Illegal Online Casino Poses as UK Supermarket Chain Tesco

An unlicensed online casino called TescoSlots.com is masquerading as the website of one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, Tesco. Despite the real Tesco reporting the operation to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and Action Fraud, the website is still accessible to the public at the time of writing of this article. TescoSlots.com Has Stolen the Supermarket Chain’s Branding The website prominently uses Tesco’s name, branding, and familiar retail terminology throughout the platform while advertising casino games, bonuses, and loyalty rewards. It also repeatedly refers to Tesco’s history, Clubcard program, and financial services. This seemingly creates the impression that the gambling site is affiliated with, or forms part of, Tesco’s wider business operations. According to the site, new users can get a GBP 1,500 (about $2000) welcome bonus along with 250 free spins and claims to offer more than 3,000 slot and live-dealer games. It also invokes Tesco’s Clubcard loyalty programme and, unusually, claims that customers can make deposits using a Tesco debit card. TescoSlots.com repeatedly states that it operates under an “international Curaçao license.” However, according to an investigation by the CCN, there is no identifiable operating company or Curaçao license number in the indexed material. Instead, the website’s footer refers only to an unnamed “operating company” as being legally responsible for the platform. This is significant because Curaçao’s current licensing framework provides a relatively straightforward mechanism for users to verify whether an online gambling operator is licensed. Under the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) framework, licensed business-to-consumer gambling websites are required to display a Certificate of Operation seal linked to the specific domain approved by the regulator. The seal should then provide the domain name and current licensing status through the CGA’s certificate platform. CCN was unable to identify this information in TescoSlots.com’s publicly indexed material. Moreover, even a valid Curaçao gambling license would not, by itself, permit the casino to target customers in the UK. An overseas gambling license does not provide authorization to offer gambling services to consumers in the country. Operators serving the British market still require a license from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). This Isn’t a New Problem Tesco is not the only major brand to have been appropriated by black-market gambling operators. Established land-based gambling businesses have faced similar impersonation for years. Similar schemes have also involved the branding of financial institutions, including Barclays and challenger banks such as Monzo. Unlicensed online casinos are increasingly adopting the identities and branding of non-gambling companies in an apparent effort to leverage consumer trust. In addition, the names and images of prominent sports figures such as Lewis Hamilton, Tyson Fury, Erling Haaland, and more have likewise appeared on gambling websites as purported “brand ambassadors,” despite no evidence of corresponding licensing or endorsement agreements. In other news from the UK, the UKGC published a new report, urging operators to provide players with more information to make better decisions.