Bridget Phillipson has asked the UK Gambling Commission to investigate whether Tether.bet and Fispay Ltd provided or advertised remote gambling facilities to consumers in Britain without the required licence. She also asked whether Fispay, or any other UK company, provided or supported gambling facilities or services to consumers in Britain without authorisation.
In her letter, Phillipson called the allegations “the latest allegations in a mountain of unanswered questions concerning Reform’s donors and finances.” She said Nigel Farage “cannot dodge them for ever” and should “stop making excuses and come clean with the public.” A Sunday Times investigation had already linked Tether.bet and Fispay to people around Farage.
Focus Gaming News said the Sunday Times report claimed the two firms had been active in the UK gaming market without authorisation. It said Tether.bet is a Montenegro-based gambling platform and that the site posted a closure notice on 12 August. It also said Fispay is a UK company owned by Reform’s data protection officer, Mowbray Jackson, who told the newspaper his firm had “exclusively” arranged private jet travel and had never offered gambling products.
George Cottrell has also been linked to Tether.bet. Reports described him as a convicted fraudster and a long-time ally of Farage, although his lawyers said he was only a customer and had never solicited clients for any betting company or casino. They said his involvement had been limited to that of a customer and that any suggestion of unlawful gambling activity was “wholly false.” When contacted by the Guardian, his lawyers described him as “one of the world’s best-known professional gamblers” and said others might try to associate themselves with him to lend credibility or generate publicity.
Christopher Harborne’s £5m donation to Farage is already under review by the parliamentary commissioner for standards. The parliamentary standards commissioner has also reopened an inquiry into whether Farage failed to declare gifts received before the last general election, including Harborne’s gift and additional financial support from Cottrell. Under parliamentary rules, MPs must register gifts worth more than £300 received in the previous 12 months, unless the gift could not reasonably be thought to relate to political activity. Farage has downplayed the inquiry, though he has conceded the watchdog may rule against him, and a suspension of more than 10 days could trigger another byelection.
The Gambling Commission was created by the Gambling Act 2005 and is the national regulator of commercial gambling in Great Britain, including remote gambling. It says it is illegal to provide gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain without a licence or permit, and that a licence issued elsewhere does not allow an operator to serve the British market. The commission also says it can investigate potential offences under the Act and bring proceedings in England and Wales.
