UKGC, License to BGO Entertainment Suspended: Unprotected Consumers

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

• Twitter
• Email

More About John Isaac

Last updated: October 27, 2021

The British Gambling Commission suspends the gaming license of the operator BGO Entertainment.

BGO Entertainment has seen its UK gaming license suspended by the Gambling Commission following the review carried out on the protection the online gaming operator offers to its customers.

According to the UKGC, the review and consequent suspension result from the fear that activities may have been carried out in contravention of the law, not in accordance with the conditions of their license and that the licensee may be unfit to carry out the authorized activities. The lack of protection of consumers was a key consideration in the suspension decision.

The UKGC made it clear to the trader that in the course of the suspension, it expects him to focus on equitable treatment of consumers and keep them fully informed of any developments affecting them.

The suspension does not prevent the trader from allowing consumers to access their accounts and withdraw funds. BGO Entertainment Limited, which operates bgo.com, m.bgo.com, powerspins.com, vegasluck.com, and chili.com, can be contacted through its websites.

The suspension takes effect immediately, and, in accordance with it, BGO has closed its UK business and stated on its website that they are working with the Gambling Commission to resolve this quickly.

Section 118 (2) of the Gambling Act 2005 Confirms Urgent Suspension of BGO Operating License

Section 118 (2) of the Gambling Act 2005 permits the immediate suspension of the UKGC license. In accordance with this act, the UK Gambling Commission may suspend the gambling license if it finds that the actions carried out by the licensee do not meet the purpose specified in the gambling license.

The UKGC report states that due to fears that certain actions were performed in violation of the rules of gambling. The operator may not be able to perform the actions specified in the license. Therefore, the content will be paused and reviewed.

It is not the first time. As BGO faced serious anti-money laundering audits and deficiencies in customer service, the operator was among the places where the regulator narrowed the circle even further last fall. These suspensions had reported between September 2018 and March 2020.

Particularly, the UK Gambling Commission described in a report: The subsequent review and suspension were due to companies that the action might have been taken in violation of the law and was incompatible with the terms of the license. Its license and that the licensees may have been involved in unauthorized activities. Lack of consumer protection was a primary factor in the suspension decision.

Therefore, BGO had to give about 2.7 million dollars as part of the agreement. In addition, the 250 most loyal customers are required to undergo “due diligence” due to 2017 compliance with UK anti-money laundering regulations.

No More Information is Known About the License Suspension

UKGC said that BGO must keep its clients notified of the latest additions, including current license suspensions and any coming events that may affect them but do not present any extra information about the quick suspension of the operator’s license.

BGO followed this rule and posted the statement on the websites. A report from the members said the BGO is currently struggling to fix this issue. Meanwhile, deposits are blocked, but members can withdraw money.