Hollard Park Leisure, an arcade gaming centre operator based in Leicester, has been handed a £150,000 fine by the Gambling Commission for serious self-exclusion failings.
The East Midlands venue failed to participate in a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, which is a mandatory requirement for all licensed gambling operators in the United Kingdom, online or offline.
The Gambling Commission found that Hollard Park had been previously informed of its obligation to join a recognised multi-operator self-exclusion scheme but did not act on that guidance.
The operator only began participating in the required scheme after the Commission suspended its licence in October 2025, a move the regulator noted was far too late.
The Commission stated that Hollard Park’s delayed response counted heavily against it when assessing what level of regulatory action was appropriate in this case.
Compounding the situation, the regulator found that Hollard Park did not take remedial action at the time it was first required to and also provided misleading information to the Commission during the process.
As part of the penalty package, Hollard Park Leisure has been instructed to commission an independent third-party audit reviewing its policies, procedures, controls, and staff training around self-exclusion and responsible gambling.
John Pierce, the Gambling Commission’s director of enforcement and intelligence, stressed the vital importance of self-exclusion schemes for people experiencing gambling harm.
Pierce stated that “every operator must ensure that they are fully participating in a recognised multi-operator self-exclusion scheme” and have procedures in place to “identify self-excluded customers from gambling in any of their premises.”
“These are not optional requirements,” Pierce added. “They are fundamental licence conditions designed to protect consumers from harm, and operators that fail to meet them can expect regulatory action.”
The fine arrives at a particularly sensitive moment for the amusement gaming centre sector, with venues often described as 24-hour slot shops increasingly under political scrutiny across the country.
Local governments have launched campaigns calling for greater powers to restrict the number of gambling venues operating in their areas, putting additional pressure on the sector.
The broader betting industry has pushed back against mounting criticism from members of the governing Labour party, with trade bodies defending their compliance standards publicly.
The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents major UK betting and gaming firms but not AGC operators, pointed to its members achieving an “overall pass rate of 97% between May 2025-April 2026” during Serve Legal benchmarking tests.
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive Officer of the BGC, said: “These are excellent results and a clear demonstration of the high standards being delivered across the regulated betting and gaming sector.”
While the £150,000 fine is modest compared to the multi-million pound penalties levied against operators such as Entain and William Hill in recent years, it adds further reputational pressure to Britain’s high street gaming venues at a critical time.
