A gambling giant has been fined to pay a record £17million after failing to carry out adequate checks to help struggling customers.
Entain, the company behind Ladbrokes and Coral, has been accused by the Gambling Commission of “completely unacceptable” failings.
The company could lose its license to operate in the UK if it breaks more rules.
Entain said it has since implemented safer gambling measures.
The Gambling Commission, a government agency that oversees gambling laws, investigated the company and found a number of “completely unacceptable errors”.
It said it had been slow to help customers struggling with gambling debts.
An online customer who played overnight for a long time was able to deposit more than £230,000 into their account over 18 months but was only contacted once in an online chat.
Another known to be living in council housing was allowed to deposit £186,000 in six months without sufficient checks.
Some customers were also able to create accounts at other company locations even if they had debt elsewhere.
An online customer who was denied use of Coral for spending £60,000 in 12 months and failing to provide a source of funds was able to open an account with Ladbrokes immediately and deposit £30,000 in a single day.
Entain also allowed online customers to deposit large amounts without doing sufficient fund source verification.
A consumer was allowed to deposit £742,000 in 14 months but was not flagged for potential money laundering.
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Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “Our investigation has uncovered serious errors that have resulted in the largest enforcement finding to date.”
Mr Rhodes said it was the second time the operator had “broke the rules”.
“They should be aware that we will be monitoring them very carefully and further serious violations will make their license revoked a very real possibility. We expect better and consumers deserve better.”
In a statement, Entain said the settlement was agreed “to bring the matter to a close” and “to avoid further costly and lengthy litigation.”
It added the issues raised related to “the period between December 2019 and October 2020, which predates the many changes in the area of safer gaming and anti-money laundering that Entain has introduced”.
If you are affected by any of the issues in this article, you can find details of organizations that can help through the BBC Action Line.
The NHS also offers help for problem gambling.
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