Compliance Updates

UKGC Imposes £780,000 Fine on Buzz Group

Published

3 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.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

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.”

Compliance Updates

Stakelogic Secures License to the newly regulated Danish market

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

George Miller

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Industry-leading provider secures license to provide slots and live content in Denmark

Award-winning casino content provider Stakelogic has obtained a license from the Danish Gambling Authority, Spillemyndigheden, to provide its gaming content in Denmark.

The license will allow Stakelogic to bring its premium portfolio of online casino slots and live dealer content to the Danish market, including recent releases like Fire and Gold Cluster Breaker, Super Wheel Game Show, Trident of Legends, and The Watcher.

Stakelogic is able to partner up with leading Danish operators, establishing itself as a must-have provider in the country. The move further highlights Stakelogic’s commitment to strengthening its position in the European market and exploring new and exciting regulated markets.

The license also further cements the company’s presence in the Scandinavian markets, having secured a license from the Swedish authority, Spelinspektionen, in 2023 and establishing itself as a popular provider among Swedish players.

Denmark is one of Europe’s fastest-growing markets, with a strong focus on customer care and responsible gambling. Stakelogic is proud to have met all the requirements needed to obtain the license, highlighting its commitment to providing players with the best and safest gaming experiences.

Stephan van den Oetelaar, CEO at Stakelogic, said: “Denmark is one of the fastest growing markets in Europe, and we are proud to have achieved a license to the newly regulated market.

We are grateful to Spillemyndigheden for their support in us and we are excited to take our next steps into the market.”

The post Stakelogic Secures License to the newly regulated Danish market appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Compliance Updates

UKGC Appoints Charles Counsell OBE as Interim Chair

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Niji Narayan

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Charles Counsell OBE has been appointed as Interim Chair of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for a nine month term which will commence on 1 February 2025.

Charles was Chief Executive Officer of The Pensions Regulator from April 2019 to March 2023. Prior to this he was CEO of the Money Advice Service, and Executive Director of Automatic Enrolment at The Pensions Regulator.

As CEO of The Pensions Regulator, Charles developed the new corporate strategy to put the pension saver at the heart of the Regulator. He delivered their first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Climate Change strategies – both focused on driving change in the regulator and across the Pensions Sector.

Throughout his career, his roles have focused on setting up and delivering large change programmes requiring significant stakeholder relationship engagement: initially in the private sector and latterly in senior public sector appointments.

The post UKGC Appoints Charles Counsell OBE as Interim Chair appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Compliance Updates

SYNOT Games Secures Danish License

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

SYNOT Games has obtained a B2B online slot games supplier license in Denmark, authorising the company to supply its gaming content within Denmark’s regulated market. This B2B license, issued by the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden), becomes effective on January 1, 2025, aligning with new regulatory requirements mandating that all game suppliers hold such a license from that date forward.

This development enables SYNOT Games to offer its portfolio of slot games to Danish operators, reinforcing its commitment to compliance and responsible gaming practices.

“Obtaining the B2B license from the Danish Gambling Authority marks a significant milestone for us in the Danish market. This license not only aligns with new regulatory requirements but also reinforces our commitment to adhering to the highest industry standards. We are thrilled to continue offering Danish players the immersive gaming experience our portfolio provides,” said Martina Krajčí, CCO of SYNOT Games.

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