UK Gambling Firms Reportedly Avoid Publicly Disclosing Breaches

The Gambling Commission, the UK gambling regulator, is under fire after the death of one man who was addicted to gambling and took his own life. The tragic case involves Luke Ashton, who passed away from a gambling-related suicide back in April 2021.

A coroner’s inquest into the death of the person, who used to gamble with Flutter’s Betfair brand, recognized the betting and gaming brand as “an interested person.” Luke Ashton’s widow, Annie Ashton, criticized the failure to investigate the suicide and condemned the Commission’s rejection to take regulatory action against the operator.

Agreeing to Special Measures

After the inquest into the gambling-related suicide, the Commission confirmed in 2023 that Betfair had been under special measures at the time when Luke took his own life. Now, a newly released report reveals that betting and gaming companies have voluntarily surrendered revenues after regulatory failures but under special measures, kept such breaches nonpublic.

According to the Observer, betting firms in the country have had the chance to avoid formal action by going into special measures, agreeing to divest profits and taking extra steps to protect their consumers. Despite failing the regulatory framework, such breaches are usually not announced publicly by the gambling regulator due to the special measures.

The now-questionable policy on special measures was introduced back in September 2020. Per the regulations, betting and gaming companies are given a chance to address potential violations by going into “special measures” that can include enhanced player protection and surrounding revenue from potential harm. Such revenue would benefit good causes or gambling treatment and support. However, the special measures helped the gambling companies keep failures away from the public eye, dodging tough sanctions such as license revocation or fines.

“Someone Died Under Their Watch,” Says Luke Ashton’s Widow

In a response to the recently released report, a spokesperson for the Gambling Commission revealed that it does not “automatically publish the outcomes of special measures activities given they are designed to give effect to swifter action on the part of the operator short of exercising formal regulatory powers.”

The same spokesperson pointed out interventions the regulators are permitted to make and are not required to disclose publicly the results, provided they are under a specific threshold. “The Gambling Commission has consistently published enforcement outcomes and there is a register available detailing these actions,” the spokesperson added.

The announcement that other betting firms may be under special conditions by the Commission resulted in Annie Ashton asking the regulator to publicly disclose this data. “This information should be public knowledge and it should be scrutinized,” she explained.

Luke Ashton’s widow went on to criticize the effectiveness of the special measures, explaining that at the time her husband died, the betting company was in special measures by the Commission. “Someone died under their watch,” she added.