Super Group’s Betway brand has been fined £0.4m for inadvertently displaying its logo on a website popular with children.
The breach of Britain’s gambling regulations occurred between April 2020 and November 2021, when the Betway logo and link to the gambling website were displayed on the children’s pages of West Ham United Football Club’s website.
In one instance, the Betway logo was displayed on a webpage offering the opportunity to print a teddy bear for children to colour in, while another saw the logo appear on the ‘Young Hammers at Home’ webpage.
Following an investigation, the Gambling Commission concluded that Betway failed to comply with its obligation to ensure that all marketing of gambling products and services must be undertaken in a socially responsible manner. It also found that the operator failed to comply with the advertising codes of practice issued by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP).
As a result, the Gambling Commission has imposed a financial penalty of £408,915 on the operator.
“Although there is no suggestion that the operator was deliberately targeting children, or that children had been allowed to gamble, we take the breach of any rules aimed at protecting children extremely seriously,” said Leanne Oxley, director of enforcement at the Gambling Commission.
“We note the remedial actions since taken by licensee but advise all operators to learn from this case and ensure that they take responsibility and have the correct processes in place so that websites directed at children do not include advertisements for gambling.”
Shares in Betway parent SGHC Ltd. (NYSE:SGHC) closed 2.17 per cent lower at $4.05 per share in New York Tuesday, less than 4 per cent off their 52-week low of $3.90 per share set on September 2.