Penalties the Gambling Commission can impose on individual bettors

Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Specifically, I would like to request the following:

1. Whether the Gambling Commission has ever fined an individual bettor for breaches of any gambling laws, regulations, or acts. If yes, please provide further details on the nature of the offence and fine imposed.
2. A detailed explanation of the types of penalties the Gambling Commission can impose on individual bettors.
3. The legal basis and relevant law or regulation that authorizes the Gambling Commission to impose such penalties on individual bettors, including specific clauses from any relevant laws, regulations, or acts.
4. Whether the Gambling Commission can impose penalties on individuals in the following situations, and if so, the specific gambling laws, regulations, or acts (with cited clauses) that authorize such penalties:

• If it is proven, following an investigation, that the individual used somebody else ’s betting account with the account owner’s permission.
• If it is proven, following an investigation, that the money used for betting originates from third-party sources, even in circumstances where no illegality has occurred.

5. Whether the Gambling Commission has the power to require an individual bettor to undergo therapy or similar interventions as a result of an investigation. If such power exists, please provide the legal basis, including specific clauses from any relevant laws, regulations, or acts that authorize this.
6. The total number of penalties of any kind that the Gambling Commission has imposed on individual bettors since January 2022. Please provide the following details for each case:

• Month and Year the penalty was imposed.
• The nature of the offence committed by the individual bettor.
• The specific penalty imposed (e.g., fines, prosecution outcomes).
• The amounts involved, where applicable.

Response

Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

In your email you have requested:

Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Specifically, I would like to request the following:

1. Whether the Gambling Commission has ever fined an individual bettor for breaches of any gambling laws, regulations, or acts. If yes, please provide further details on the nature of the offence and fine imposed.
2. A detailed explanation of the types of penalties the Gambling Commission can impose on individual bettors.
3. The legal basis and relevant law or regulation that authorizes the Gambling Commission to impose such penalties on individual bettors, including specific clauses from any relevant laws, regulations, or acts.
4. Whether the Gambling Commission can impose penalties on individuals in the following situations, and if so, the specific gambling laws, regulations, or acts (with cited clauses) that authorize such penalties:

• If it is proven, following an investigation, that the individual used somebody else ’s betting account with the account owner’s permission.
• If it is proven, following an investigation, that the money used for betting originates from third-party sources, even in circumstances where no illegality has occurred.

5. Whether the Gambling Commission has the power to require an individual bettor to undergo therapy or similar interventions as a result of an investigation. If such power exists, please provide the legal basis, including specific clauses from any relevant laws, regulations, or acts that authorize this.
6. The total number of penalties of any kind that the Gambling Commission has imposed on individual bettors since January 2022. Please provide the following details for each case:

• Month and Year the penalty was imposed.
• The nature of the offence committed by the individual bettor.
• The specific penalty imposed (e.g., fines, prosecution outcomes).
• The amounts involved, where applicable.

The Gambling Commission’s remit to impose any form of sanction or penality extends to licensed operators and individuals only.

Whilst the Commission does have powers to investigate the offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005; any outcomes as a result of these investigations will be administered by the criminal justice system.

As such, there is no information held by the Commission falling within the scope of your request.

Review of the decision

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request you are entitled to an internal review of our decision. You should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP or by reply to this email. 

Please note, internal review requests should be made within 40 working days of the initial response. Requests made outside this timeframe will not be processed.

If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already exhausted the review procedure provided by the Gambling Commission. 

It should be noted that if you wish to raise a complaint with the ICO about the Commission’s handling of your request for information, then you are required to do so within six weeks of receiving your final response or last substantive contact with us.

The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (opens in a new tab), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Information Management Team
Gambling Commission