Gambling is a one of the biggest social curses of all so, even though the UK government is notoriously soft on the family-wrecking industry, some good action does happen now and again. Paddy Power Betfair has been sanctioned by the industry regulator for systematically failing to protect customers from gambling harm.
The operator has been fined a £2 million penalty by the Gambling Commission after systems to identify and address harm were found to be ineffective.
In 2023, Paddy Power Betfair was fined £490,000 for sending ‘push notifications’ to self-excluding customers.
An investigation by the regulator found that “systems the licensees had in place were not sensitive enough to identify indicators of harm”.
One customer, it reported, “staked £86,000 over a 16-day period during which time they lost £6,000. Despite the high velocity of spend, no manual review of the account took place”.
Another “lost £12,300 in five weeks before being identified for an interaction”, while a third deposited £25,000 in 25 days before Paddy Power Betfair intervened.
Paddy Power Betfair owner Flutter Entertainment claimed: “Customer safety is our No 1 priority and there is no suggestion that any of the customers reviewed by the Gambling Commission experienced any harm.”
But Commission Director of Enforcement John Pierce said: “This £2 million settlement reflects the seriousness of the failings identified and the importance of meeting social responsibility and customer interaction standards.”