A man who ran an illegal WhatsApp gambling business and failed to pay a customer’s £269,000 account balance has received a 30 week suspended jail sentence and a 200 hour community service order.

Haydon Simcock was also ordered to carry out 20 hours rehabilitation activity in addition to paying £230,000 compensation to the victim and £60,000 Gambling Commission costs.

Simcock had previously admitted providing gambling to consumers without an operating licence between 18 October 2023 and 11 September 2024, and advertising unlawful gambling without an operating licence between 26 May 2023 and 1 March 2024.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard how the Gambling Commission, in partnership with Staffordshire Police, launched a criminal investigation into Simcock after receiving intelligence from an investigative reporter at the Racing Post.

It was revealed that Simcock, who claimed to be the VIP commercial manager at The Post Bookmakers, carried out key roles including:

• inviting people to gamble via WhatsApp
• setting up accounts, acting as a customer services agent, and personally collecting cash from customers in order for them to place bets
• providing direct administrative back-up to the gambling transaction, by agreeing odds, agreeing offers such as matched deposits and rewards for referrals and taking payments from customers.

Records recovered from Simcock’s electronic devices revealed he took bets from people he suspected of dealing drugs, suggested he could make a disgruntled customer ‘disappear’ and failed to pay one customer his £269,000 account balance.

Despite not paying the victim his balance Simcock repeatedly told him his money was ‘safe’.

Magistrates told Simcock that “he narrowly avoided custody” and suspended his sentence for two years.

John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement at the UK Gambling Commison , said: “This case illustrates all the risks that consumers face from illegal gambling – links to crime, having no regard for social responsibility, repeatedly exploiting consumers and operating without any of the necessary operational safeguards in place.

“This investigation shows our determination to take action against illegal operators and protect consumers from harm. Using mobile apps like WhatsApp does not make illegal gambling invisible or beyond our reach – we can evidence such activity is taking place and we will use every power available to us to play our part in removing this unlawful activity from the British marketplace and to ensure those responsible are held to account for their actions.”