UK: four online gambling companies to pay over USD 5.7 M in penalties

Four gambling businesses are to pay a total of £4.5 million (over USD 5.7 M) in penalty packages as part of the UK Gambling Commission’s ongoing investigation into the online casino sector. InTouch Games Limited will pay £2.2 million (USD 2.8 M), Betit Operations Limited will pay £1.4 million (USD 1.8 M), MT Secure Trade will pay £700,000 (USD 900,000) in lieu of financial penalties, and BestBet will pay a financial penalty of £230,972 (USD 297,000).

The penalty packages relate to the businesses failings to put in place effective safeguards to prevent money laundering and keep consumers safe from gambling harm.

Over the last 18 months the regulator has conducted assessments of, or engaged with, 123 online operators - and of the 45 told to submit an action plan to raise standards, 38 have already shown signs of improvement. A further 34 were compliant with standards expected by the Commission or had minor issues which have been, or are in the process of being, remedied.

Since the investigation began, five operators have surrendered their license and can no longer transact with consumers in Britain. In November 2018 three companies paid nearly £14m in penalty packages as a result of their failings to put in place effective safeguards to prevent money laundering and keep consumers safe from gambling-related harm.

Richard Watson, Gambling Commission Executive Director, commented: “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.”

“But our work will not stop here. As a regulator, we will continue to set and enforce standards that the industry must comply with to protect consumers. 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.”

Read public statements of InTouch Games Limited, Betit Operations Limited, MT Secure Trade, and BestBet Limited.