UKGC caught in secret deals with bookmakers: donations instead of sanctions

The British Gambling Commission (UKGC) has been at the centre of a high-profile scandal: over the past five years, the regulator has been found to have negotiated with violators of industry standards, allowing them to avoid public punishment. In exchange for confidentiality, operators sent donations to foundations involved in the fight against gambling addiction. The total amount of such "voluntary" deductions is about £2 million.

According to journalists, among the participants in informal agreements are 38 companies, whose names have not yet been officially disclosed. The total revenue of these operators in the UK alone reached £15.6 billion for the period up to March 2024. One of the few mentioned in the report was Betfair, owned by Flutter Entertainment - they transferred £635 thousand after the tragedy with the suicide of player Luke Ashton,  whose story has become a symbol of the failure of the system of self-control and intervention.

The mechanics of the arrangements raise a lot of questions: in fact, the UKGC provided "indulgences" for money, and the affected users and the public remained unaware of the facts of violations. Representatives of the regulator insist that the donations were sent to charitable organisations, but critics argue that this is nothing more than an attempt to hush up cases and preserve the reputation of the operators.