An investigation by the UK Gambling Commission resulted in Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, the company behind Betfred.com, agreeing to pay £900,000 after regulator identified deficiencies in safer gambling procedures.
The settlement comes after a compliance assessment revealed weaknesses in how the operator monitors customer behavior and responds to signs of potential gambling-related harm. In addition to the payment, Petfre also agreed to cover the costs of the Commission’s investigation.
According to the regulator, the problems centered on the company’s failure to operate a sufficiently effective system to identify customers who may have suffered losses from gambling. The Commission concluded that several aspects of Petfre’s policies and procedures did not meet the standards required under the UK’s remote customer interaction rules.
The investigation identified gaps in customer protection
said the Commission Petfre did not have sufficient automated processes to monitor danger indicatorsincluding customer spending levels, gambling duration, and spending patterns. The report also found that operators had not implemented systems capable of triggering immediate automatic intervention when strong danger indicators were detected.
Another concern involves the company’s review process for customers who have been identified as requiring safer gambling checks. Once an account is flagged, it will not be reviewed again for seven days, even if further warning signs appear during that period.
Regulators say these delays hinder timely interactions with customers whose gambling behavior continues to worsen.
One example highlighted during the investigation involved customers who had received safer gambling interactions after exceeding deposit thresholds. Staff concluded that no further action was required at that stage. However, the individual then deposited and lost a further £17,900 in the following 24 hours without receiving any additional intervention.
The Commission said these failures were related to several sections of Social Responsibility Code Provision (SRCP) 3.4.3 which includes remote customer interaction requirements.
The regulator acknowledged improvements following the intervention
Although the Commission identified significant deficiencies, it also acknowledged these Petfre responded quickly after these concerns arise.
The operator implemented temporary controls as soon as the investigation began and then implemented a broader action plan designed to strengthen monitoring systems and customer protection measures. It also keeps regulators informed about changes made.
Commenting on the case, Commission Enforcement Director John Pierce said in a press release:
“Diligently implementing effective policies and procedures is the cornerstone of safer gambling in the UK.
“The Commission found that Petfre did not have sufficiently effective procedures, meaning some customers who showed signs of danger were not contacted quickly enough.
"While the gaps we identified were unacceptable, the licensees acted quickly to implement temporary mitigation controls to address our concerns. They have submitted appropriate action plans and taken significant steps to convince the Commission that their current operating model meets our requirements.
“Failure to implement an effective monitoring framework to identify and contact consumers at risk of harm has resulted in significant regulatory settlements.
“We hope all operators can learn from this case and read the public statement to ensure they do not make the same mistake.”
While acknowledging improvements, the Commission said the seriousness of the failures required substantial regulatory resolution.
This latest action follows previous rule violations
This latest enforcement action is not the first involving Petfre.
The Commission noted that the operator had previously faced regulatory action in the UK. In September 2022, Petfre received a £2.87 million fine for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures. Recently, the business was fined £240,000 for offenses related to online slot games.
The £900,000 payout represents the latest in a series of enforcement actions taken by the regulator against gambling operators over compliance failures. Last week, the Commission also ordered Stakelogic to pay £122,835 after determining that some online slot games were operating faster than permitted under UK regulations.
The regulator said operators across the industry should review the findings from the Petfre case to ensure their customer protection systems promptly identify signs of danger and trigger timely intervention if necessary.
