Metro Play and 666BET licences suspended
UK and Alderney regulators suspend the licences of Metro Play citing "serious concerns" about the "control and management" of the firm
The operating licences of Metro Play have been suspended by the gambling regulators of the UK and Alderney due to “serious concerns” regarding the company’s current control and management.
On Friday the UK Gambling Commission and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission issued statements that Metro Play, trading as metroplay.com and 666bet.com, was now under review by the regulators and both sites have since been temporarily suspended.
The Gambling Commission has begun a review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 following suspicions the company is “unsuitable to carry on the licensed activities” and suspended its licence immediately under section 118.
The Alderney regulator has also issued a hearing notice to the firm which requires Metro Play, which holds a Category 1 licence, to stop accepting new players or deposits and process all fund withdrawal requests immediately.
“The grounds for the decision to call the licensee to a hearing of the Commission and to suspend its licence relate largely to serious concerns about the existing control and management of Metro Play,” André Wilsenach, executive director at the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, said.
“It would not have been in the interest of customers, the eGambling industry or the reputation of Alderney to allow Metro Play to continue its operations,” he added.
666BET acquired Metro Play from DMG Media last September for an undisclosed fee and has in recent months operated under the latter’s recently obtained UK Continuation Licence.
In January it was revealed Metro Play chief executive Barry Martin had stood down from his role in order to take up a consultancy position with newly formed consultancy firm KPI Gaming Consultants.
A message on metroplay.com and 666bet.com read that both websites were down due to maintenance works.