The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has levied its first – but likely not last – six-figure fine against an online gambling operator for advertising that led punters down the garden path.

On Tuesday, the UKGC announced that it had imposed a £300k penalty against BGO Entertainment Ltd for “misleading advertising on its own and its affiliates’ websites.” The UKGC cited nine adverts on BGO’s website and 14 more ads on BGO-affiliated third party websites that were deemed to have breached social responsibility codes.

The notice indicates that the UKGC began probing BGO’s marketing following the 2015 imposition of new social responsibility code provisions as a condition for holding a UKGC license. These new requirements made it plain that advertisements “must state significant limitations and qualifications.”

The new conditions also insisted that marketing material – including social media and affiliate marketing – “must not amount to or involve misleading actions or misleading omissions.” UKGC licensees were deemed responsible for the actions and behaviors of third parties with whom they contract.