It seems as though more and more is being unearthed in the UK’s gambling industry following recent investigations led by the Gambling Commission there. The regulatory body’s latest move has seen a £1.15 million fine handed out to one of the National Lottery operators known as Camelot. With this, the Gambling Commission has made another step towards proving it is tackling any sort of problems within the industry.
The fine was given to Camelot for what was described as historic control and governance failures. An investigation was launched earlier this year by the Commission after concerns were raised over how certain aspects of the country’s lottery were being dealt with.
Once the review by the Commission was done, Camelot made its own moves to sort the issues out, utilising a new system that went by the name of the Operational Excellence Programme (OEP). Even though the Gambling Commission went on to acknowledge the new system that the company put into place, the historic failures that it had discovered meant that the body was left with no other choice than to move towards a penalty.
Speaking of the fine imposed, the Executive Director of the Gambling Commission, Richard Watson said that it is crucial for the UK’s National Lottery to be operating “fairly, safely and with integrity”. He went on to state that even though Camelot has taken several steps towards rectifying problems, the Commission will hold the operator to account.
So, What Were the Problems That the UKGC Discovered?
The biggest problems that the Commission uncovered regarding the lottery were its mobile app and the raffle prizes that it published. As far as the software issues and the misleading and potentially lacking information, Camelot did come forth and apologise for such issues. The operator also stated that it will pay the seven-figure sum.
A press statement from the Camelot company stated that the operator has always tried running the country’s lottery to “the highest possible standards”. However, it continued on to say that Camelot accepts that when these incidents took place, the standards were not “as rigorous as they should have been”.
This move has been the latest from the Gambling Commission of the United Kingdom that shows it isn’t backing down from tackling even major companies. Over the past couple of years, multiple online casinos, sportsbooks and other sites have incurred fines in one way or another. Despite the fact that Camelot is a private company, it was chosen by the UK’s government to come in and control the National Lottery, holding that same role since the year of 1994.
It is because of this position of power that Camelot is seen as somewhat of a standard bearer for the industry. This makes a fine handed out by the Gambling Commission all the more relevant and noticeable. Yet, it doesn’t mark the first time that Camelot has been in trouble with the body.
Two years ago, Camelot was forced into paying out a £3 million fine when an employee managed to claim a £2.5 million jackpot total by using a fraudulent ticket. Despite there being no police prosecution, the Commission still found that Camelot was lacking in carrying out proper security checks on the winning player. Therefore, the fine was issued.
