{"id":53041,"date":"2017-06-23T15:00:14","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T22:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=53041"},"modified":"2017-06-23T12:21:24","modified_gmt":"2017-06-23T19:21:24","slug":"uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/span><\/i>The UK\u2019s online gambling<\/a> sector is bracing itself for a regulatory clampdown, after a probe by the competitions watchdog found many operators to be in possible breach of consumer law.<\/p>\n

\"CMA
In May, BGO.com, advertised by Austin Powers\u2019 Verne Troyer, became the first online gambling site to be fined for \u201cmisleading advertising.\u201d This week the CMA would be taking legal action against a number of firms of their bonuses and promotions. (BGO Entertainment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has been conducting an investigation in conjunction with the UK Gambling Commission since last October, criticized operators for their deceptive bonuses and promotions, and for deliberately making withdrawals difficult.<\/p>\n

The authority declined to name any specific companies, but said it planned to take legal action against \u201ca number of firms\u201d and would use all its powers to put a stop to legal activities. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Loaded Dice<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe know online gambling is always going to be risky, but firms must also play fair,\u201d said Nisha Arora, the CMA senior director for consumer enforcement. \u201cPeople should get the deal they\u2019re expecting if they sign up to a promotion, and be able to walk away with their money when they want to.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSadly, we have heard this isn\u2019t always the case. New customers are being enticed by tempting promotions only to find the dice are loaded against them. And players can find a whole host of hurdles in their way when they want to withdraw their money.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sign-up promotions are a crucial customer acquisition channel for the industry. Typically they will offer to match or multiply a first-time deposit up to a certain threshold, but the offer often comes with hidden wagering requirements, or \u201cplay-through rates,\u201d buried in the small print.<\/p>\n

The CMA found that some customers \u201cmight have to play hundreds of times before they are allowed to withdraw any money,\u201d denying them the right to quit while they\u2019re ahead.<\/p>\n

The CMA also questioned whether some companies are using genuine regulatory compliance protocols, such as anti-money laundering and fraud checks, dishonestly, as a pretext for deliberately delaying withdrawal payments.<\/p>\n

Licenses in Jeopardy<\/b><\/h2>\n

In May, BGO Entertainment became the first online gambling company to be punished under the UK Gambling Commission\u2019s<\/a> new social responsibility code due to \u201cmisleading advertising on its own and its affiliates\u2019 websites.\u201d It was fined \u00a3300,000.<\/p>\n

The new measures, introduced in 2015, make it a requirement for licensees to \u201cstate significant limitations and qualifications\u201d when it comes to their promotions.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Gambling\u00a0Commission chief executive, Sarah Harrison, said this week that online gambling companies found to be breaking the rules could ultimately lose their licenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gambling industry should be under no illusion that if they don\u2019t comply with consumer law, we will see this as a breach of their operating license, and take decisive action,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0The UK\u2019s online gambling sector is bracing itself for a regulatory clampdown, after a probe by the competitions watchdog found many operators to be in possible breach of consumer law. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has been conducting an investigation in conjunction with the UK Gambling Commission since last October, criticized operators for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":53042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority takes issues with the \u201cunfair\u201d bonuses of certain UK online gambling companies\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority takes issues with the \u201cunfair\u201d bonuses of certain UK online gambling companies\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-23T22:00:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-06-23T19:21:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"394\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"275\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/\",\"name\":\"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-23T22:00:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-06-23T19:21:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority takes issues with the \u201cunfair\u201d bonuses of certain UK online gambling companies\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg\",\"width\":394,\"height\":275,\"caption\":\"In May, BGO.com, advertised by Austin Powers\u2019 Verne Troyer, became the first online gambling site to be fined for \u201cmisleading advertising.\u201d This week the CMA would be taking legal action against a number of firms of their bonuses and promotions. (BGO Entertainment)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Commercial Gaming\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/commercial-gaming\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\",\"name\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog","description":"UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority takes issues with the \u201cunfair\u201d bonuses of certain UK online gambling companies\u00a0","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog","og_description":"UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority takes issues with the \u201cunfair\u201d bonuses of certain UK online gambling companies\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2017-06-23T22:00:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-06-23T19:21:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":394,"height":275,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Casino.org Staff Writer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Casino.org Staff Writer","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/","name":"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg","datePublished":"2017-06-23T22:00:14+00:00","dateModified":"2017-06-23T19:21:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77"},"description":"UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority takes issues with the \u201cunfair\u201d bonuses of certain UK online gambling companies\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/original-394x275-loyaltyNEW.jpg","width":394,"height":275,"caption":"In May, BGO.com, advertised by Austin Powers\u2019 Verne Troyer, became the first online gambling site to be fined for \u201cmisleading advertising.\u201d This week the CMA would be taking legal action against a number of firms of their bonuses and promotions. (BGO Entertainment)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/uk-online-gambling-operators-violation-consumer-law\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Commercial Gaming","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/commercial-gaming\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"UK Online Gambling Operators Could be in Violation of Consumer Law, Says Competitions Watchdog"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77","name":"Casino.org Staff Writer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Casino.org Staff Writer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53041"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}