LeoVegas to limit affiliate numbers in UK

LeoVegas has said it will now only work with a “small number of affiliates” in the UK that satisfy its own compliance standards.

In a statement on the LeoVegas Affiliates website, LeoVegas Gaming said the move had come in response to a number of recent announcements from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) regarding regulatory rules in the market.

Last month, the UKGC urged operators to review their terms and conditions to ensure customers are treated fairly, as well as enhance consumer protection efforts to better protect punters. In October, Sky Bet closed its affiliate programme, citing concerns over the compliance of the marketing activities of a number of its affiliates amid mounting regulatory pressure.

LeoVegas has now revealed that it has been working in consultation with the UKGC for several months to ensure the business and its various affiliates were compliant with UK regulations, but found that while many had been comfortable doing so, others have not proved as successful and, as a result, it will only work with a small group of committed affiliates from now on.

“As we appreciate the challenges around implementing these changes, we have provided clear guidance of what we expect from our affiliates and have tried to keep an open line of communication with our affiliates to support them throughout this process,” LeoVegas said.

“We are encouraged to see that several affiliates are taking these changes seriously and have taken on compliance managers or external legal counsel to ensure their ongoing compliance; this is something that we welcome.

“However, based on the response we have received to these initial actions, it is clear that these compliance requirements are not easily met for some affiliates.”

LeoVegas added: “Additionally, the recent announcements from UKGC and guidance from the CMA delivered at the Raising Standards conference clearly indicate further ongoing changes to compliance requirements going forward and, naturally, we must ensure our affiliates are prepared to address these needs.

“We are not and will not be able to continuously provide review and guidance services to all affiliates and would like to emphasise that the responsibility to achieve compliance ultimately sits with the affiliate.

“For these reasons going forward, although we value all the hard work all our affiliates have been putting in to the partnership, we are only able to continue to work with a small number of affiliates who satisfy our compliance standards, share our commitment to compliance, and further have the operational scale to guarantee ongoing compliance and deliver a worthwhile contribution to our business.”

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