Online gambling is big business in the UK, with research showing that nearly every UK gambler has tried some kind of online betting. With national lockdown across the country, people suddenly had the time to find something new to do. As a result, the popularity of online casinos dramatically increased during the pandemic.
Part of this boost may also be down to bonuses and promotions offered. With every online casino comes a new bonus offered. These are available, giving a factor that draws players into signing up and playing. New online casinos like https://www.casimboo.com/ have reported higher numbers of players during the time. This is no surprise when you look at how fair their bonuses and promotions are compared to many other online casino UK websites.
Another leading factor of continued casino popularity is VIP programs. These are loyalty programs are much like any loyalty program, therefore, rewarding players who continuously return. However, some VIP programs offer different tier levels to the program. As a result, many casinos have gone to the extent of providing bonuses and rewards based on the tier level of the player.
However, not every online casino follows the rules as it should. Some have come into question, and this article will focus on one in particular.
The Online Casino UK Website in Question
32Red Casino is a big name in the UK casino market, having been established in 2002. At the time that they opened, there was little choice online compared to the vast offering that can be found at casino-bonus.me.uk and other casino listing sites. As a result, they quickly cornered a large section of the online market, offering players a huge collection of games of all types. They quickly rose to become a household name among the public. This status has been long-lasting with the casino through the years.
They offered a multi-award-winning platform and was often regarded as one of the safest casinos to play at until recently. Being an online casino, 32Red Casino is licenced and regulated by the Gambling Commission. It came as a shock for many to hear when 32Red Casino had been acting in a way that the Gambling Commission deemed against the rules and regulations they have in place.
What Happened?
With the Gambling Commission doing regular checks on all online casinos operating in the UK. It was found that 32Red Casino was not following some rules. Because of this, the Gambling Commission decided to take action. Following their history of regulatory action in the industry, they promptly issued the casino operator a 2million fine. But, What did they do to receive a fine like this? This has to do with social responsibility. In basic terms, casinos have a responsibility to customers, ensuring that they do not show signs of ‘problem gambling‘. If signs of this are noticed, the casino is dutied to act accordingly.
When looking into the casino’s records, the Gambling Commission found that 32Red had failed to act on 22 different occasions. This may seem a little harsh, however, the Commission sees some of these failings as very serious. One of the most serious failures found included giving a player with problem gambler signs a VIP status. As a result, instead of giving help and advice, they encouraged the player to play more. This allowed the player to continue on and deposit an average of 45,000 a month, despite only earning 2,150 per month. This was among one of the many failings for this customer in particular.
At one point in the players’ history, they contacted the staff at the casino saying that they felt they were spending too much on gambling. This according to the Gambling Commission was a serious red flag that should have been addressed. Therefore, between 2014 and 2017 they allowed the player to deposit a total of 758,000 with no social responsibility or money laundering checks. This behaviour was only picked up when the player won a seven-figure sum but continued to play through all of these winnings.
What Does This Mean For Other Online Casinos?
It may be easy to say following the rules would have avoided this. In particular, some of the issues could have easily been avoided. However, changes have already been made to their service. The spokesperson for Kindred, the operating company, said that they have now implemented behaviour monitoring software. Therefore, issues like this should not happen again. They also said they are working hard across all of their brands to implement best practices across all areas of their business.
You may be asking if this kind of fine will affect the 32Red brand, however, compared to their yearly profits it is very small. This will affect their business, mainly in how things are run. However, if you are thinking this will put 32Red Casino out of business, you would be wrong. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, the fines and measure put in place do help protect players. With casinos knowing that the Gambling Commission are always there to enforce their rules, they will always follow the rules. This does not only apply to 32Red casino but to every online casino UK website.
Other similar rules that the Gambling Commission recently began to enforce was the ban on credit cards. Again this was to help prevent players from getting into debt, therefore, offering another level of safety and protection within the market. Casinos that don’t listen to the rules will be audited and fined as seen at 32Red Casino.