UK regulator suspends Bodugi licence
Review of social betting site's licence underway after failure to respond to regulator's concerns on customer withdrawals
The UK Gambling Commission has suspended the operating licence of real-money social sports betting company Bodugi Technology following complaints players have been unable to withdraw funds from its website.
The regulator said it had suspended the licence as an “interim measure” pending a review and in addition to complaints about fund withdrawals, said the decision was also taken due to a “lack of response” to the Commission’s requests to discuss its concerns.
A spokesperson for the UK Gambling Commission told eGaming Review this morning that there was no set timetable for completing the review, which comes under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005.
And although unable to comment further on the specific case, the spokesperson highlighted the enforcement powers at the Commission’s disposal which enables it to use “higher levels of regulatory intervention” if licence holders and individuals are “uncooperative, or less than open” with the regulator.
Founded in 2010 by Dave Nevison and Michael Wilson, Bodugi claims its bodugi.com site is the world’s first social betting website.
A message on the landing page of the Bodugi website currently reads that the site down as it carries out “essential maintenance”.
The operator currently sponsors PDC darts world champion Michael van Gerwen and late last year struck a deal with sports pricing provider Sporting Solutions for a range of in-play solutions.
Bodugi was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.