Australia
AUSTRAC Takes Ladbrokes and Neds’ Operator – Entain – to Federal Court Over Serious Non-compliance with Australia’s Money Laundering Laws
AUSTRAC commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against Entain Group Pty Ltd (Entain), which operates online betting sites including Ladbrokes, Neds and other online betting brands. The proceedings allege serious and systemic non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws.
AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said the agency considers there were systemic failures in Entain’s approach to its AML/CTF obligations.
“AUSTRAC’s proceedings allege that Entain did not develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program and failed to identify and assess the risks it faced. We are alleging this left the company at serious risk of criminal exploitation.
“Money laundering is often a symptom of serious criminal activity, including fraud, scams and corruption, all of which have equally serious effects on our communities,” he said.
AUSTRAC’s allegations include that:
• Entain’s board and senior management did not have appropriate oversight of its AML/CTF program, which limited its ability to identify the ML/TF risks it faced and its vulnerability to criminal exploitation.
• Entain operated a 24/7 business through its website and app, which created risks that persons unknown to Entain could access and use Entain’s betting platform including through third party providers.
• Third parties, including businesses and individuals, accepted cash and other deposits on behalf of Entain to be credited into betting accounts in ways that could obscure the proceeds of crime. Cash is less transparent than other forms of money and is at higher risk of being the proceeds of crime.
• Entain did not have appropriate controls to confirm the identity of customers making these deposits and the source of this money.
• Entain did not conduct appropriate checks on 17 higher risk customers, including examples where Entain did not appropriately deal with the risk that its online betting sites were being exploited by criminals to spend the proceeds of serious crime. This includes allegations that Entain deliberately obscured the identity of some high risk customers, on its own systems, through the use of pseudonyms to “protect their privacy”.
“This is the first time AUSTRAC has brought civil penalty proceedings against businesses operating in the online betting sector, and the Australian arm of Entain is part of one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups,” Mr Thomas said.
“The online betting sector, and all other businesses regulated by AUSTRAC, must take their AML/CTF obligations seriously. This includes ensuring they have appropriate procedures to know who their customer is, even when they rely on third parties to process transactions.”
The action taken is part of AUSTRAC’s ongoing work focussed on gambling businesses in Australia to fight money laundering opportunities in the gambling industry. Following the Federal Court ordering Crown pay $450million in penalties over 2 years in 2023, this year AUSTRAC has seen the Federal Court order SkyCity to pay $63M penalty for breaches to the AML/CTF Act, accept an enforceable undertaking from Sportsbet, continue the Federal Court case against Star and are continuing the regulatory focus on a number of other gambling entities across Australia.
Additionally, the launch of the money laundering National Risk Assessment this year highlighted the highly exposed nature and vulnerability to money laundering online betting agencies face. This valuable resource has been developed support business better understand and develop appropriate measures to mitigate their risks.
It is now a matter for the Federal Court of Australia to determine whether Entain contravened the Act and, if so, what orders to make. AUSTRAC will not provide further comment on this enforcement action while the matter is before the Court.
Non-confidential Court documents related to the Entain matter will be available on the enforcement actions taken page in due course.
“AUSTRAC continues to actively driving out money laundering opportunities in Australia’s gambling industry and we’ll be tireless in our efforts to remove the ability for criminal to use our financial system to their own gain,” Mr Thomas said.
The post AUSTRAC Takes Ladbrokes and Neds’ Operator – Entain – to Federal Court Over Serious Non-compliance with Australia’s Money Laundering Laws appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has fined online bookmaker QuestBet $80,000 for continuing to accept bets from a customer displaying observable signs of gambling-related distress.
Announcing the fine, VGCCC CEO Suzy Neilan said QuestBet’s non-compliance with its gambling harm minimisation obligations was indicative of a concerning culture.
“Our investigation of QuestBet’s practices found the bookmaker failed to have in place adequate systems to protect individuals identifiably at risk of gambling harm,” Ms Neilan said.
“Minimising gambling harm is an obligation every operator holds – including bookmakers – who must monitor customer wellbeing and intervene if they observe signs of distress.
“This substantial penalty demonstrates the seriousness of the bookmaker’s failure to meet its legal and moral obligations.”
The VGCCC investigation was prompted by a complaint from a customer who claimed QuestBet had allowed them to continue betting – and losing – a significant sum of money in a matter of weeks, without intervention.
“We found that between April and June 2023, the customer contacted QuestBet more than 20 times to request additional credits and bonus bets. On 6 occasions, they mentioned having experienced several large losses.
“This was a clear sign that the customer was struggling. A sign that QuestBet chose to ignore, instead encouraging and enabling the customer to keep gambling with the aid of bonus bets in 5 of the 6 occasions.
“Consequently, the customer lost about $15,000 over two months,” Ms Neilan said.
Staff of gambling operators must provide assistance to customers facing negative consequences from their gambling. There is a range of tools and resources staff might suggest to customers in this situation to assist them to, for example, set and track time and money limits, take a break, self-exclude or access help services.
“QuestBet suggested none of these, thereby breaching the Victorian Bookmakers’ Association Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct and causing further distress to the customer.
“Nor did the bookmaker formally respond to our request for an explanation for its lack of care or a reason not to be sanctioned, despite requesting, and being granted, several extensions to do so,” Ms Neilan said.
