The chief executive of a lottery firm has been incarcerated for misappropriating funds intended for a charitable organization.
Simon Readings, 50, hailing from Edinburgh, was given a three-month prison sentence for conducting a lottery on behalf of Sheffield Hospitals Charity but failing to deliver the proceeds.
Readings is obligated to reimburse the charity £1,000 within 18 months of his release from custody.
His enterprise, Capen Limited, had its permit revoked by the Gambling Commission last December. The company, which manages lotteries for charitable causes, encompassing small lotteries, sports lotteries, and Zaffo, along with the now-defunct Children’s Lottery, was granted a license in 2014 and a software license in 2017.
The court was informed that Readings had diverted the £285,000 to cover other business expenses, and he was unable to repay the charity.
Helen Venn, the regulatory head, stated that Readings had “completely neglected his responsibilities as CEO of a company holding a Gambling Commission license” and is now “facing the consequences.”
Within this nation, lottery earnings can solely be utilized for the betterment of the public – charitable organizations and other non-profit entities depend on lottery income to sustain the crucial work they undertake,” Wayne clarified.
“Citizens within this country ought to be aware that when they purchase a lottery ticket, they are contributing to the public good of their preference – we will not hesitate to act against those who mismanage funds like Readings.”
The Gaming Commission recently obtained the concluding applications for the fourth national lottery permit, aiming to choose a favored operator in the early months of 2022.
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