UKGC revokes BetButler’s operating licence

The Gambling Commission has announced that it has revoked BetButler’s remote operating licence ‘having considered all the available information’. Given that the website stopped operating at the end of August, the Commission’s actions is unlikely to have too much of an effect other than to mark the card for other regulators should those behind the operation pop up elsewhere.

The Gambling Commission finally revoked the licence because:

• The Licensee is unsuitable to carry out its licensed activities in a manner which is consistent with the licensing objectives,
• The Commission is not satisfied as to the competence of the Licensee,
• The Commission is not satisfied as to the financial circumstances of the Licensee,
• The Commission is of the view that one or more conditions of the licence has been breached.

The Commission had been monitoring Bet Butler since April when players first encountered problems in withdrawing funds from the company. Ironically this came quickly on the back of BetButler buying up the assets of another failed operation – Bodugi, which the Gambling Commission had also been working closely with.

As if to continue the cycle, the Bet Butler website now reads: “The Board of BetButler Limited has been approached by a third party regulated gaming business to acquire the customer database, including all balances and pending withdrawal requests, of the business. This process will take some days to complete. If you have any questions please email [email protected] and your queries will be answered.”

Whether anything will transpire from the third party talks remains to be seen, but it has been three weeks since the statement was issued, with a promise that: “A further announcement will follow in due course.”