666Bet operator Metro Play Ltd. ordered into compulsory liquidation

The company behind the UK-facing 666Bet and Metro Play online gambling sites is officially winding down operations.

On Monday, the Alderney Official Gazette posted a notice indicating that Metro Play Ltd., which operated the 666Bet.com and MetroPlay.com online gambling sites, had been placed in compulsory liquidation. An Act given on July 2 by the Court of Alderney ordered Metro Play to be “compulsorily wound up.”

Metro Play Ltd. had its UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) operating license suspended in March following the arrest of 666Bet director Paul Bell as part of a £21m money laundering and VAT fraud investigation. Since then, both Metro Play sites have attempted to refund player balances, but a public statement from the company in May said it needed to raise additional capital in order to make its former players whole.

Late last month, the UKGC said a Metro Play spokesman had informed it that funds would be made available to customers who had requested withdrawals. The UKGC said the spokesman had claimed that “whilst the company that provided administration and marketing services to Metro Play and 666Bet has gone into liquidation, he was not aware of any insolvency action being taken against Metro Play.”