UKGC Removes Sanction Data After Three Years
FOI request reveals public statements on major operator fines are deleted from the regulator's website, limiting long-term transparency.
A Freedom of Information disclosure has shown the UK Gambling Commission removes public statements on operator sanctions after three years. The policy came to light when a request was made for details of a 2019 fine against Ladbrokes Coral Group, which were no longer available on the UKGC website.
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UKGC Policy Limits Access to Historical Operator Failings
A Freedom of Information (FOI) response from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed that public statements detailing regulatory sanctions against operators are removed from its website after a three-year period. This policy limits the ability of consumers to research the long-term history of gambling companies.
The disclosure, dated 28 September 2023, came in response to a request for information about a major 2019 enforcement case. A member of the public sought the official statements concerning a £5.9 million penalty paid by Ladbrokes Coral Group for significant past failings in social responsibility and anti-money laundering (AML) procedures.
The Three-Year Rule
In its response, the UKGC confirmed its data retention policy for such announcements.
"These public statements are available on the Commission website for a period of three years from the date of publication. As such the public statement corresponding to the case you have referenced in your request is no longer available on our website."
While the regulator cited Section 21 of the FOIA, which exempts information that is reasonably accessible elsewhere, it acknowledged that this specific document was no longer accessible. The Commission then provided the 2019 public statement as an attachment to the FOI response, effectively re-releasing information that had been removed from public view.
Why This Matters for Consumers
For consumers, an operator's historical track record is a crucial tool for making informed decisions. The 2019 case against the then-GVC owned Ladbrokes Coral involved serious breaches, including:
- Failing to interact with a customer who lost £98,000 over two-and-a-half years and had asked the operator to stop sending promotions.
- Not carrying out social responsibility interactions with a customer who spent £1.5 million over three years.
- Accepting £1.7 million in deposits from a customer without adequate source of funds checks, who was later convicted of fraud.
While the operator committed to overhauling its processes at the time, access to the original details of these failings is vital for public scrutiny. The UKGC's three-year policy means that consumers researching an operator's history may miss critical information about past conduct if the sanction occurred more than three years ago.
Significance for Industry Transparency
This FOI disclosure highlights a significant gap in the long-term transparency of regulatory actions. Without such requests, details of major historical sanctions become difficult for the public to find through official channels.
While operators may have since improved their practices, the ability to review the nature and severity of past failings is a key component of consumer protection and holding the industry to account. This case demonstrates that the official record available on the UKGC's website may not be the complete record, and that older, significant enforcement actions are systematically removed from easy public access.