BGO Entertainment are in big trouble with the British Gambling Commission (BGC). The online operator has had its remote gaming licence suspended.
The company operate the BGO.com brand but also Vegasluck, Chilli.com and Powerspins. The decision comes into force immediately while the BGC review the operations of BGO Entertainment. Section 116 of the 2005 Gambling Act (also currently under review) is being used to carry out the BGO Entertainment review.
The section can be used when there are “concerns that activities may have been carried out contrary to the Act, not in accordance with conditions of their licence and that the Licensee may be unsuitable to carry on the licensed activities”.
BGO have been told that while their licence is suspended, the BGC expects them to focus on treating customers fairly. Their customers should also be kept up to date with any developments that may affect them.
Although under suspension, BGO customers will be able to access their accounts. They will also be able to make withdrawals from their accounts.
Just what BGO Entertainment may have done hasn’t been fully revealed by the BGC. They have said that “failing to protect consumers was a key consideration in the suspension decision”.
It’s not the first time that BGC have been investigating BGO Entertainment. An investigation began in September 2019 following failings that had been revealed in a compliance assessment the previous year.
2020 saw new restrictions being imposed on them in an investigation that also included two other operators. On that occasion, the BGC identified failings in the social responsibility and anti-money laundering controls. A £2m settlement was reached.
It was determined that BGO had failings when it came to their procedures for customers who had shown signs of problem gambling. This referred to the period between 25 September 2018 and 23 March 2020. The problems included site members placing six-figure bets without BGO taking any action at all.
Since that investigation, BGO agreed to make changes to how their site was run. This included enhanced due diligence measures for their top 125 customers making the largest deposits. This enhanced due diligence also applied to the top 125 site members in terms of losses and not on the other list. The BGC have not said if the licence suspension has any link to the licence conditions imposed last year.
It’s been a busy month for the BGC. VGC Leeds Limited, who trade as Global Gaming Ventures will have to pay £450,000 as part of a regulatory settlement. This comes after an investigation showed there had been social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures by them.
