🎲 M V McCartan Limited

This company is a land-based betting operator holding an active operating licence from the Gambling Commission in Great Britain. It is historically associated with a family-run chain of licensed betting offices trading as McCartan Bookmakers, with activity focused on retail betting rather than remote or online gambling.

The business operated a small network of betting shops, primarily in West Belfast, and concentrated on over-the-counter betting and gaming machines. Available sources indicate that it did not offer telephone or internet betting during the period when it was independently active.

In April 2008, the assets of the bookmaker business were acquired by Ladbrokes plc under an asset purchase arrangement. Following this transaction, the betting shop operations were integrated into the Ladbrokes estate. The corporate entity has remained on the Gambling Commission’s public register with an active operating licence.

Licensing and Operations

The company holds an operating licence from the Gambling Commission covering general betting (non-remote). This authorises it to provide facilities for betting in licensed premises such as betting shops, but not to offer remote betting via online or telephone channels under this licence.

The public register shows the licence as active, with authorisation for non-remote general betting activities. There is no indication on the register that it holds remote operating licences for casino, bingo, virtual betting, or other forms of remote gambling.

Historically, the operator’s business model was based on physical licensed betting offices offering traditional over-the-counter betting on sporting and other events, together with the provision of gaming machines (such as fixed-odds betting terminals or similar machines permitted in betting premises). Sources from the late 2000s explicitly note the absence of telephone or internet betting services.

The acquisition by Ladbrokes plc on 1 April 2008 was implemented as an asset purchase rather than a share acquisition, meaning the betting shop assets and operations were transferred into the Ladbrokes group. After this date, the former McCartan shops were brought under Ladbrokes’ control and branding, while the original company remained as a licensed entity on the Gambling Commission register.

Regulatory History

Publicly available information does not indicate any major enforcement action, financial penalties, or licence suspensions by the Gambling Commission in relation to this operator. The licence is recorded as active, and there is no published record on the Commission’s register of revocation, surrender, or regulatory settlements involving this company.

No information was identified in public regulatory sources suggesting that the operator has been subject to licence reviews or sanctions for compliance failures.