UK slot machine operator penalized over cancer patient’s gambling activity

UK gambling operator Merkur Slots was fined nearly £100,000 ($125,000) for allegedly exploiting a cancer patient.

The Guardian reports that Wendy Hughes, 64 at the time, lost nearly £2,000 ($2500) at Merkur Slots UK’s Stockport branch. She placed bets across two 16-hour sessions in November 2023, shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Merkur Slots is a UK slot machine company with over 230 gaming centers, ranking amongst the biggest brands in the British gambling scene.

Staff working at the Stockport Branch, which operates under a 24-hour license, were aware of Hughes piling losses as she withdrew more money from nearby cash machines.

Hughes developed a gambling addiction while betting at the slot machines. She died before the UK Gambling Commission, the government regulator of the British gambling market, could provide its verdict regarding her case.

Jackie Olden, Hughes’ daughter, has campaigned for tougher restrictions on adult gaming centers in light of her mother’s experience.

Olden said: “I’m happy they investigated Merkur, but after the devastation caused to our family, the size of this fine doesn’t go far enough. This case emphasizes the urgent need for an independent gambling ombudsman so that customers have access to recourse when things go wrong.”

As new measures are being enforced across the UK gambling and casino industry, the Gambling Commission has been regulating businesses with greater scrutiny.

On February 13, 2025, the Gambling Commission issued a statement detailing how it ordered Merkur Slots to play “a £95,450 fine for social responsibility failings at one of its adult gaming centers.”

It shares how Merkur Slots failed to comply with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, specifically “3.4.1 – Premises-based customer interaction”.

Andrew Rhodes, Gambling Commission CEO, said: “This was a clearcut case of an operator failing to follow rules aimed at keeping consumers safe from harm.

“In recent years there have been several cases of online gambling businesses failing to meet their social responsibility obligations – but this investigation shows that land-based operators also need to make sure they are minimizing the risk to customers experiencing harms associated with gambling.

“All operators should make sure that not only do they have policies and procedures aimed at preventing harm in place, but also that staff are effectively trained to follow and implement them.”

The Gambling Commission highlights that Merkur Slots cooperated with the investigation and that the operator of the slot has since taken “remedial action to improve its customer safety procedures.”

In the past year, the commission has issued several fines to major players in the industry, such as when it charged Sorare for unlicensed gambling.

Featured image: SLNC / Unsplash

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