Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, which oversees Betfred's online gambling operations, has agreed to pay £900,000 ($1.19 million) following findings from the UK Gambling Commission regarding serious shortcomings in its safer gambling measures. The decision was made after a licence review released on June 30, 2026, stemmed from a compliance assessment conducted between May and June 2024.
The Gambling Commission's investigation highlighted major deficiencies in Petfre's systems for automated monitoring and intervention designed to protect customers at risk of gambling harm. One primary concern was the inadequacy of customer interaction systems, with Petfre failing to meet multiple provisions of the Social Responsibility Code Provision (SRCP) 3.4.3, which requires remote operators to develop effective systems for recognizing, responding to, and assessing customer risk.
The Commission also pointed out issues with automated harm detection processes, noting that Petfre lacked robust systems to flag critical indicators such as excessive spending, extended playtime, and behaviors associated with gambling-related harm. Delays and reliance on manual processes plagued Petfre’s approach to safer gambling measures.
A significant procedural flaw noted in the review indicated that once a customer account was flagged, it could not be reviewed again for a week. This resulted in delayed interventions, as illustrated by one customer's reported loss of £17,900 within 24 hours without any follow-up from the operator.
Moreover, Petfre did not sufficiently define what constitutes “strong indicators of harm” in its policies, failing to implement automated responses to these indicators as required by SRCP 3.4.3(11).
After the assessment, Petfre agreed to a financial settlement of £900,000 as a form of penalty, which also included the publication of a statement of facts and a contribution towards the regulator’s investigation costs. All proceeds from the settlement will go to the government’s Consolidated Fund.
John Pierce, the director of enforcement at the Gambling Commission, described the breaches as “significant,” stating, “The Commission found that Petfre didn't have sufficiently effective procedures in place, meaning some customers displaying markers of harm were not contacted quickly enough.” He acknowledged that while the identified gaps were unacceptable, Petfre acted swiftly to implement interim controls to address immediate concerns and presented a comprehensive action plan to ensure compliance with required standards moving forward.
The Commission recognized some mitigating factors, such as Petfre's prompt response to rectify its failings and full cooperation during the investigation. However, aggravating factors, including Petfre's previous regulatory history and similar failings observed in other operators, influenced the final settlement amount.
In December 2025, Betfred was previously ordered to pay £825,000 for several social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures in its UK betting offices. At that time, the company was criticized for lacking an effective policy to identify players potentially subject to financial sanctions.
Additionally, the Gambling Commission reported that the thresholds for enquiry regarding users’ income sources were not appropriately risk-based, being set at £15,000 losses and £125,000 stakes within a year.
This enforcement action is part of an ongoing effort by the Gambling Commission to enhance supervision of online gambling operators' frameworks related to safer gambling. Just last week, Stakelogic BV was fined £122,835 for identified failings in their slot games timings.
