Court upholds Gambling Commission fine against Rank Group

The £5.8m fine against Rank’s Daub Alderney has been upheld.

UK.- Rank Group has lost its appeal against a £5.8m fine issued by the Gambling Commission against its Daub Alderney subsidiary last year. The British regulator had fined the online-focused subsidiary for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failings.

The fine was announced in September last year in relation to failings that took place between January 2019 and March 2020. The regulator had found that Daub Alderney failed to apply appropriate measures to identify or prevent problem gambling.

Daub Alderney lodged an appeal with the First-Tier Tribunal, claiming that the size of the penalty was excessive, unfair and disproportionate. However, Judge Jacqueline Findlay dismissed the appeal, finding that the fine was a “fair and reasonable regulatory response” with respect to the shortcomings that had been detected.

The judge made reference to a previous £7.1m fine that the Gambling Commission had issued against Daub Alderney in November 2018. That penalty was for breaching money laundering regulations and failing to protect vulnerable consumers, and the judge said the similarity in the seriousness of cases meant the size of the latter fine was warranted.

Judge Findlay said: “I find that there were serious breaches which were similar to the breaches for which a substantial financial penalty was imposed in 2018 and there are no new facts which persuade me that the decision was wrong.

“I find that the panel did not err in law and complied with its statutory obligations.”

Gambling Commission deputy chief executive Sarah Gardner welcomed the decision. She said: “We do not take the decision to fine gambling companies lightly but we will always take firm, decisive action against operators who fail to follow rules aimed at making gambling safe and free from crime.”

Earlier this week, the Gambling Commission apologised for a tweet reminding people to bet with regulated operators during the World Cup. The regulator has deleted the tweet and issued a public apology after receiving criticism for the message, which some people said was inappropriate because it featured children.

The message featured a gif showing England football fans, including children wearing facepaint in the team colours.