MaxEnt to appeal UK licence revocation

Malta-based Slotty Vegas operator Max Entertainment (MaxEnt) is to lodge an appeal against the GB Gambling Commission’s decision to revoke its UK operating licence.

The regulator has given MaxEnt until June 18, the date at which its licence will cease to be valid, to submit its defence. The Commission chose not to immediately cancel MaxEnt’s licence in order to allow for the appeal.

The operator claimed the Gambling Commission was satisfied that it was adequately funded both in the short- and long-term, and that it is happy with the source of this funding.

It said the Gambling Commission’s issues were not connected to the way the business was run, nor how it treated customers. Instead, it said, the issues stemmed from the “availability of documentary evidence from two years ago”.

In particular, concerns were raised over a transition period that occurred before the current management, led by chief executive Greg Bennett, took charge, MaxEnt said. Bennett has previously worked for a number of high profile businesses within the industry, including Betsson, Betfair and OpenBet, before taking charge at MaxEnt last year.

The operator said it would highlight the fact that the business was under new management as part of its appeal submission.

It also expressed disappointment that in its release announcing the news, the regulator had cited “concerns relating to the operator’s finances and information supplied” as key to the decision to revoke the licence. This, it said, was misleading.

“We feel that the Commission’s decision is not sufficiently objective, hence why we are appealing,” MaxEnt said.

“We are hopeful of a positive outcome following our appeal, but we will be carefully considering our position in the UK market, nonetheless,” the operator added. “We believe that other markets show great potential for a responsible, prudent operator such as ourselves.”