Merkur Fined $120K in the UK Due to Social Responsibility Failings

An operator of more than 200 adult gaming centers (AGCs) across the UK recently received a fine from the country’s gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission. Details regarding the monetary sanction appeared from the watchdog itself, which confirmed that Merkur Slots UK Limited received a hefty £95,450 ($120,000) fine due to social responsibility breaches.

All Gambling Licensees Need to Protect Customers from Harm

The fine follows an investigation conducted by the Gambling Commission into the way the operator treated one customer of its venues in Stockport. The said client lost close to £2,000 ($2,516) in a matter of a couple of days, after prolonged gambling sessions.

According to the Commission, the customer lost a total of £1,981 ($2,500) between November 1 and November 3, 2023. The gambling watchdog’s investigation revealed that on November 1, 2023, the customer engaged in a gambling session between 1:50 PM and 6:43 PM, while on the next day, November 2, started to play at 1:28 PM and ended their play at 00:57 AM on November 3.

Andrew Rhodes, the Commission’s CEO, explained that this case clearly outlines that the operator’s employees breached the rules that are established in order to ensure that gamblers are not affected by harm.

He added: “In recent years there have been a number of cases of online gambling businesses failing to meet their social responsibility obligations – but this investigation shows that land-based operators also need to make sure they are minimizing the risk to customers experiencing harms associated with gambling.” Last but not least, Rhodes said: “All operators should make sure that not only do they have policies and procedures aimed at preventing harm in place, but also that staff are effectively trained to follow and implement them.”

“This was a clearcut case of an operator failing to follow rules aimed at keeping consumers safe from harm.“

Andrew Rhodes, CEO of the Gambling Commission

The Operator Breached the License Conditions and Codes of Practice

The UK gambling watchdog said that permitting a customer to engage in such long sessions without interaction is in violation of the License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). Per those rules “premises-based businesses must interact with customers in a way which minimizes the risk of customers experiencing harms associated with gambling,” the Commission wrote. In addition, the regulator reminded that the LCCP also requires licensees to identify customers who may be at risk of experiencing gambling harm and interact with such customers.

A recent report by The Guardian suggested that a 64-year-old lung cancer patient with the initials W.H. was the customer who lost thousands of pounds in only two days. The report suggests that the woman, who played for hours straight at one of Merkur’s establishments, was seen by employees to go to a nearby ATM for more money.

Allegedly, the workers did not intervene and even reserved the slot machine the customer was using while she was getting cash. This practice is known in the gambling sector as some casino patrons expect big jackpots after losing a lot of money.