The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has imposed a fine of £122,835 on Dutch gaming developer Stakelogic following revelations that several of its slot machine games failed to meet the minimum spin time requirements mandated by UK regulations. The issue came to light after Stakelogic reported that its game Tiger Temple 88 was operating with a spin time of 1.97 seconds, which is below the 2.5 seconds required by law. An investigation confirmed that a total of 15 games were non-compliant, although the other games were only slightly below the minimum standard.
The UKGC determined that Stakelogic had used a manual stopwatch to track the spin times of its games, a method they found inadequate for ensuring compliance with operational standards. John Pierce, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence at the UKGC, criticized this approach, stating, "With all the technological resources available to an online gambling business, it is unacceptable that Stakelogic were relying on a manual stopwatch to measure the speed of their games."
In identifying the issue with Tiger Temple 88, the UKGC noted that it was only two days after the game began operating improperly that they became aware of the situation. However, the game remained available to players for an additional two days before it was taken offline for remedial action. The discrepancies in spin times for the non-compliant games varied, with some showing a difference as minor as 0.001 seconds, while others reached up to 0.675 seconds below the required mark.
John Pierce reiterated the importance of compliance, urging operators to "take careful note of this case and ensure they have effective testing practices in place to ensure they are meeting all the standards we require."
As part of the resolution with the UKGC, Stakelogic will pay the £122,835 penalty to the consolidated fund and will also cover the costs of the UKGC’s investigation into the violations. The company acknowledged its fault in breaching gambling laws, cooperated fully during the inquiry, and committed to improving its quality assurance and incident management processes.
