UKGC urged to investigate gambling firms linked to Reform figures

Labour has asked the UK Gambling Commission to investigate claims involving two businesses linked to donors and associates of Reform UK.

Party chair Bridget Phillipson wrote to the regulator concerning Montenegro-based betting platform Tether.bet and UK-registered company Fispay. She asked the Commission to establish whether the businesses provided or supported gambling services for British customers without holding the required licence.

The request follows a Sunday Times investigation into the companies and their connections with people associated with Reform leader Nigel Farage. No breach has been established, and the Commission has not publicly confirmed that it has opened a formal investigation.

Labour asks UKGC to examine two questions

Phillipson asked the regulator to consider whether Tether.bet or its operators provided or advertised remote gambling facilities to people in Britain without a licence. She also requested an examination of whether Fispay or another UK business supported gambling services for British consumers without the necessary authorisation.

“In light of these allegations, I would urge the commission to investigate.” - Bridget Phillipson

Under the Gambling Act 2005, businesses must obtain a UKGC licence before providing remote gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain.

The requirement applies even where an operator is based overseas. The Commission’s illegal-gambling guidance states that holding a licence in another country does not authorise a business to serve customers in Britain. The regulator can also work with payment providers, search engines, social media platforms and technology companies to disrupt illegal gambling operations.

Tether.bet announces permanent closure

Tether.bet offered cryptocurrency-based sports betting and casino games from Montenegro. The website displayed a permanent closure notice on 12 August, stating that the brand was no longer operating. The reason for its closure was not disclosed.

The Sunday Times reported that the platform had served British customers despite not holding a UKGC licence. It alleged that some customers were directed to use Fispay to deposit money and receive winnings.

Fispay is owned by Mowbray Jackson, who serves as Reform UK’s data protection officer. Jackson told the newspaper that the company exclusively brokered private jet travel and had never provided gambling facilities.

The Gambling Commission has not determined whether the services reportedly provided by Fispay required a gambling licence.

Individuals deny unlawful involvement

The reports also linked Tether.bet with George Cottrell, a long-term associate and financial supporter of Farage.

Cottrell’s lawyers said his connection with the platform was limited to being a customer and knowing its owner. They said he had never invested in, owned or operated a betting company and had never sought customers for one. They rejected any suggestion that Cottrell had participated in unlawful gambling activity.

The Sunday Times also reported that Fispay used payment services supplied by IFX, a company owned by Christopher Harborne. Harborne previously gave Farage a £5m personal gift and has donated to Reform UK.

Representatives for Harborne and IFX said he had never been involved in the company’s day-to-day management or operations. They said IFX complied with the laws and regulations applying in the markets it served.

Neither the political connections nor the use of a payment service establishes that any person or company committed an offence.

Request does not establish wrongdoing

The letter reported by the Guardian is a request for the regulator to assess the allegations. It does not mean the Commission has accepted the claims or begun enforcement proceedings.

An investigation would need to determine what services were provided, whether British customers were deliberately targeted and which companies or individuals controlled the relevant gambling and payment arrangements. The central regulatory question is whether Tether.bet provided gambling to consumers in Great Britain and whether any UK businesses knowingly supported that activity without the required authorisation.

Until the  Commission responds or publishes its own findings, the allegations remain unproven.