The promotion of illegal casinos on UK-based public sector-facing websites has continued, with an NHS health app site seemingly being hacked to promote these platforms.
My Therappy’s website, which does not look to have had an official news update since October 2020, appears to have been hijacked by the promotion of non-UK and non-GAMSTOP casinos.
Its site is currently infested by these promotions, with an author named ‘Daniel Reeves’ showcasing the sites.
The author’s short introduction concludes with the incredulous line of: “Put the kettle on; we’re about to unpack the best offshore gambling spots open to British punters in 2026.”
A ‘Daniel Reeves’ can also be found on other sites promoting illegal online casinos.
SBC News found an example of ‘Reeves’ being described as a “Lead Casino Analyst” who “ has spent more than a decade pressure-testing offshore and crypto casinos that serve US players”.
Devonshire-based healthtech My Therappy was established in 2013 as the first health app review site for stroke patients.
The company’s standalone X page is still accessible via the website, though that looks to have been inactive since early 2021, when the social media platform was still known as Twitter.
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust originally created and developed the platform and has since been succeeded by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust issued a statement regarding the news to Digital Health News, who originally broke the news.
The statement read: “We have raised this with our digital and cyber security teams for investigation. We are currently establishing the status of the website domain and will provide a further update once we have completed our enquiries.
“We take matters relating to online safety and security seriously and are looking into this as a priority.”
Illegal gambling ads continue to invade
The developments follow a similar issue just two weeks ago experienced by the Scottish Border Council’s website, which occurred as a result of an outdated backlog system.
In that instance, illegal gambling adverts impacted 16 of the 69 community council webpage listings.
Back in June, the Old Catton Parish Council was caught up in a similar incident, after unknowingly displaying an advertisement for an Indonesian online slots casino.
These are continuous incidents of the proliferation of unlicensed UK gambling firms, which continue to prey on the most vulnerable consumers who have already self-excluded via GAMSTOP.
If it wasn’t clear already, the Gambling Commission, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS), and the newly-formed Illegal Gambling Taskforce has a substantial task on its hands when it comes to clamping down on the black market, and one which it needs to tackle imminently.