Two Men that Organised Illegal eSports Betting Fined Severely

The CEO of UKGC said that this was one of the most serious cases handled by the Commission.

It has been confirmed by experts that millennials have a different approach towards entertainment and have different expectations when it comes to gambling and betting. One testament to that are some of the new online slots, which are built to resemble video games and are a lot more interactive than older online slots.

When it comes to betting, recent statistics show an increased interest in eSports betting and it is clear that the trend will continue. It is clear that the preferences and the tendencies of the new generation will have a significant impact on the direction in which the industry will move in the future.

The Two Men Will Have to Pay £91K and £174K Respectively 

Bookmakers realised how huge eSports betting will become and it is hard to find a major operator that doesn’t offer at least some options for eSports betting. However, knowing that the phenomenon is still relatively new and in order to prevent the possibilities of match rigging and illegal underage betting, the UK Gambling Commission announced that it will closely follow eSports betting last year.

It seemed that the UKGC was right to put an accent on eSports betting, as it has been announced that two men have been fined after they admitted to organising an unlicensed eSports betting website. An individual reported the illegal betting site and the Commission brought charges against the website owners.

Craig Douglas, a 33-year old from Dorset will have to pay a fine of £91,000 and his associate, 34-year old Dylan Rigby from Essex will pay almost twice as much, £174,000. Both men plead guilty and admitted that they were running an illegal betting sites. The two registered a company, Game Gold Tradings Limited which owned and run the unlicensed website – Fut Galaxy.

On the websites, visitors, some of whom were under the age of 18, were allowed to buy the company’s own virtual currency and then use it to bet on FIFA and other video games. Punters were able to exchange the virtual coins for in-game, FIFA coins which can later be sold for real money, through other websites, some of which were also linked to Rigby.

The UKGC CEO Said that Betting Websites Have to Be Licenced

The judge had no doubts regarding the verdict, adding that the two have committed very grace offences. He added that even though the exact number can’t be established, it is evident that children were able to bet through the website and that was the most serious aspect of the crime.

The website and the company were in no way affiliated with any game producer, the two men operated on their own. The CEO of the UK Gambling Commission confirmed that this was one of the most severe cases that has been handled by them. She added that it was horrifying that Douglas and Rigby knew that children were using their website and yet they did nothing to protect them and prevent them from betting.

The CEO again stressed the need for regulation, saying that all betting and gambling websites that operate in the country have to be licensed, because that is the only way to protect children and other vulnerable individuals.