The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) reportedly penalised four casino operators last month,
The organisation, which is responsible for the regulation of both real and online casinos throughout the UK, fined the four online operators a total of £4.5 million in penalties over anti-money laundering and safeguard failings.
According to reports, InTouch Games received a £2.2 million fine for failing to meet anti-money laundering (AML) customer risk assessments and not complying with the Commission’s social responsibility code regarding customer interactions. The UK Gambling Commission said in its assessment that “there were weaknesses in its systems relating to how it managed its customers for AML and social responsibility purposes.”
Meanwhile, Betit Operations received a £1.4 million fine and MT SecureTrade was fined £700,000 for failure to main anti-money laundering controls. In the Commission’s assessment of Betit, the firm also stated that it failed several times over requirements around personal management and key event notifications.
Lastly, BestBet was fined £230,972 after the Commission found “weaknesses in its systems” over how the operator managed its customers for anti-money laundering and social responsibility purposes.
In a statement, Richard Watson, the Gambling Commission Executive Director, said: “We have been working hard to raise standards in the online industry to ensure that gambling is crime-free and that the one in five people in Britain who gamble online every month can do so safely.
“We expect operators to know their customers, and to ask the right questions to make sure they meet their anti-money laundering and social responsibility obligations.”
The news comes after a series of gambling advertisements were banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Last month saw the ASA ban a William Hill advert on Tinder for linking gambling to sexual success and a Paddy Power Betfair television advert featuring Rhodri Giggs for “glamorising gambling”.
Meanwhile, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced plans to strengthen its online regulation by researching and implementing additional technologies to better protect children and the general public.
