The gambling company TGP Europe has surrendered its license for the British market to the UK Gambling Commission. TGP Europe came to that decision after it was to pay a fine of £3.3 million and make significant improvements to its online casinos.
More than two years ago, TGP Europe received a fine of £316,250 (€360,616) for negligence in the area of social responsibility. The gambling company allegedly relied too much on automated warnings, instead of seeking human contact with problem gamblers.
In recent years, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) conducted further investigation into TGP Europe, which provided the online platform for, among others, Stake, Sportpesa, BJ88, Betvision, BK8, and Sbotop in the United Kingdom. That investigation revealed several shortcomings.
TGP Europe allegedly did not sufficiently check its business partners, and also violated anti-money laundering regulations.
TGP Europe surrenders license
The UKGC therefore intended to issue a new fine of £3.3 million, while the gambling company also had to make significant improvements in order to continue offering its services in the United Kingdom. TGP Europe then decided to surrender its license for the British market, according to the regulator.
John Pierce, head of enforcement at the Commission, reacted as follows to the departure:
“This case involves a gambling company that was unwilling or unable to meet the regulatory standards we expect of our licensees. It is right that they have now left the British market. Following TGP’s departure, several online gambling companies can no longer legally offer gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain. These sites, which previously operated under TGP’s license, may not provide adequate protection against criminal activity or gambling-related harm and should not be available to consumers in Great Britain with immediate effect.”
John Pierce, UKGC
Due to TGP Europe’s departure from the United Kingdom, several football clubs from the Premier League have sponsorship deals with illegal gambling companies. As a result, the UKGC has contacted AFC Bournemouth, Fulham FC, Newcastle United FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Burnley FC to inform them about this.
The British regulator wants the football clubs to thoroughly investigate their partners, and that players from the United Kingdom cannot transact with the illegal online casinos.
“Clubs will be asked to demonstrate that they have assurance that all steps to geo-block the sites are effective, recognising that some blocking can be easily circumvented by use of tools such as a Virtual Private Network.
“Clubs will be expected to conduct sufficient due diligence to assure the Commission that consumers are not able to transact with the sites from Great Britain in any way. The Commission will also take steps to independently verify that effective measures have been taken.”
UK Gambling Commission
The letter to the clubs also contains a warning that executives could face a fine and/or imprisonment if convicted of promoting unlicensed gambling companies in Great Britain.
