The online sports betting company Marathonbet has revealed its decision to cease its operations in the UK. The online bookmaker, which was established in 1997 in Kyiv, Ukraine, has its roots in Russia, so it announced a decision to suspend the services of its UK-facing gambling platform because of the ongoing events in Europe.
Despite the decision regarding the UK, the online sportsbook services of Marathonbet licensed by the Danish, Spanish and Italian competent regulatory authorities will continue to operate as they usually do. The maratonbet.com website of the company, which holds an operating licence by the Government of Curacao, will also continue to operate as normal.
Through a message posted on its UK-facing website – marathonbet.co.uk – Marathon Alderney Limited (Marathonbet) informed its customers in the country that they would no longer be able to place bets or deposit money with the company after April 14th. New customer account registrations on the operator’s online gambling platform are no longer being accepted.
As the company wrote in its message to customers, the services offered in the UK will be temporarily suspended. As mentioned above, Marathonbet cited the unprecedented “ongoing events in Europe” as the reason for the decision, saying these events have had a significant negative effect on its operations. Unfortunately, the operator was forced to cut a part of its workforce, including some especially-trained staff members who have been supporting the UK-facing services of the company.
Marathon Alderney Limited explained that the lack of support from a trained and experienced team has made it impossible for the company to ensure compliance with the Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) established by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) on the licensed gambling sector in the country. That was the reason why the operator stopped accepting customer bets and deposits on its gambling platform in the country. As confirmed by some company officials, the temporary suspension of Marathonbet’s sportsbook operations is set to continue until the company is able to ensure adequate replacement for the staff it was forced to lay off as a part of its cost-optimisation process.
Marathonbet to Endeavour to Honour All Bets Due to Be Settled by May 24th
As revealed by the online bookmaker itself, its British customers would be able to access their accounts to withdraw their outstanding balances. However, the company warned that customers may be required to provide additional documentation so that they are permitted to proceed further with the withdrawals.
The sports betting operator noted that it would try to honour all wagers that are due to be settled by May 24th. Any wagers after that date will be voided.
As mentioned above, the company announced that it has decided to “temporarily” cease operations in the UK. Should the circumstances that pushed Marathonbet to this decision change, the gambling operator said it would not hesitate to contact its local customers.
The company is Manchester City football club’s official betting partner. It had also been a prominent sponsor of the British racing sector, with the bookmaker having backed various races and events, including some high-profile ones, such as Brighton’s 3-day festival of racing and the November Handicap at Doncaster.
Since 1997, Marathonbet has operated in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) markets of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. It has a long-established presence in Russia, with its local brand – BK Marathon (BKM) – even becoming one of the several bookmakers that were officially allowed to offer online sports betting services by the consent of Roskomnadzor, the country’s communications agency. However, the UBO disposed of their beneficial interest in this company in 2011 and has had no connection to BKM since then.
Websites of all operating companies belonging to the UBO (Marathon Alderney and its group) are blocked in Russian Federation by Roskomnadzor.
Marathon Alderney Limited set foot in the UK in 2015 and opened offices in Brighton and Hove – a move that marked its expansion into some regulated territories in western Europe, including Italy, Spain, and Denmark.
- Author
Olivia Cole
