Gambling operator fined £500,000 after customer loses £1m in 24 hours

A gambling operator is to pay £500,000 for failing to protect a customer who lost £1 million in 24 hours.

The Rank Group failed to interact with the customer, who was displaying problematic behaviour, contacted him during a self-exclusion period and did not follow rules around providing credit, a Gambling Commission investigation found.

The customer gambled “substantial amounts” at one of Rank’s land-based Grosvenor Casino sites and online at grosvenorcasinos.com, losing £1 million that had been credited to his account over one 24-hour period.

Gambling Commission executive director Richard Watson said: “We expect all operators to protect any consumer who may be experiencing problems with their gambling, and operators shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking that VIP customers don’t experience difficulties.

“No matter how wealthy customers are, operators still need to monitor them effectively to ensure they aren’t showing signs of problem gambling. It is certainly not appropriate to visit customers during a period when they are self-excluded.

“This penalty package would have been a lot higher were it not for the positive action Rank took in terms of self-reporting their failures and being open and transparent during our investigation.”