A man from Essex has been sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in a scheme against bookmaker bet365, which resulted in the company being defrauded of over £236,000.
Jon Howard played a key role in the syndicate, which opened more than 1,000 bet365 accounts using false identities to avoid deposit restrictions and take advantage of sign-up bonuses.
Howard and his co-defendants obtained information from individuals who willingly provided their details, allowing the syndicate to impersonate them and set up the fraudulent accounts.
The scheme was first brought to the attention of Essex Police in 2018, and Howard was subsequently found guilty of fraud against both bet365 and Santander Bank, but not guilty of money laundering by a jury.
Detective Sergeant Mike Monkton of Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate described the enterprise as "dishonest and designed to deceive the gambling company", adding that the investigation was "lengthy and complex".
When a warrant was executed at Howard's address in Stapleford Tawney in February 2019, investigators found paperwork in multiple names, receipts for luxury items, bank books, and 177 sim cards.
This is the second time this year that bet365 has been targeted by fraudsters. Earlier this year, Scottish lower league striker Kane Hester was accused of intentionally receiving a booking in a game against Hibernianian after placing bets on this to happen via bet365's website.
As the UK awaits the outcome of the government's Gambling Act review, anti-fraud and player identification measures have become a pressing issue for many operators. The UK Gambling Commission has issued fines against several operators for breaching anti-money laundering standards over the past year.
Fergal Parkinson, Director of TMT Analysis, recently commented on how operators can better verify player identities to avoid both the risk of fraud and regulatory enforcement action.
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