SkyBet Failed to Protect Self-Excluded Punters, Fined £1 Million

Internet betting site SkyBet has been handed down a hefty £1 million fine by the UK Gambling Commission after failing to comply with the country's self-exclusion laws.

The company had internal failures that allowed for 50,000 excluded players to receive marketing promotions from the SkyBet brand. Even worse, 700 punters were able to open duplicate accounts, despite being on that self-exclusion list, and 36,750 self-excluded players didn't have funds returned to them when the account was closed.

The fine will see SkyBet paying £1,008,600, with £750,000 going to different responsible cause charities.

Commenting on the fine the UKGC's Richard Watson said, "This was a serious failure affecting thousands of potentially vulnerable customers and the £1m penalty package should serve as a warning to all gambling businesses.

"Protecting consumers from gambling-related harm is a priority for us and where we see operators failing in their responsibility to keep their customers safe we will take tough action.

"SkyBet reported the issues to us quickly, cooperated with us and has taken this investigation seriously."