Compliance Updates

UKGC Imposes £780,000 Fine on Buzz Group

Published

4 years ago

December 17, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Buzz Group, which operates buzzbingo.com, has been fined £780,000 by the UK Gambling Commission for failures relating to social responsibility and anti-money laundering procedures.

Buzz Group also received a formal warning for the failures which occurred between October 2019 and December 2020.

Social responsibility failures included: financial triggers not sufficiently identifying at-risk players as they were set too high. One customer was able to deposit £22,400 in five days without the operator conducting a meaningful interaction within that period.

Systems not sufficiently identifying at-risk players. Two customers won large amounts of money gambling, yet the operator failed to consider the increased risk of gambling harm to those customers despite the customers displaying high levels of spend.

Not carrying out effective customer interactions with customers who gambled aggressively over short periods of time. One customer deposited and lost £12,400 during a six-day period but the operator’s only record of a customer interaction simply stated customer was ‘coping well in COVID-19’once a decision to interact with a customer had been made staff did not always sufficiently follow the requirement of the operator’s own customer interaction procedure to check the customer was comfortable with their gambling levels, if they felt in control, and then discuss responsible gambling tools and support resources.

Anti-money laundering failures included: triggers prompting source of funds (SOF) checks being over reliant on open source or anecdotal information such as staff relying heavily on assurances provided verbally by customers during interactions.

In one instance the operator placed reliance on a large customer win as the SOF for the customer’s future gambling spend without considering that it might not be recycled winnings and that it may be the proceeds of crime

Multiple alerts needed to be activated before a customer AML interaction took place. One customer was able to hit nine financial alerts before their account was suspended pending an AML interaction. The operator keeping insufficient records of AML interactions with customers and it was often not clear what had been discussed during those interactions.

The case against Buzz Group Ltd, like other recent enforcement action, was the result of planned compliance activity.

Helen Venn, Commission Executive Director, said: “As a regulator we expect all operators to effectively implement policies and procedures which make gambling safe and crime-free. Every single gambling business should be aware that we do check that these are in place and are being adhered to. If they are not, we will take action.”

California

CGCC Gaming Policy Advisory Committee (GPAC) Meeting: Jan 20, 2026

Published

2 days ago

January 6, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

cgcc-gaming-policy-advisory-committee-(gpac)-meeting:-jan-20,-2026

The California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) has scheduled a meeting of the Gaming Policy Advisory Committee (GPAC) for 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

The committee is established under Business and Professions Code Section 19817 to provide advisory recommendations to the Commission on regulatory policy, with a specific focus on integrity and problem gambling.

Meeting Attendance Information

The meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing for both in-person and remote participation.

In-Person Location: 2399 Gateway Oaks Drive, Hearing Room 100, Sacramento, CA 95833.
Virtual Access: Zoom Meeting Link
Phone Access: 1-888-475-4499 (Toll-free) | Meeting ID: 285 757 8614

Key Agenda Items

The agenda focuses on internal governance, regulatory controls for third-party providers, and administrative updates:

GPAC Roles and Responsibilities: A review of the mission statement, adherence to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, and expectations for member conduct and responsiveness.
Current Projects: Update and discussion on Third-Party Providers of Proposition Player Services (TPPPS) – Internal Controls, led by subcommittee members Kirill Yermanov and Michael Hill.
New Discussion Items:
- Third-Party Provider Employee Table Coverage.
- Procedures for Lost or Damaged Employee Badges.
Administrative Updates: An update on the Category G vacancy (Public Member with accounting/business background).

2026 Committee Composition

The committee consists of 10 members (expanding to 12 if pending legislation like AB 77 is finalized), split equally between the cardroom industry and the public.

Member Name	Category / Role	Term Expiry
Trevor Dewar	Category A (Bureau of Gambling Control)	12/31/2026
Sosha Marasigan-Quintero	Category B (Problem Gambling/Addiction)	12/31/2026
Michael Hill	Category C (TPPPS Representative)	12/31/2027
David Fried	Category D (Cardroom with 25+ Tables)	12/31/2026
Michael Koniski	Industry Representative	—
Emmanuel Macalino	Industry Representative	—
Linda Ng	Public Representative	—
John Stacy	Industry Representative	—
Kirill Yermanov	Public Representative	—

Advisors: Lisa Wardall (Executive Director) and Jason Pope (Chief Counsel).

