Caesars Entertainment UK Fined With 13 Million Pounds

Following two years of investigations into Caesars Entertainment’s systemic failings, the UK Gambling Commission has fined the American casino corporation with a record-breaking sum of £13m ($16m). This is by far the largest penalty issued by UKGC so far. 

One of the most alarming situations the commission uncovered during their investigation was one where a VIP customer ended up losing £323,000 ($402,000) in a year while clearly struggling with a gambling addiction that enabled him to play for five hours at a time on numerous occasions. 

UKGC Releases Report of the Investigation
The UKGC investigation report also mentions poor communication between the casino operator and its customers, some of which were reportedly facing financial problems and had emptied out their savings and were still allowed to gamble and consequently lose large sums of money. One player in particular, who had previously filed for and was granted self-exclusion, still lost a total of £240,000 in a year.

In a public statement, chief executive at UKGC Neil McArthur has commented on the Caesars case: 

The failings in this case are extremely serious. A culture of putting customer safety at the heart of business decisions should be set from the very top of every company and Caesars failed to do this (...) We are absolutely clear about our expectations of operators - whatever type of gambling they offer, they must know their customers. They must interact with them and check what they can afford to gamble with - stepping in when they see signs of harm. Consumer safety is non-negotiable.

The findings of UKGC’s investigation have been acknowledged by Caesars Entertainment. As part of their commitment to bettering their compliance policies and procedures, they have also removed three senior managers from the company and appointed new senior staff. The fine collected from the casino operator will fund further efforts to combat gambling addiction throughout the UK.