UK fines Betway for marketing on kids' section of soccer club website

Super (SGHC)

21/09/2022 12:54

* UK fines Super Group's Betway for breaching marketing
rules
    * Betway says the incident was due to a technical error

    LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - British authorities fined online
gambling group Betway about 400,000 pounds ($453,280) on
Wednesday for marketing on the children's section of a soccer
club's website, an error the company attributed to a technical
glitch.
    The Gambling Commission said it had found Betway's gambling
logo, linking to its website, on a section of West Ham United's
club website offering kids the chance to print a teddy bear to
colour, during a period between April 2020 and November 2021.
    "Although there is no suggestion that the operator was
deliberately targeting children, or that children had been
allowed to gamble, we take the breach of any rules aimed at
protecting children extremely seriously," Gambling Commission
Director of Enforcement Leanne Oxley said.
    The commission also found a similar Betway logo on the
"Young Hammers at Home" website between October and November
last year. Its total penalty for Betway amounts to 408,915
pounds.
    "We took immediate action to get it removed. Nonetheless, we
accept the fine and will continue to work closely with the Club
to ensure this does not happen again," Betway, owned by Super
Group  SGHC.N , said in a statement.
    Britain has been tightening rules on gambling since the
early 2000s, sharpening its focus on betting via digital
channels especially since coronavirus lockdowns led to surge in
online activity.
    The government is also expected to publish a white paper - a
proposal for future legislation - on gambling regulation.
    A ban on gambling advertisements featuring celebrities,
sports people and social media influencers popular with children
takes effect next month.
    Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and former Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho have previously appeared in gambling ads.
    Betway, founded in 2006, offers sports betting services and
casino entertainment and holds licences throughout Europe, the
Americas and Africa.
    ($1 = 0.8816 pounds)

 (Reporting by Muvija M
Editing by Mark Potter)
 ((Muvija.M@thomsonreuters.com; within the UK: +44 7776813338,
outside the UK: +91 80 61822698; Twitter: https://twitter.com/muvija_m;))