UKGC Issues Regulatory Penalties to Five Casinos

Five casinos are facing regulatory penalties issued by the Gambling Commission in the UK. The regulator found that those operators breached anti-money laundering and social responsibility rules. Four of the operators agreed to pay a regulatory settlement, while one operator received a warning and a fine.

Five Operators Face Regulatory Penalties from the GC

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced today that it took regulatory actions against five casinos. After the regulator has conducted an assessment of the businesses, it found that those casinos failed to follow social responsibility rules. Furthermore, according to the UKGC, those operators did not follow anti-money laundering rules which were set by the Commission.

“These failings were identified as part of our ongoing drive to raise standards across the whole gambling industry.”

Richard Watson, executive director, Gambling Commission

According to Richard Watson, UKGC executive director, the actions were a part of the regulator’s plan to raise the standards across the gambling industry. Furthermore, he stressed that every operator must follow the rules, which are in place to “make gambling safer and prevent it being a source of crime“.

Four Operators Reached Regulatory Settlements

Although four operators have reached regulatory settlements, one operator was fined by the Commission. Shaftesbury Casino Limited and Clockfair Limited agreed to pay a £260,000 regulatory settlement. On the other hand, Les Croupiers Casino Limited will pay a £202,500 regulatory settlement.

Double Diamond Gaming Limited also entered into a settlement with the UKGC and agreed to pay £247,000 as a regulatory settlement. In contrast, A&S Leisure Group Limited was the only operator to receive a warning together with a fine. The operator was fined £377,340 by the regulator.

The Operators Breached Two Provisions from the Social Responsibility Code

According to the UKGC, each of the five casinos has breached provision 3.4.1 from the Social Responsibility Code. The provision expects operators to review their practices to identify problem gambling and implement relevant actions to protect players.

Furthermore, the regulator found that the five operators have also breached License condition 12.1.1, which refers to anti-money laundering (AML). The Commission disclosed a public statement for the four operators who entered into a regulatory settlement with the regulator.

In each statement, the regulator described where the operator has failed to identify customers at risk of gambling-related harms. Furthermore, the Commission also pointed out examples of failure to apply appropriate AML measures.

Earlier this month, the regulator took action against Malta-based operator Casumo. Similar to the recent fines, the UKGC indicated failings in terms of AML and social responsibility measures and fined the operator £6 million.