Seven individuals have been charged before Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court over alleged fraud against bet365. The defendants – six men and one woman – are accused of abusing the UK operator’s free introductory betting offer for new customers to obtain free betting credit and move illicit funds to other accounts.
According to the Institute of Licensing, the group allegedly used personal data, false representations and criminal transfers in the alleged fraud. Guisseppe Sangiovanni, 35, is accused of acting as the ringleader and of possessing lists of personal details used to claim free introductory funds between January 2021 and August 2023.
Sangiovanni, who is in custody at Oakwood Prison, had his hearing adjourned to 20 August because of video-link difficulties at the facility. Julian Mackie, 32, also had his case adjourned because of technical difficulties with a video link.
Patrick White, 31, is accused of obtaining free betting credit through illicit means and transferring criminal property. He has posted bail and is scheduled for a hearing at Gloucester Crown Court in September. Stephianne Black, 31, faces charges of supplying Primary Account Numbers while aware they may be used with fraudulent intent, as well as obtaining bet365 introductory funds on Sangiovanni’s behalf. Black has posted bail and is scheduled to appear at Gloucester Crown Court on 17 September.
Adon Bridgman-Simon, 33, did not attend the hearing, and the court said no explanation had been given for his absence. A warrant without bail was issued. Benjamin Leach, 32, and Simeon Redway, 35, both from Gloucestershire, also face fraud and criminal money-transfer charges.
A Recurring Target
bet365 has previously been targeted by fraudsters. In 2023, Jon Howard received a five-year prison sentence after being found guilty of opening more than 1,000 customer accounts under different aliases to exploit bet365, defrauding the Stoke-on-Trent-based operator of more than £236,000, as reported by SBC News.
Improved player verification, better AML controls and more sophisticated KYC procedures were later mandated for all UK-based operators through the subsequent Gambling Act Review White Paper.
Source: SBC News
Petra Vanhoof has spent the better part of a decade following the shifting tides of gambling regulation across Europe and beyond. She came up through the compliance side of the industry before pivoting to writing, which gives her a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on the rules, loopholes, and political maneuvering that shape how operators actually do business. She is particularly drawn to the gap between what regulators say and what the market ends up doing in response.