Bookmaker Paddy Power has been hit with £490,000 in fines by the Gambling Commission for breaching social responsibility rules.
The penalty comes after Paddy Power sent promotional push notifications to customers who had voluntarily self-excluded themselves from gambling through the Gamstop scheme.
Gamstop allows individuals to block themselves from accessing gambling sites, often due to concerns about addiction.
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According to the conditions of their gambling licenses, operators are required to remove self-excluded customers from their marketing databases within two days.
However, on 21 November 2021, due to an instance of “human error,” Paddy Power mistakenly sent notifications to self-excluded customers using Apple devices.
The notification invited them to bet on a Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United football match.
The Gambling Commission did not disclose the exact number of customers who received the message.
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Paddy Power Betfair, owned by global gambling operator Flutter, joins a list of operators penalized this year for failing to adhere to social responsibility standards.
William Hill, for instance, faced a record fine of £19.2 million for significant failures in customer protection.
Despite increased scrutiny and proposals for tighter regulation, the gambling sector continues to face criticism for its practices.
The government’s recent white paper outlined plans for stricter measures, including enhanced affordability checks and limitations on online slot machine stakes.
However, these proposals are currently under a year-long consultation process.
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Initially, Paddy Power appealed against a higher penalty but eventually agreed to pay £490,000 and dropped the appeal.
The company has also committed to independently auditing its marketing processes to ensure compliance.
Ian Brown, the CEO of Flutter in the UK and Ireland said: “Flutter’s ambition is to lead the industry in safer gambling and we apologise for this mistake.
“The push notification in question was sent in error and, once discovered by our team, we took immediate steps to rectify the issue and proactively notified the Gambling Commission.”
