Many of you will be aware, annually, on the 1st of November, Safer Gambling Week kicks off. Gambling operators, bingo and casino halls, and betting outlets all come together to talk about gambling safely, however, concerned Sky Vegas customers who are recovering gambling addicts or self-excluded from the site received promotional material.
Self Exclusion
Self-exclusion is a tool developed by operators to help customers who feel their gambling habits are out of control and need a break. Customers have the option to block their accounts for a chosen period. Once activated, customers cannot deposit until the chosen time period has lapsed.The UKGC is currently looking into the incident after receiving complaints from customers who had in fact self-excluded or who are in recovery from gambling addiction. One customer who received the email thought his self-exclusion period had lapsed and tried to reset his password. He said they should not be targeting customers who have self-excluded or recovered from a gambling addiction, ironically during Safer Gambling Week, and deemed the behaviour of Sky Vegas as ‘perverse’.
Apology
Conor Grant CEO at Flutter who owns Sky Vegas issued an apology, “I would like to sincerely apologise to all those who have been affected by the recent issue at Sky Vegas, whereby a number of people were mistakenly sent promotional communication. “Sky Vegas and indeed all our brands take their responsibility to protect customers extremely seriously. Safer Gambling Week is our number one focus, and while we haven’t always got everything right, we are determined to do as much as we can to protect those who may be at risk. I recognise that on this occasion we have let many people down and for that, I am truly sorry.”