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UKGC Imposes £1.4M Fine on AG Communications Limited

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has imposed a fine of £1,407,834 on AG Communications Limited for Social Responsibility (SR) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) failures.

The operator, which trades as AspireGlobal and runs 58 websites, will pay the money to socially responsible causes as part of a settlement with the Commission.

Social responsibility failures included:

• not having effective systems in place to prevent customers spending significant amounts of money in a short period of time before an assessment was made as to whether the customer was potentially at risk of gambling related harm. This raised concern that velocity of spend was not identified or acted upon quickly enough

• failing to conduct a safer gambling interaction despite one customer losing £6000 in 48 hours. A telephone interaction was attempted but only when the daily loss limit of £5000 in 24 hours was reached

• one customer was able to deposit and lose £7000 in just over four hours in the early hours. This customer was able to play through the backstop in place at the time due to a system error which failed to prevent the customer from depositing above the backstop limit. A manual review of the customer did not identify the fact they had played through the backstop trigger

• one customer was able to open a significant number of gambling accounts despite the fact they had previously self-excluded.

Anti-money laundering failures included:

• AML/Counter Terrorist Financing (CTF) policies and procedures were too reliant on financial thresholds

• when customers hit a medium, medium/high or high ML risk score they were not subject to a manual Enhanced Customer Due Diligence (ECDD) check until a financial trigger was hit

• when financial thresholds were reached, there were delays in completing ECDD checks. One customer who reached the financial threshold did not have an ECDD review conducted until a week later

• not following its policy regarding ECDD checks. One customer who reached a financial threshold but did not have a high AML risk score, did not have a manual ECDD review until eight days later. This was contrary to AG Communications Limited’s policy.

This is the second time AG Communications Limited is facing regulatory action – in 2022 the operator paid £237,600 for AML failures.

John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, said: “This case marks the second occasion that this operator has been subject to enforcement action. Its failure to uphold anti-money laundering standards, delays in necessary interventions, and deficiencies in social responsibility measures are wholly unacceptable.

“Today’s outcome underscores the gravity of these breaches. It is essential that operators not only implement and maintain robust anti-money laundering policies, procedures, and controls but also act swiftly and decisively in response to any indications of suspicious activity. Effective social responsibility measures must be in place at all times to ensure that consumers identified as at risk receive timely and appropriate intervention.

“This case stands as a clear warning to all operators that repeated regulatory failings will result in increasingly stringent enforcement action.”

The post UKGC Imposes £1.4M Fine on AG Communications Limited appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

AGCO

ThrillTech secures AGCO supplier licence for Ontario launch

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ThrillTech has been awarded a Gaming-Related Supplier licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), clearing the company to launch in Ontario’s regulated market.

The licence allows ThrillTech to deploy its opt-in side bet jackpots technology with regulated online casino, sports betting and lottery operators across the province.

Benjamin Bradtke, Co-Founder of ThrillTech, said: “Securing our AGCO licence is a major step in our mission to transform how jackpots are delivered at scale across regulated markets. This latest certification is testament to our robust technology and trusted compliance frameworks, allowing us to continue our global growth trajectory. We are thrilled to bring our proven, compliant jackpot technology to Ontario, empowering locally licensed operators to uplift revenue without cannibalising existing spend.”

The company said its “ThrillPots” mechanics sit as an independent, player-funded side bet and do not alter the underlying game’s return-to-player mathematics.

ThrillTech said the Ontario approval enables its existing multinational partners that also operate in the province to launch its side bet jackpots locally, while it also holds talks with potential new operator partners. The company lists its regulated footprint as including the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, Malta, Gibraltar, Brazil and Peru.

The post ThrillTech secures AGCO supplier licence for Ontario launch appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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AGCO

ThrillTech wins AGCO supplier licence to enter Ontario market

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ThrillTech said it has been awarded a Gaming-Related Supplier licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), clearing the company to offer its side-bet jackpot technology to regulated online casino, sports betting, and lottery operators in Ontario.

Benjamin Bradtke, Co-Founder of ThrillTech, said: “Securing our AGCO licence is a major step in our mission to transform how jackpots are delivered at scale across regulated markets. This latest certification is testament to our robust technology and trusted compliance frameworks, allowing us to continue our global growth trajectory. We are thrilled to bring our proven, compliant jackpot technology to Ontario, empowering locally licensed operators to uplift revenue without cannibalising existing spend.”

The company said its ThrillPots product lets operators add player-funded, opt-in side-bet jackpots on top of existing games, without changing gameplay or the underlying return-to-player (RTP) calculations. ThrillTech positions the mechanic as a way to drive incremental engagement and revenue.

ThrillTech said the Ontario licence enables existing multinational partners that also operate in the province to roll out ThrillTech-powered jackpots locally, and added it is in discussions with potential new operator partners. The company listed other regulated jurisdictions it serves as the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, Malta, Gibraltar, Brazil, and Peru.

The post ThrillTech wins AGCO supplier licence to enter Ontario market appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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EGBA Files Complaint Against Fintech Walletto Over Illegal Gambling Payments

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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has filed a formal complaint with the Bank of Lithuania against Walletto, a Lithuania-based payment service provider, over the alleged processing of payments linked to illegal online gambling operators. The complaint follows an EGBA investigation into illegal gambling websites and apps targeting European consumers. The complaint cites test transactions during the investigation that found evidence suggesting Walletto’s services were used in connection with deposits on a number of these platforms.

While the complaint concerns one provider, it points to a wider problem across the payments chain. Illegal gambling operators cannot operate at scale without access to payments – they depend on the same mainstream payment methods and card networks consumers use every day. As long as illegal operators can accept deposits and process transactions, they will continue to function outside legally compliant licensing regimes in the EU, evade regulatory controls, and expose consumers to harm.

Illegal platforms offer none of the safeguards required of regulated operators. Consumers using them do not benefit from basic protections – there is no robust identity verification, no safer gambling tools, no anti-money laundering controls and no guarantee their winnings will be paid. With no effective identity checks, minors and self-excluded players can access these sites unimpeded.

A problem across the payments chain

Illegal operators exploit weaknesses across the payments chain – among payment service providers, acquirers, and card networks – to keep reaching European consumers. Tackling this problem requires a more coordinated approach across policymakers, gambling and financial regulators, payment service providers, acquirers and card schemes. Card schemes in particular are uniquely placed to act: they are the rule-setters for the networks through which payments to illegal platforms flow and have access to transaction-level data that other stakeholders cannot see.

The principle is simple: payment providers should not process transactions for illegal gambling operators. EGBA is calling for stronger action to make that a reality. Financial regulators should fully and consistently enforce existing rules – such as the EU’s Payment Services Directive and anti-money laundering laws – against payment providers. Card schemes should also take the necessary steps to prevent payment providers from using their networks to process illegal gambling transactions.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, said: “Payment providers should not be allowed to process transactions for illegal gambling operators. Illegal operators flourish by exploiting legitimate financial channels and the mainstream payment networks that consumers rely on every day. Our aim is simple: to leave them no room to manoeuvre, and to cut off the payment channels they use to reach European consumers. Card schemes also have a crucial role to play in combatting illegal transactions: they are better placed than anyone, as they set the rules for these payment networks and see transaction flows no one else can.”

The post EGBA Files Complaint Against Fintech Walletto Over Illegal Gambling Payments appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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