The post CGCC Gaming Policy Advisory Committee (GPAC) Meeting: Jan 20, 2026 appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Compliance Updates

Finland’s Gambling Reform Is Official – What Happens Next?

Published

3 weeks ago

December 16, 2025

Wladimir P.

finland’s-gambling-reform-is-official-–-what-happens-next?

The wait is over: The Finnish Parliament has officially approved the new gambling legislation. In a decisive plenary session, MPs voted 158 in favor to 9 opposed, with 32 abstaining. The text remained unchanged from the version presented in previous weeks, solidifying the framework for Finland’s transition from a monopoly to a licensed market.

With the political uncertainty resolved, the focus now shifts to implementation. For operators, this means the race to compliance—and market entry—has effectively begun.

The Confirmed Timeline

With the legislation passed, the roadmap to the market opening is now set. Operators must use the coming months to prepare for a rigorous licensing process.

Early 2026: The application window is expected to open. The regulator will begin accepting and reviewing license applications.
2026 (Throughout): The “preparatory year.” This period is dedicated to vetting applicants, ensuring technical compliance, and establishing the new supervisory authority.
January 1, 2027: The regulated Finnish market officially opens. Licensed operators can go live with betting and online casino services.

Entering the Finnish Market with Nordic Legal

Navigating a new jurisdiction is complex, but it doesn’t have to be inefficient. With extensive experience advising on gaming licences across the Nordic markets, Nordic Legal brings a proven, practical approach to the Finnish process.

Efficiency Through Synergy If you already work with us in Denmark or Sweden, we ensure your Finnish licence application isn’t a “start from scratch” project. We build directly on our existing knowledge of your organisation and systems.

Your usual Nordic Legal contact will coordinate directly with our Helsinki team at no extra cost. This integrated approach saves you time and avoids the frustration of duplicating work you’ve already done for other Nordic licenses.

Our Approach We focus on smart compliance:

Reusing documentation where regulations overlap.
Anticipating regulatory questions before they are asked.
Aligning requirements for technical standards and responsible gambling.
Engaging constructively with the Finnish authority to ensure a smooth process.

The Finnish Licence Application Package

To support your entry, we offer a comprehensive package designed to handle the heavy lifting:

Translation of all required documents.
Guidance and completion of complex application forms.
Full project management from start to submission.
Direct communication with the Finnish regulator on your behalf.

Next Steps

The window for preparation is narrowing. Contact your usual Nordic Legal advisor today to discuss the new legislation or our Licence Application Package. Alternatively, reach out to us directly to secure your place in Finland’s upcoming regulated market.

The post Finland’s Gambling Reform Is Official – What Happens Next? appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

Compliance Updates

Updated FATF Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions

Published

1 month ago

December 9, 2025

Niji Narayan

updated-fatf-lists-of-high-risk-jurisdictions

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The Danish Gambling Authority has called attention to FATF’s (Financial Action Task Force) updated lists of high-risk jurisdictions: the Grey List (jurisdictions under increased monitoring) and Black List (call for actions). Among other things, gambling operators must include FATF’s lists of high-risk jurisdictions when risk assessing players.

Jurisdictions listed on the Grey List:

Algeria, Angola, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Vietnam, the Virgin Islands and Yemen.

Jurisdictions listed on the Black List:

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran and Myanmar

Gambling operators are required to conduct enhanced customer due diligence (EDD) pursuant to section 17(1) of the Danish AML Act, if a player is assessed to impose a higher risk of the gambling operator being misused for money laundering or terrorist financing.

Gambling operators shall conduct this risk assessment based on Annex 3 to the AML Act (high-risk factors) which includes the FATF high-risk country lists (the so called black list and grey list)

It is not required that gambling operators perform EDD if a country is listed on the FATF’s list. EDD are only a requirement for players from jurisdictions listed in the EU Regulation of High Risk Third Country list pursuant to. 17(2) of the AML Act.

The post Updated FATF Lists of High-risk Jurisdictions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.