Gambling Commission warns operators over unauthorised ads
This includes ads placed on copyright-infringing websites on their behalf by affiliates. The Commission has called on operators to promptly terminate contracts with offending third parties.
The GC has made its Infringing Website List (IWL), owned by the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, available to licensees.
The Commission attests that any advertising on an unlicensed site is contributing to its funding and therefore linking gambling with crime.
A Gambling Commission statement said: “Over the years, we have seen a significant reduction in gambling adverts appearing on copyright infringing websites, but a number of gambling adverts continue to appear.
“This demonstrates the need for gambling operators to introduce additional controls or to review the monitoring methods they currently have in place to ensure this does not occur. To date, the Gambling Commission has not specified any particular measures that licensees should take to prevent this, however, we are clear about our expectation.”
Recently the Gambling Commission ran an investigation which led to the disruption of illegal lotteries being run through social media site Facebook.