U.K. gambling company 888 was fined a record £7.8M ($10.1M) for allowing 7,000 "vulnerable customers" who had taken a "time out" to continue playing, according to Jon Yeomans of the London TELEGRAPH. An investigation by the U.K. Gambling Commission found that a "technical failure" in 888's systems allowed players who had "self-excluded" from the company's casino, poker and sport games to continue to access their accounts on the bingo platform. The oversight continued for 13 months, allowing those customers to deposit up to £3.5M in their accounts. The commission said, "While 888 did have self-exclusion procedures in place, they were not robust enough and failed to protect potentially vulnerable customers." 888 also failed to "recognise visible signs of problem gambling behaviour" in one individual who staked £1.3M in repeated bets over the course of 13 months. At least £55,000 of this money had been stolen from the player's employer, the commission found. Of the £7.8M penalty, £4.25M ($5.5M) will go toward "good causes helping gambling addiction." The rest will be repaid to the customers affected. Gambling Commission CEO Sarah Harrison said, "Safeguarding consumers is not optional. This penalty package of just under £8M ($10.3M) reflects the seriousness of 888's failings to protect vulnerable customers" (TELEGRAPH, 8/31).
