Flutter Entertainment will pay a £2m fine to the UK Gambling Commission after the regulator found problems with how the company dealt with customers who showed signs of gambling harm. The decision was announced on 17 December after a review carried out earlier this year.

The fine covers four online gambling operators that run under the Paddy Power and Betfair brands. The regulator said the issue was about delays and weaknesses in customer interaction and social responsibility, not that the company failed to act completely.

Second penalty in two years

This is the second fine Flutter has received from the UK regulator in two years. In 2023, the company was fined £490,000 for sending promotional messages to customers who had chosen to self-exclude from gambling.

The new fine comes as some in the industry say the regulator is becoming stricter. The Gambling Commission said the size of the penalty shows how serious the problems were.

Concerns over timing and sensitivity

The Gambling Commission said Flutter did take action in all the cases it looked at, but often acted too late and missed clear warning signs. For example, one customer deposited £12,000 over 15 days before their account was checked, another deposited £25,000 in 25 days before anyone contacted them, and a third bet £86,000 over 16 days and lost £6,000 without a manual review.

In another case, a player gambled heavily over 17 days, including one session lasting nearly eight hours. During that time, they placed more than 300 bets worth £20,000. The account was only reviewed after the customer reached a loss limit.

Flutter and regulator respond

A Flutter UKI spokesperson defended the company’s approach and pointed to recent changes stating that “Flutter takes its safer gambling responsibilities incredibly seriously and we firmly believe that we lead the industry in player protection. Customer safety is our number one priority and there is no suggestion that any of the customers reviewed by the Gambling Commission experienced any harm.”

The spokesperson added that “Our controls have evolved significantly and we recently introduced a next generation customer safety platform, with the vast majority of checks now happening in real-time. As such, we are confident that the issues highlighted by the Commission in its public statement would not be repeated today. We continue to invest in our technology and our people to raise standards in the regulated industry.”

Commission director of enforcement John Pierce said “This £2m settlement reflects the seriousness of the failings identified and the importance of meeting social responsibility and customer interaction standards.” He added that while Flutter cooperated and acted quickly, “Operators must ensure systems to identify and address harm work effectively and at the right time.”