Rank Fined After Failure To Recognise Problem Gambling In £1 Million Gambler

The Rank Group who operate Grosvenor Casino along with the same name for an online product have been fined £500,000 by the Gambling Commission for failing to protect problem gamblers.

Following an investigation by the UK regulator and indeed The Rank Group reporting their errors the Gambling Commission said that over a 24 hour period in 2017 one overseas VIP gambler lost £1 million both in the land based casino of Grosvenor and online.

However the casino company failed to recognise that the gambler was shows obvious signs of problem gambling and even contacted the customer when he had self-excluded along with failing to follow rules of credit to customers.

Richard Watson, Gambling Commission executive director, said: “We expect all operators to protect any consumer who maybe experiencing problems with their gambling, and operators shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking that VIP customers don’t experience difficulties.”

Mr Watson went on to say, “No matter how wealthy customers are, operators still need to monitor them effectively to ensure they aren’t showing signs of problem gambling. It is certainly not appropriate to visit customers during a period when they are self-excluded.”

In remarking on the fine the Gambling Commission said it would have been substantially higher if Rank had not reported it themselves and took action to correct the situation.