Football Pools Limited
Football Pools Limited has held UKGC licences since May 2017 and operates the Football Pools and thepools.com brands. A £375,000 regulatory settlement in March 2025 for AML and social responsibility failings gives it a trust grade of D, despite positive consumer ratings on Trustpilot.
Positive Signals
- Trustpilot score of 4.3 from 1,243 reviews on footballpools.com
- Licensed since 25 May 2017 with no breaks in UKGC registration
- Six active UKGC licences covering pool betting, casino, betting, and gambling software
Concerns
- £375,000 regulatory settlement on 27 March 2025 for AML and social responsibility failings
- AML and social responsibility control failures identified between September 2022 and August 2023
Overview
Operator Type: Online pool betting, casino, sports betting, and gambling software operator
Football Pools Limited is a UK-based operator that runs pool betting on football matches, a format with deep roots in British gambling culture. It's been UKGC-licensed since May 2017 and holds six active licences covering casino, gambling software, betting on real and virtual events, and pool betting specifically. The operator trades through sites including footballpools.com and thepools.com.
The trust score is 55, grade D, and that rating is driven down by a regulatory settlement reached in March 2025. The UKGC identified failings in anti-money laundering and social responsibility controls covering the period September 2022 to August 2023. Football Pools Limited agreed to pay £375,000 in lieu of a financial penalty as part of that settlement. Despite a stability score of 100, the AML and social responsibility failures are the defining regulatory fact about this operator right now.
Consumers using its sites will find generally positive Trustpilot ratings, with footballpools.com and thepools.com both scoring 4.3 from over 1,200 reviews. But the compliance record means caution is warranted, and the corporate score of zero reflects no publicly linked company data at the operator account level.
Where Is This Operator Based?
Understanding where an operator is based matters for regulatory accountability. UK-based operators are subject to UK courts and consumer protection laws.
This operator is headquartered in the UK and registered with Companies House. They are fully subject to UK courts, consumer protection laws, and regulatory oversight.
Licence Details
Football Pools Limited holds six active UKGC licences, all granted on 25 May 2017 with no expiry date set. Casino covers online casino games. Gambling Software permits the supply of software used in gambling. General Betting Standard (non-remote) covers land-based betting. General Betting Standard (Real Event) covers remote bets on real sporting and other events. General Betting Standard (Virtual Event) covers bets on computer-generated events. Pool Betting covers the classic pools format where winnings come from a shared prize pool based on results. No conditions are noted on any licence.
| Licence Type | Status | Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Casino | Active | |
| Gambling Software | Active | |
| General Betting Standard | Active | |
| General Betting Standard - Real Event | Active | |
| General Betting Standard - Virtual Event | Active | |
| Pool Betting | Active |
Enforcement & Compliance History
On 27 March 2025, the UKGC concluded a regulatory review that found Football Pools Limited had failings in its Anti-Money Laundering and Social Responsibility controls during the period September 2022 to August 2023. The operator agreed to a regulatory settlement, making a payment of £375,000 in lieu of a formal financial penalty. The UKGC's regulatory reference for this action is 255.
A regulatory review found failings in the Licensee’s Anti-Money Laundering and Social Responsibility controls between September 2022 and August 2023. As a result of these failings, the company wi...
Penalty: £375,000
Corporate Structure
THE FOOTBALL POOLS LIMITED (Companies House number 10573569) was incorporated on 19 January 2017. It's registered in Liverpool at Walton House, L67 1AA and is active as a private limited company. Two British directors are currently on record: James Douglas Arnold, appointed 16 January 2023, and James Alexander Cooper, appointed 31 December 2025. Invenio Group Limited holds between 75% and 100% of shares and voting rights, with the right to appoint and remove directors, as notified to Companies House on 3 February 2017.
THE FOOTBALL POOLS LIMITED
Active- Company Number
- 10573569
- Incorporated
- 19 January 2017
- Registered Address
- Walton House, 55 Charnock Road, Liverpool, L67 1AA
Directors & Officers
| Name | Role | Residence | Appointed |
|---|---|---|---|
| COOPER, James Alexander | director | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 31 December 2025 |
| ARNOLD, James Douglas | director | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 16 January 2023 |
Associated Domains
Football Pools Limited has eight domains registered against its UKGC account, including subdomains. The main consumer sites are footballpools.com and thepools.com, both carrying an SSL grade of A+ with OV certificates and TLS 1.3 support. Both sites share a Trustpilot score of 4.3 from 1,243 reviews, which is a positive consumer signal. rangerspools.com has a lower SSL grade of C. The domain footie5.com returned an uncertain screenshot status and has no SSL data available.
| Domain | Brand | Status | Site Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| thepools.com | The Pools | Active | Casino |