Seven people charged over alleged fraud against bet365 in UK court

Seven defendants have appeared before Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court over allegations that they manipulated bet365’s free introductory betting offer to obtain betting credit and move illicit funds into other accounts. For PSPs and gambling operators, the case is a reminder that bonus abuse and identity fraud often sit on the same rail as AML failures.

1. Prosecutors say the group, described as six men and one woman, used stolen personal data, false representations and criminal transfers to carry out the scheme. The alleged pattern was to repeatedly claim free introductory funds and then channel the proceeds elsewhere.
2. Guisseppe Sangiovanni, 35, is said to have led the operation and to have held lists of personal details used to claim free introductory funds between January 2021 and August 2023. He is currently detained at Oakwood Prison, and his hearing was postponed until August 20 after technical issues prevented a video link from working.
3. Patrick White, 31, is accused of acquiring free betting credit through unlawful methods and transferring criminal property. He has been released on bail and will appear at Gloucester Crown Court in September. Julian Mackie, 32, also charged with fraud, had his case adjourned for similar video link problems, while Adon Bridgman-Simon, 33, failed to attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest without bail.
4. Stephianne Black, 31, faces charges of supplying primary account numbers knowing they could be used fraudulently, and of helping Sangiovanni obtain bet365 introductory funds. She has been granted bail and is scheduled to appear at Gloucester Crown Court on September 17. Benjamin Leach, 32, and Simeon Redway, 35, both from Gloucestershire, are charged with fraud and criminal money transfers.
5. This is not the first fraud case involving bet365. In 2023, Jon Howard was sentenced to five years in prison after opening more than 1,000 accounts under false identities and defrauding the operator of over £236,000. After that case, UK regulators mandated stronger player verification, enhanced anti-money laundering controls and more sophisticated know-your-customer procedures under the 2023 Gambling White Paper.

The Gambling Commission has also published new details from last year’s pilot of financial risk assessments for online gambling in Britain. The regulator said weaknesses in identity verification undermined the scheme, citing recurring issues such as initials used instead of full names, nicknames replacing legal forenames, and commercial addresses submitted in place of residential ones.