reveals operator allegedly sent marketing emails to problem gambler
LeoVegas could face a Gambling Commission investigation following a newspaper investigation which alleged it accepted £20,000 in stolen funds from a problem gambler and sent repeated marketing emails after he had been locked out of the LeoVegas site.
A Guardian investigation revealed the problem gambler had his LeoVegas account locked in May 2018 after a customer service employee highlighted “concerning” communication during a live webchat.
However, other companies in the LeoVegas group including Pink Casino and Castle Jackpot continued to send the individual marketing emails offering free spins and bonuses, in some cases as often as four times a day.
In January 2019, the player set up a new account with LeoVegas sister site 21.co.uk with the same name and email address as he had done previously, however this time using his mothers’ bank card as the payment method.
Following the account set-up, the player proceeded to gamble £20,000 on the site before ID verification processes were begun. As the player’s payment method could not be verified, the account was eventually blocked.
Despite this, marketing emails were still sent by other companies within the LeoVegas group, all with the same offers and bonuses.
If you doubt the wilful ability of gambling firms to turn a blind eye to addicts running up huge debts with illegally-obtained funds, read this story about the son who stole from his mother and the online casino company LeoVegas who plundered the profits.https://t.co/NYJioerlmg
— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) April 14, 2019
A Gambling Commission spokesman said in a statement: “We are absolutely clear with operators about the rules that they must follow to prevent and protect their customers from experiencing harm from gambling. Where we see evidence that those rules are not being followed, we will investigate.”
LeoVegas were fined £600,000 in May 2018 by the Gambling Commission for a combination of “misleading advertising” and self-exclusion failings, with UKGC investigators identifying almost 1,900 cases of the operator sending out marketing materials to players who had previously self-excluded.
Whether this problem gambler was one of the ones identified in this investigation is still not clear.
LeoVegas did not comment on the newspaper investigation when approached by EGR.