Widow slams Gambling Commission over ‘inadequate’ Betfair probe

The watchdog wrote to her again on 8 November to say it had again decided that no further regulatory action was needed.

Mrs Ashton is now considering taking legal action.

“The Gambling Commission’s failure to take any action in light of the serious failings identified at Luke’s inquest is an unacceptable failure to carry out its regulatory duties and gives rise to serious concerns about its fitness for purpose as a regulatory body which purportedly serves to protect the public from harm,” she said.

“Despite acknowledging the serious concerns in Luke’s case, [it] has taken well over a year to make a decision following the inquest and has now maintained that no regulatory action will be taken, for reasons which are entirely inadequate.”

The Gambling Commission said Betfair “had been in special measures because of social responsibility and anti-money laundering issues” at the time of Mr Ashton’s death, which resulted in it giving £635,123 to “charities furthering the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms”.

“Taking into account the action we have already taken and that new regulatory requirements are now in place, it was considered that no further action would be taken against the licensee in respect of this matter,” it said.

“In line with our statutory duties, as the gambling regulator we will continue to take enforcement action, clamp down on irresponsible products, update our policies in line with best practice, and challenge the industry to make sure operators are interacting with customers and identifying early signs of harm.”

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