Published
LotteryLegal & RegulatoryIndustry

Capen Limited boss Simon Rydings serves jail sentence for misusing lottery proceeds

Lottery operator Capen Limited has seen its Chief Exec jailed for depriving a charity of £285,000 ($380,227), the Gambling Commission (GC) has confirmed.

Jail

Capen’s CEO Simon Rydings, 50, received a three-month sentence after failing to pass on the proceeds of a lottery his company ran on behalf of Sheffield Hospitals Charity. In addition, he must pay £1,000 in compensation within 18 months of leaving prison.

In a case prosecuted by the Gambling Commission and heard by Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, Rydings admitted to misusing lottery proceeds between 1 January 2018 and 31 March 2020. However, he told the court that he was unable to repay the full £285,000 as he had spent all the money on other costs involved with running the business.

“Lotteries in this country can only be run for good causes — charities and other non-commercial organisations who run lotteries rely heavily on the income they receive from lotteries to support the important work they do,” said GC Executive Director Helen Venn.

“Simon Rydings completely failed as the CEO of a company with a Gambling Commission licence (ELM) and is now paying the price.

“Consumers in this country deserve to know that when they enter a lottery they are helping support their chosen cause – and we will not hesitate to take action against individuals who misuse funds in the way Rydings did.”

Capen’s operating licence was suspended in December 2020 after the GC launched a review into its activities. At the time, the Commission invoked section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005, citing concerns that activities may have been carried out contrary to the law.

Premium+ Connections
Premium

GammaStack

 
 
Premium

Sport Generate

 
Premium

PIN-UP Partners

 
Premium

Lynon

 
Premium

Digitain

 
Premium

Galaxsys

 
Premium

RISK

 
Premium

1xBet Partners

 
Premium

Imagine Live

 
Premium Connections
Consultancy

SCCG Management

Executive Profiles
Zeal Network SE

Stefan Tweraser

VIP Play

Les Ottolenghi

Scientific Games

Keshav Pitani

Social & App

Spribe CEO exclusive: Simplicity is the foundation

Spribe CEO David Natroshvili speaks to Gambling Insider abou...

Redefining iGaming: A history of crash games

Crash games is a growing vertical that has taken gambling by...

A certain something: What makes crash games special?

Crash games. They’re simple, they’re easy to learn and,...

Smarter innovation to shape the future

Spribe CCO Giorgi Tsutskiridze discusses the past, present a...

Facing Facts: The corner of quarterly contemplation

With Q1 reports out across the industry, Gambling Insider co...

Taking Stock: A guide to key stock prices across the industry

Gambling Insider tracks prices from some of the industry’s...

15 years of Gambling Insider: From the Founders

Over the last 15 years, Gambling Insider magazine has interv...

15 years of Gambling Insider: The Awards over time

Global Gaming Awards Event Manager Mariya Savova gives us he...