Company file
666Bet
UKGC +1
Alderney / Isle of Man (historic)
Legal Metro Play Limited · Paul Bell (director / owner in contemporaneous reporting)
CEO Paul Bell (director). Public pitchmen: Harry Redknapp, Vas Blackwood — not directors.
Founders Paul Bell
Founded 2014
Parent Paul Bell (director / owner in contemporaneous reporting)
Wound up. Metro Play Limited operated 666Bet.com and MetroPlay.com. Director Paul Bell was arrested March 2015 in a multi-agency alleged £21m VAT / money-laundering investigation (HMRC, NCA, Isle of Man, Cheshire, Guernsey). He denied wrongdoing. Licences suspended (UKGC + Alderney). Alderney court compulsory winding-up July 2015. Liquidators: KPMG (Linda Maree Johnson / David John Standish). UKGC: company could repay balances but the Commission could not compel it; later said it did not know whether liquidation would affect outstanding customer balances. Guardian 20 Oct 2019: Bell struck a confidential settlement of claims against former companies (RSM documents; figures reported around £67m). Six other people were arrested and not named in the consumer press. Harry Redknapp was a paid promoter, not a Companies House director on this file.
Launched June 2014. Shirt/betting deals: Leicester, West Brom, Leyton Orient, Grand Slam of Darts (replaced William Hill). Bought Metro Play from DMG Media 2014. Collapsed 2015 after the director’s arrest. Customers were told to claim with KPMG.
Licences UK Gambling Commission (lapsed 2015) · Alderney GC (wound up 2015)
Register Wound-up — Metro Play Limited (Alderney); UKGC licence lapsed 2015
Currencies GBP
Languages English
Sister brands Metro Play
Products Sportsbook · Horse racing · Casino
Odds formats Fractional · Decimal · US / American · Implied probability
Related companies Metro Play Limited (Licensed operator of 666Bet.com — compulsorily wound up Jul 2015) · KPMG Channel Islands (Liquidators — customer claims desk in 2015)
Public officers / staff
- Paul Bell · Director / owner in 2015 reporting. Arrested Mar 2015 alleged £21m VAT/ML (denied). 2019 liquidator settlement (Guardian).
- Harry Redknapp · Paid public promoter — not a director on this file, not a PSC
- Vas Blackwood · Paid pitchman — not a director
Trust matrix — categories, not the published weight
- MetVerified owners — Named private owners on the public record.
- MetNamed officers / staff — Paul Bell (Director / owner in 2015 reporting. Arrested Mar 2015 alleged £21m VAT/ML (denied). 2019 liquidator settlement (Guardian).) · Harry Redknapp (Paid public promoter — not a director on this file, not a PSC) · Vas Blackwood (Paid pitchman — not a director)
- MetAddress on a register — Wound-up — Metro Play Limited (Alderney); UKGC licence lapsed 2015
- MissingPhone number on file — No published corporate or support telephone.
- MissingEmail address on file — No published corporate email — contact form only, or none.
- PartialLongevity — Operating since 2014 (12 years).
- PartialRelated businesses — Metro Play Limited (Licensed operator of 666Bet.com — compulsorily wound up Jul 2015) · KPMG Channel Islands (Liquidators — customer claims desk in 2015)
- MetLicence stringency — 2 jurisdictions. Strongest on file: UKGC. Extra countries add weight; they do not wash out a weak home licence.
- CLOSED. Customers were sent to the liquidator. This is the unpaid-balances case, not a live Playbook skin.
Sanctions / record
2015-07-13 Metro Play Limited wound up — customers sent to KPMG. Alderney court compulsory liquidation of Metro Play Limited (666Bet.com and MetroPlay.com). Liquidators KPMG Channel Islands (Linda Maree Johnson) and KPMG LLP (David John Standish). UKGC: licence lapsed; it did not know whether outstanding customer balances would be paid and could not compel repayment. Company had said in May 2015 it needed extra capital to make players whole.
2015-03 Director Paul Bell arrested — alleged £21m VAT / ML investigation. Paul Bell, director of 666Bet / Metro Play, arrested (Heathrow reporting) in a joint HMRC / NCA / Isle of Man / Cheshire / Guernsey investigation. He denied wrongdoing. Six other people were arrested and not named in the consumer press. Harry Redknapp and Vas Blackwood were paid pitchmen, not directors. Guardian 20 Oct 2019: confidential settlement of claims against former companies (RSM; reported around £67m).
Official website 666bet.com