Sky Vegas online casino which belongs to gambling giant Flutter is under investigation by the UK gambling watchdog. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is investigating the online casino for targeting problem gamblers with a ‘free spins’ promotion.
Every year, the UKGC along with industry stakeholders devote a week to promote safer gambling practices and educate Brits on problem gambling. Flutter recently came out with a strong commitment towards responsible gambling and the failure of Sky Vegas is a big let-down for the company.
This Safer Gambling Week is also when licensed gaming operators reiterate their commitment towards responsible gambling practices. Sky Vegas online casino is reported to have targeted vulnerable gambling during Safer Gambling Week by sending them free spins promotions.
These vulnerable gamblers were those who opted out of receiving promotional marketing material from casino operators as they recognized they were having issues with their gambling urges.
Sky Vegas online casino ignored their request to be off the promotional email list and sent them promotions via email. We give you a peak into what some of these promotions said.
Take a peek at what your mystery bonus is. Here at Sky Vegas, we love the unexpected. That’s right. Simply opt in, spend £5 and claim your 100 free spins. The best part? Whatever you win is yours to keep – that’s the fun in fair!
The email headline said ‘Entertainment like no other’ and showed images of slot machines. These emails not only targeted online casino players who were on the no-contact list but also sports bettors who were also on the no-contact list.
Sky Vegas Breaches Rules Again
Licensed gaming operators are not supposed to breach gambling regulations. It’s even worse when they end up doing that during ‘Safer Gambling Week’ as it’s a slap in the face for the UKGC.
This isn’t the first time that Sky Vegas has fallen short of gambling regulations. The operator was slapped with a heavy £1 million fine in 2018 for sending out promotional material to 50,000 customers that should not have been on the mailing list.
Sky Vegas released a statement which included an apology for targeting vulnerable players. The statement said that they were taking this license breach very seriously and would carry out their own investigation to see how this miscommunication happened.
Given the severity of their fine in 2018, it is quite possible that they get hit with another hefty fine by the UKGC.
