The Fred Done-owned operator has been fined £240,000 after the Gambling Commission ruled that certain features in its online slot games breached industry standards.
Petfre (Gibraltar), which operates betfred.com and previously oddsking.com, offered a number of slot titles that failed to meet the requirements of the Remote Technical Standards (RTS).
Breaches included games that did not display a customer’s net position, along with titles that celebrated losses as wins.
According to the RTS, all gaming sessions must clearly show a player’s net position, and gambling systems must not present a return equal to or below the total stake as a win.
John Pierce, Commission director of enforcement, said:
“Features that impair a consumer’s ability to make informed decisions are not appropriate and pose a clear risk.”
Betfred acted swiftly to remove the offending games. The regulator expressed concern that celebratory effects in losing positions could distort a player’s understanding of their results and influence decision-making.
The licensee responded by promptly decommissioning all affected titles.
Pierce added:
“While we acknowledge the operator acted swiftly to remove the affected games, this enforcement action should serve as a clear signal to the wider industry to review and strengthen their compliance practices — and to ensure that gameplay is fair and consumers are not exposed to unnecessary risk.”
This is the second time Betfred has faced regulatory action in the UK. In 2022, it was fined £2.87m for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.
The ruling also marks the second enforcement action in as many weeks, following a £360,000 penalty against Lottomart.com operator Maple International Ventures Limited last month.
