Key points:
- Merkur Slots UK was fined £95,450 for failing to intervene when a customer lost £1,981 over two days
- The Gambling Commission found the operator in breach of its social responsibility obligations under the LCCP
- The Gambling Commission emphasised that land-based operators must maintain the same standards as online businesses
Merkur Slots UK has been fined £95,450 ($119,000) by the Gambling Commission following an investigation into social responsibility failings at one of its adult gaming centres.
The fine relates to the company’s handling of a customer who lost £1,981 between 1 - 3 November 2023 at its Stockport premises.
The investigation found that Merkur Slots failed to interact with the customer despite extended gambling sessions on two occasions.
The individual played from 1:50pm to 6:43pm on 1 November and then from 1:28pm on 2 November until 12:57am on 3 November.
This lack of intervention was deemed a breach of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), which require land-based gambling operators to identify and engage with customers at risk of experiencing gambling-related harm.
Good to know: The Commission stressed that all gambling businesses, whether online or land-based, must have effective harm prevention policies in place and ensure staff are adequately trained to implement them
Commenting on the decision, Andrew Rhodes, CEO of the Gambling Commission, stated: “This was a clearcut case of an operator failing to follow rules aimed at keeping consumers safe from harm.
“In recent years there have been a number of cases of online gambling businesses failing to meet their social responsibility obligations – but this investigation shows that land-based operators also need to make sure they are minimising the risk to customers experiencing harms associated with gambling.
“All operators should make sure that not only do they have policies and procedures aimed at preventing harm in place, but also that staff are effectively trained to follow and implement them.”
This regulatory action comes amid broader changes at Merkur Group, which recently announced significant leadership transitions effective January 2025.
