A popular UK-facing online casino is preparing to call it quits. Dafabet, a subsidiary of the AsianBGE gambling company out of the Philippines, holds a UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) license to offer gambling operations, but has recently come under pressure due to growing regulatory concerns centered on online gambli
ng.
The closure only affects the company’s online casino operations, not its sports betting activity, according to a Casino News Daily report. As of March 8, Dafabet users found themselves unable to make deposits, and were notified that they will have to withdraw their funds by the end of the day on March 20. After that, attempts would be made to return any outstanding balances by way of a transfer to the account with which the original deposit was made.
The UKGC, in conjunction with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), recently uncovered a pattern of violations among licensees. This opened the doors for the UKGC to launch an extensive investigation that has already resulted in a number of high-priced fines. Violations have included everything from poor anti-money laundering controls to more innocuous breaches of advertising regulations.
The CMA has begun issuing warnings and fines to companies that obstruct customers from making withdrawals as the customers want. It expressed concerns over low withdrawal limits, unreasonable cutoff times for players to verify their identity when requesting withdrawals, and the practice of the online sites of taking possession of winnings if players remain inactive for a certain amount of time.
The UKGC and the CMA continue their quests in the UK, and will soon be issuing new regulations to provide oversight of the gambling community. The new regulations are purported to be harsher and to provide penalties that are more severe. It’s not unreasonable to think that other gambling companies may decide to leave the market, as well.
In an effort to expand from Asia to Europe, AsianBGE has recently gone on a sponsorship buying spree, picking up sports team sponsorships around the European Union. Dafabet only recently signed a sponsorship deal with Premier League’s Burnley F.C., which carried a $3.4 million price tag and good for only the 2017-2018 season.
