Labour has asked the UK Gambling Commission to look into allegations involving the betting platform Tether.bet and the UK-registered company Fispay. Bridget Phillipson, the party chair, asked whether Tether.bet or its operators had provided or advertised remote gambling facilities to consumers in Britain without a licence, and whether Fispay or any other UK company had provided or supported gambling services without the required authorisation.
The request was described as following a Sunday Times investigation into the companies and their links with people associated with Nigel Farage. Phillipson called the claims "the latest allegations in a mountain of unanswered questions concerning Reform’s donors and finances", and urged Farage to "stop making excuses and come clean with the public".
The legal backdrop is clear. Under the Gambling Act 2005, businesses must have a UK Gambling Commission licence before providing remote gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain, even if they are based overseas. The commission’s guidance says a licence in another country does not authorise a business to serve customers in Britain.
The reporting linked George Cottrell to Tether.bet and said he was a high-profile customer. Tether.bet posted a closure notice on 12 August. Cottrell told the paper he was a customer and had "never solicited clients for any betting company", while his lawyers said his relationship with the platform was limited to that of a customer and a friend of the owner.
The Guardian said Christopher Harborne owned IFX, which processed payments on behalf of another company that took deposits and returned winnings. Casino.com said some customers were directed to use Fispay to deposit money and receive winnings, while Fispay is owned by Mowbray Jackson, Reform UK’s data protection officer. Jackson said his company "exclusively" brokered private jet travel and had never provided gambling facilities.
A separate report said Tether.bet held a licence in Curacao, but neither Tether.bet nor Fispay had been licensed by the UK regulator. Casino.com said the Gambling Commission has not publicly confirmed that it has opened a formal investigation. The reporting said the allegations did not establish that any person or company had committed an offence.