The post VGCCC Imposes $80,000 Fine on Online Bookmaker QuestBet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Leading gaming law and regulation conference Regulating the Game has announced the appointment of Tracy Parker, Senior Vice-President, Accreditation, Advisory and Insights at the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), to the judging panel for the inaugural RTG Global Awards. Parker will represent RGC, a globally respected independent non-profit dedicated to reducing gambling harm, in assessing nominations across categories recognising leadership, innovation and community impact.
The RTG Global Awards, to be presented at the 2026 Gala Dinner on Tuesday 10 March at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, celebrate excellence across safer gambling, compliance, industry integrity, financial crime risk management and community contribution.
Parker brings nearly 30 years of experience in driving social responsibility and sustainability, and over a decade championing harm minimization throughout the gambling sector. At RGC, she leads the development and implementation of robust standards and assurance programs, helping organizations deliver safer gambling environments and drive continuous improvement. Her previous leadership roles at Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) strengthened responsible gambling policies across multiple gaming verticals.
“RGC is honored to join the judging panel for the inaugural RTG Global Awards and support this important platform which elevates leadership, integrity, and innovation across the gambling sector. At a time when industry transformation and public expectations are accelerating, recognizing organizations that meaningfully prioritize harm prevention and player wellbeing is critical to a safe and sustainable sector. We are proud to be part of this important work,” said Sarah McCarthy, RGC’s Chief Executive Officer.
Founded in Canada, RGC has spent over four decades as a global leader in gambling harm prevention. Through research, education and partnerships with regulators, operators and communities, RGC drives policy and operational improvements to ensure gambling does not harm people or the places they live.
Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and founder of Regulating the Game, said: “Tracy’s leadership and RGC’s global standing in safer gambling make them an ideal addition to the RTG Global Awards judging panel. Their commitment to practical, evidence-informed standards and constructive industry engagement reflects the values we seek to highlight through these awards. We’re delighted to welcome Tracy and RGC to this global initiative.”
The inaugural RTG Global Awards will feature six categories:
• Leadership Voice – for principled, reform-focused leadership contributing to sector uplift
• Safer Gambling Champion – for operators or organisations delivering tangible harm minimisation outcomes
• Compliance Excellence – recognising uplift in AML, risk culture or regulatory compliance
• RegTech Solution of the Year – celebrating innovative technologies improving sector integrity and compliance
• Community Impact Initiative – for initiatives delivering measurable community benefit
• Emerging Leader – Safer Gambling or Compliance – spotlighting rising talent (under 40) making meaningful contributions.
The post Tracy Parker Joins Judging Panel for Inaugural RTG Global Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Groundbreaking products and systems from JCM Global (JCM) have transformed the global gaming industry, and at AGE 2025, JCM will be at stand #934 celebrating 70 years of industry-leading innovations.
“For 70 years at JCM, the spirit of innovation has been the driving force of our global design and development teams, who continue to create leading technologies. We invite the industry to join us at stand #934 at AGE to celebrate our history of creating solutions that operators rely on to boost security, increase efficiencies, and enhance the guest experience,” said JCM Asia-Pacific General Manager Ian Payne.
At the stand, JCM will showcase its award-winning bill validators: iVIZION and UBA Pro. These best-in-class technologies are proven to provide the highest levels of security and acceptance in automated transaction applications.
JCM is one of the industry’s most prolific innovators and will present multiple pioneering solutions. FUZION offers a full suite of features, including BLE mobile wallet connectivity, real-time peripheral performance data, proactive drop/fill alerts, real-time asset monitoring and more. JCM will also feature the ICB Intelligent Cash Box system, which is proven to eliminate multiple points of human error for a streamlined and more compliant drop process.
Additionally, JCM will display its trusted GEN5 and CouponXpress thermal printers, the standard in the gaming industry. These reliable, smart printers give casino operators the flexibility and power they need to communicate accurately and directly with players through TITO tickets and promotional coupons.
“In Australia, and around the world, operators rely on solutions from JCM, and we are thrilled to celebrate our 70th anniversary while also creating forward-thinking technology roadmaps for our customers,” Payne said.
The post JCM Global Celebrates 70 Years of Industry-leading Innovation at AGE appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Australia6 days agoTracy Parker Joins Judging Panel for Inaugural RTG Global Awards
-
Australia6 days ago
JCM Global Celebrates 70 Years of Industry-leading Innovation at AGE
-
Asia6 days ago
Philippine Senate to Launch Inquiry into Online Gaming industry
-
Australia5 days ago
VGCCC Imposes $80,000 Fine on Online Bookmaker QuestBet
-
Asia5 days ago
Faster Guest Entry at Korea’s INSPIRE Entertainment Resort’s Casino, Powered by Regula’s Technology
-
Latest News3 days ago
Be Heard Above the Noise: Booming Games’ Dorota Gruszka on Standing Out in the Crowded Slot Studio Market
-
illegal gambling5 days agoColjuegos Transfers More Than $127M to the Subsidized Health System in Colombia During H1 2025
-
Ezugi6 days ago
Live-dealer specialist Ezugi to provide immersive casino experiences to SkillOnNet’s Brazilian platforms
