Holland Park Leisure Limited has been ordered to pay £150,000 after the UK Gambling Commission found serious failings in the company’s handling of mandatory self-exclusion requirements.
The operator runs three adult gaming centres in Leicester and failed to participate properly in a recognised multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, despite being told that doing so was a licensing requirement.
Under British gambling rules, consumer-facing land-based operators must participate in schemes that allow customers experiencing gambling-related harm to exclude themselves from multiple venues in the same area. Holland Park Leisure did not join the required system until October 2025, when the Gambling Commission suspended its operating licence.
The regulator identified a breach of Social Responsibility Code Provision 3.5.6 and said the company had previously been alerted to its non-compliance without taking sufficient corrective action. During the subsequent regulatory process, Holland Park Leisure also supplied misleading information to the Commission, which was treated as an aggravating factor when the financial penalty was determined.
Although the operator began taking steps towards compliance after its licence review started, the Commission concluded that the earlier failures warranted enforcement action.
Alongside the £150,000 payment, Holland Park Leisure must commission an independent third-party audit. The review will examine the effectiveness of its policies, procedures and controls, how those measures are implemented in practice and whether employees have received adequate training to manage self-exclusion and safer-gambling responsibilities.
Gambling Commission enforcement director John Pierce said participation in recognised multi-operator schemes is a fundamental requirement for licensed businesses. Operators are expected not only to register with the relevant schemes but also to have procedures capable of identifying self-excluded customers, stopping them from gambling and directing them towards appropriate support.
The enforcement action comes as adult gaming centres face wider scrutiny in Britain. Government proposals announced on 11 August would require AGCs to obtain planning permission before opening, with the changes expected to take effect from the beginning of 2027. The government has argued that current planning rules make it too easy for such venues to open in town centres without specific local approval.
Self-exclusion remains a significant part of consumer-protection policy in the sector. Gambling Commission data shows that adult gaming centre multi-operator schemes recorded an estimated 10,831 individuals adding a self-exclusion during the 2024-25 financial year, highlighting the scale of demand for the safeguard.