Betway Limited is facing a £400,000 ($452,000 USD) for inadvertently advertising its products to children on a website specifically devoted to children. The blunder was accidental, but the consequences, from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) are very real for the operator.
At the heart of the issue are Betway Limited logos that appeared on the children’s pages of the West Ham United Football Club website on two different, extended, periods. In the first incident, the Betway logo, and a link to its website, was visible on the site between April 14, 2020 and November 6, 2021 on a print-off coloring page featuring a teddy bear.
The second incident involved a Betway logo and link that appeared on the “Young Hammers at Home” page between October 21, 2021 and November 15, 2021.
In a statement posted on the UKGC website, Leanne Oxley, Gambling Commission Director of Enforcement stressed the importance of following through on this violation, even though the mistakes were inadvertent saying, “Protecting children from gambling harm is at the heart of what we do.
“Although there is no suggestion that the operator was deliberately targeting children, or that children had been allowed to gamble, we take the breach of any rules aimed at protecting children extremely seriously.
“We note the remedial actions since taken by licensee but advise all operators to learn from this case and ensure that they take responsibility and have the correct processes in place so that websites directed at children do not include advertisements for gambling.”
Officials at Betway took responsibility for the error and says the company is taking steps to insure that it’s not repeated.