Britain's largest online betting firm, Bet365, has been found to offer cash rebates to customers who incur substantial losses, encouraging them to continue gambling, according to a Daily Mail investigation. Undercover reporters revealed that players losing up to £15,000 in a week could receive a 10 per cent rebate, typically on Tuesdays.
The practice, which campaigners argue exploits vulnerable customers, was uncovered after the Mail infiltrated Bet365's high-security base in Gibraltar. During training, staff described the rebates as 'incentivising people to bet', with one employee admitting it 'doesn't look good'. Although rebates are legal, critics say they lock problem gamblers into a cycle of betting.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling (APPG), has called for a sweeping overhaul of UK gambling laws. Labour MP Carolyn Harris, chairman of the APPG, described the regulator as 'toothless', adding that 'lax' enforcement has created a 'wild west world' of online gambling.
The Gambling Commission, which receives £19 million annually in licence fees, has faced criticism for not doing enough. Despite issuing £28 million in penalties over the past year for 'social responsibility failings', including fines against William Hill and 32Red, campaigners remain concerned. The regulator has vowed to investigate VIP schemes used to incentivise high-spending gamblers.
