Cookies on the Gambling Commission website

The Gambling Commission website uses cookies to make the site work better for you. Some of these cookies are essential to how the site functions and others are optional. Optional cookies help us remember your settings, measure your use of the site and personalise how we communicate with you. Any data collected is anonymised and we do not set optional cookies unless you consent.

Set cookie preferences

You've accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Enforcement

£95,450 fine for Merkur Slots UK Limited

13 February 2025

A gambling business will pay a £95,450 fine for social responsibility failings at one of its adult gaming centres.

Merkur Slots UK Limited will pay the money after a Commission investigation into their treatment of a customer who lost £1,981 between 1 and 3 November 2023 at its premises in Stockport.

Investigations revealed the operator failed to interact with the customer when they gambled from 1.50pm to 6.43pm on 1 November, and between 1.28pm on 2 November and 00.57am on 3 November.

This breached the Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) which states that premises-based businesses must interact with customers in a way which minimises the risk of customers experiencing harms associated with gambling.

The LCCP also sets out that this must include identifying customers who may be at risk of or experiencing harms associated with gambling and interacting with customers who may be at risk of or experiencing harms associated with gambling.

Andrew Rhodes, Commission CEO, said: “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.”

Read Merkur Slots UK Limited full penalty.

Note to editors

Journalists can contact our press office on 0121 230 6700 or email: communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk

For all media enquiries, please contact the Gambling Commission press office.

Last updated: 13 February 2025

Show updates to this content

No changes to show.

Is this page useful?
Back to top