UK Gambling Commission Issues Penalty Over Self-Exclusion Scheme Breach

The UK Gambling Commission announced that Holland Park Leisure Limited faces a £150,000 fine after the operator failed to join the required multi-operator self-exclusion scheme for its three Adult Gaming Centres in Leicester and the company did not participate until its licence faced suspension in October 2025 while the regulator also directed teh operator to complete a third-party audit covering policies, procedures, controls and staff training.

Holland Park Leisure Limited runs three Adult Gaming Centres located in Leicester and the commission identified that the operator had not enrolled in the multi-operator self-exclusion scheme which serves as a central consumer protection measure allowing individuals to exclude themselves from multiple venues through a single registration process and the delay persisted until the licence suspension occurred in October 2025.

Background on the Enforcement Action

According to the commission's public statement the operator's non-participation meant that self-exclusion requests from customers could not be shared across different operators and this created gaps in the protection framework that the regulator requires all licensed premises to follow and the commission therefore imposed the financial penalty along with mandatory audit requirements to address the shortfall.

The multi-operator self-exclusion scheme operates as a coordinated database where participants register once and their exclusion applies across participating venues and operators must integrate their systems with this scheme to ensure real-time compliance checks and Holland Park Leisure Limited did not complete this integration step until after the October 2025 suspension took effect.

Details of the Licence Suspension and Subsequent Steps

The commission suspended the operating licence in October 2025 and the operator then joined the scheme to restore compliance and the regulator required a full third-party review of the company's internal systems to verify that future participation remains consistent and that staff receive appropriate training on handling self-exclusion requests and the audit must examine policies, procedures, controls and training records.

Observers note that the suspension served as the trigger point that prompted immediate action from the operator and the commission's announcement outlines both the financial penalty and the ongoing compliance obligations that Holland Park Leisure Limited must satisfy before full licence restoration can occur and the public register entry provides further context on the timeline.

Experts have observed that the commission publishes such enforcement outcomes to illustrate how operators must maintain active participation in national protection schemes and the case involving Holland Park Leisure Limited demonstrates the sequence from identification of non-compliance through suspension to the imposition of audit conditions and the £150,000 fine reflects the scale of the breach as assessed by the regulator.

Regulatory Requirements Following the Decision

The commission directed that an independent third-party audit take place and the scope includes a comprehensive examination of how self-exclusion requests are recorded, how staff are trained to respond to such requests and how internal controls prevent future lapses and the operator must demonstrate that its three Leicester venues now operate in full alignment with the scheme requirements.

Data from the commission shows that participation in the multi-operator self-exclusion scheme forms a core licence condition for Adult Gaming Centre operators and the failure to meet this condition until after the October 2025 suspension led directly to the financial penalty and the additional audit obligation and the announcement remains available on the commission's website for public review.

Conclusion

The enforcement action against Holland Park Leisure Limited establishes a documented sequence where non-participation in the required scheme resulted in licence suspension followed by the £150,000 penalty and mandatory third-party audit and the commission continues to monitor compliance across all licensed operators to ensure consumer protection measures function as intended and the details appear in the official announcement linked here: Holland Park Leisure Limited fined £150,000 (enforcement announcement).