Online sports betting and casino operator Bethard has announced it will be ceasing all UK operations in July. 

Bethard was awarded a UK license almost three years ago, but yesterday it stopped accepting new sign-ups, and has now emailed customers informing them that it will be ceasing operations on 6 July 2020. 

Existing customers will still be able to log in and use Bethard services until the 6 July. Any bets still open after that date will be voided, and customers will have five weeks to withdraw their balances. 

The operator, which is also licensed in Malta, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, and Ireland, has not given a reason for its decision to withdraw from the UK market. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though Bethard hasn’t yet provided a reason for its decision to withdraw from the UK, anyone familiar with the industry will appreciate that though the UK may still be the biggest single regulated market, it is rapidly becoming an over-regulated nightmare, with operators regularly taking flak from the Gambling Commission, Advertising Standards Authority, politicians, and mainstream media. Of course, the COVID-19 crisis won’t have helped the operator’s sports betting business recently either. 

With the Gambling-Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) now recommending a complete blanket ban on all gambling advertising, a £2 stake limit for online slots, a ban on VIP promotions, and other draconian restrictions, we can’t say we blame Bethard for throwing in the towel. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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