UKGC Fines Platinum Gaming for AML & Social Responsibility Violations

The United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced a significant penalty for a gambling business that committed severe violations of the British gambling regulations. The company in question, Platinum Gaming Limited, was accused of AML breaches and various social responsibility failings.

UKGC Hands GBP 10M Penalty to Platinum Gaming

In its official announcement, the UKGC said that Platinum Gaming, which operates the Unibet.co.uk and uk.bingo.com brands, has been required to pay a financial penalty of GBP 10 million due to its failings.

In addition to that, Platinum Gaming was slapped with a warning and required to onboard the services of a third-party auditor, which would make sure the gaming company implements its remediation measures properly.

The UKGC noted that this is not the first time Platinum Gaming has faced enforcement action. For context, the operator was previously fined GBP 2.9 million for similar violations.

Platinum Gaming Failed to Intervene in High-Risk Cases

The UKGC listed Platinum Gaming’s most severe violations, saying that its social responsibility breaches included failing to identify several high-risk players, despite the clear signs of potential harm. These included a player who lost GBP 5,000 within 24 hours of opening an account, a player who lost GBP 31,000 over 9 months, a player who exceeded their GBP 2,500 loss limit within 16 minutes of registering, and a player who staked GBP 73,000 within 23 days, losing GBP 4,100.

In terms of AML failures, Platinum Gaming reportedly failed to take into account customers whose accounts had been closed due to AML concerns before 2023, allowing the same individuals to open new ones. In addition to that, the UKGC deemed details of Platinum Gaming’s policy around the level of customer due diligence to be unclear.

The UKGC concluded that there was no evidence that the operator considered a variety of high-risk factors, such as high-risk occupation, high levels of transactions through deposits and withdrawals and a high level of loss when doing customer reviews.

The UKGC Was Disappointed in Platinum Gaming

The commission’s director of enforcement, John Pierce, commented on the matter, calling Platinum Gaming’s failings “particularly disappointing.” He was let down by the operator’s AML and social responsibility shortcomings, despite the measures outlined in its own framework.

Alongside the £10 million financial penalty this operator is required to conduct a follow-up independent audit and internal investigation – providing regular updates to the Commission. These added conditions are designed to drive meaningful change, reinforce accountability, and embed a culture of compliance.

John Pierce, director of enforcement, UKGC

Pierce said that Platinum Gaming, as a senior leader in the gaming sector, must do better and set an example for improvement. If not, further regulatory activity “will remain a possibility,” Pierce concluded.