A gaming firm, Betway, has received a significant penalty of £408,915 (approximately $463,654) for featuring advertisements on the youth section of the official West Ham United website.
The UKGC issued the sanction after concluding their inquiry. It appears that between April 2020 and November 2021, Betway’s emblem and website links were prominently displayed across pages on the West Ham website specifically created for children. These included pages offering teddy bear coloring pages and activities geared towards young supporters.
Furthermore, Betway’s advertisements appeared on a section titled “Young Hammers at Home” from October to November 2021.
The Gambling Commission emphasized that both occurrences were unacceptable breaches of their regulations concerning responsible gambling advertising.
Leanne Oxley, the Commission’s Director of Enforcement, stated unequivocally, “Shielding minors from gambling-related harm is paramount to our mission.”
She added that although there is no evidence suggesting Betway deliberately targeted children or attempted to entice them into gambling, any lapse in safeguarding young people is treated with the utmost seriousness.
Oxley acknowledged that Betway implemented measures to rectify the situation, but stressed that this should serve as a stark reminder for all gambling operators to meticulously review their processes and ensure their advertisements do not appear on websites intended for children.
It remains uncertain if West Ham United will incur sanctions for purportedly featuring wagering promotions on their official web portal.
The problem? Apparently, West Ham and their gaming associate, Betway, might have inadvertently presented these advertisements to underage users on the team’s platform.
Betway, when approached for comment, stressed their dedication to ethical gaming practices:
“We maintain a strict no-tolerance approach regarding marketing directed at minors. Indeed, we were among the initial wagering firms to eliminate our branding from youth squad apparel and merchandise.
In this situation, a technological malfunction resulted in our emblem appearing on a limited-access area of West Ham’s website. We rectified and resolved this promptly.
We completely acknowledge the requirement for repercussions and will persist in collaborating closely with the club to avert any recurrence.”
