Betfred Owner Fined £240,000 for Breaching UK Gambling Standards
Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, the owner of Betfred, has been fined £240,000 by the UK Gambling Commission for violating online slot game standards. The company promptly decommissioned affected games after the breach was discovered.
In February 2021, the Gambling Commission introduced new rules banning features that celebrate losses as wins due to increased risk of harm to customers. Petfre breached these standards by operating games that failed to display a player's net position and celebrated losses as wins.
The fine comes despite Petfre's swift action to decommission the games. John Pierce, director of enforcement at the Gambling Commission, expressed disappointment at the breach, stressing the importance of fair gameplay and consumer protection. This is the second time Petfre has been issued a financial penalty by the UK regulator, with a previous fine of £2.9 million in September 2022 for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures. ProgressPlay was also fined £1 million in August for similar failings.
Petfre's breach involved operating games that did not comply with the Gambling Commission's Remote Technical Standards, which require clear display of a customer's net position and prohibit celebrating returns less than or equal to the total stake. Maple International Ventures, operator of Lottomart.com, was fined £360,000 in September for similar breaches.
