Compliance Updates

UKGC: Entain to pay £17 million for regulatory failures

Published

3 years ago

August 18, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

A gambling business is to pay £17 million for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures at its online and land-based businesses.

Entain Group will pay £14 million for failures at its online business LC International Limited which runs 13 websites including ladbrokes .com, coral.co.uk and foxybingo .com.

It will also pay £3 million for failures at its Ladbrokes Betting & Gaming Limited operation which runs 2,746 gambling premises across Britain.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

All £17 million will be directed towards socially responsible purposes as part of a regulatory settlement.

Additional licence conditions will also be added to ensure a business board member oversees an improvement plan, and that a third-party audit to review its compliance with the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice takes place within 12 months.

Andrew Rhodes, Gambling Commission chief executive, said: “Our investigation revealed serious failures that have resulted in the largest enforcement outcome to date.

“There were completely unacceptable anti-money laundering and safer gambling failures. Operators are reminded they must never place commercial considerations over compliance.

“This is the second time this operator has fallen foul of rules in place to make gambling safer and crime free.

“They should be aware that we will be monitoring them very carefully and further serious breaches will make the removal of their licence to operate a very real possibility. We expect better and consumers deserve better.”

Social responsibility failures include:

being slow to interact with, or not interacting with, certain customers in a way which minimised their risk of experiencing harms associated with gambling – the operator conducted just one chat interaction with an online customer who spent extended periods gambling overnight during an 18-month period in which they deposited £230,845
allowing customers subject to enquiries and restrictions to open multiple accounts with the Licensee’s other brands – one online customer who was blocked with Coral because they had spent £60,000 in 12 months and failed to provide Source of Funds (SOF) was immediately able to open an account with Ladbrokes and deposit £30,000 in a single day
one shop customer was not escalated for a safer gambling review by either the shop or support office teams despite staking £29,372 and losing £11,345 in a single month
overseeing the failure of local staff or area managers to escalate potential concerns with customers sooner – one shop customer was not escalated despite being known to be a delivery driver who had lost £17,000 in a year and another was not escalated despite staking £173,285 and losing £27,753 over the same time period.

Anti-money laundering failures include:

failing to conduct an adequate risk assessment of the risks of their online business being used for money laundering and terrorist financing
allowing online customers to deposit large amounts without carrying out sufficient SOF checks – one consumer was allowed to deposit £742,000 in 14 months without appropriate SOF checks and another, who was known to live in social housing, was allowed to deposit £186,000 in six months without sufficient SOF checks
failing to conduct enhanced customer due diligence checks soon enough – one online customer was allowed to deposit £524,501 between December 2019 and October 2020 before the operator closed the account due to the customer failing to supply SOF evidence
placing excessive reliance on open-source information – one online consumer was allowed to deposit £140,700 between December 2019 and October 2020 but prior to a SOF check in August 2020, the operator based its knowledge of the customer’s source of wealth on open-source searches
allowing customers to stake large amounts of money without having been monitored or scrutinised – one betting shop customer was allowed to stake a total of £168,000 on shop terminals over eight months before the operator carried out due diligence checks.

Compliance Updates

Exclusive Commentary from Vixio On Their AML Outlook Findings

Published

7 hours ago

May 9, 2025

George Miller

exclusive-commentary-from-vixio-on-their-aml-outlook-findings

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Your recent AML Outlook report highlights over €36 million in fines issued across Europe in just one year. What recurring weaknesses or compliance gaps are regulators most commonly identifying in payments and e-money firms?

John Gidla (JG): Regulators continue to flag underinvestment in anti-financial crime controls as a key concern for payments and e-money firms. Common themes include weak governance, limited oversight, and fragmented controls, all of which increase vulnerability to financial crime. There’s a growing expectation that firms scale their compliance frameworks in line with their risk exposure and growth trajectory

The report mentions that AML compliance can be costly—yet the reputational and financial risks of non-compliance are even greater. What are the most cost-effective measures firms can implement today to strengthen their AML frameworks without overwhelming their budgets?

JG: While not all firms can afford advanced compliance tools, strong governance remains one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce risk. Practical steps such as training staff on emerging threats, embedding a culture of accountability, and regularly updating frameworks as the business grows can go a long way in strengthening AML resilience without major spend.

With the creation of the EU’s new AMLA authority, do you expect a more consistent and centralized enforcement approach across Europe? How might this change how firms prepare for inspections and adapt their compliance strategies?

JG: AMLA has the potential to bring greater consistency to AML enforcement across the EU, addressing long-standing issues caused by fragmented supervision and uneven implementation by national authorities. Its impact will depend on how much direct oversight it gains, how assertively it acts on cross-border risks, and whether it can close the regulatory gaps that have permitted high-profile scandals. Firms should expect more rigorous and standardised inspections and will need to ensure their compliance programmes are not only locally robust, but scalable across jurisdictions.

Vixio emphasizes the importance of a proactive rather than reactive compliance culture. In your view, what does a ‘proactive’ AML strategy look like in 2025, and what technologies or best practices are leading firms adopting to stay ahead?

JG: A truly proactive AML strategy in 2025 extends beyond technology to encompass a strong compliance culture at every level of the organisation. Leading firms understand that combating financial crime isn’t just the responsibility of the compliance team — it’s integrated into day-to-day operations, with senior leadership driving risk awareness across departments. In terms of technology, firms are increasingly adopting AI, machine learning, and automated monitoring systems to detect suspicious activity early and reduce human error. However, culture plays a critical role; firms that foster a compliance-first mindset and invest in ongoing staff training are better positioned to adapt to emerging threats and ensure that their compliance frameworks evolve in step with business growth and digital transformation. A proactive approach also means constantly reassessing risk and using data to predict and prevent issues, rather than just reacting to them. With regulations in constant flux, and regulators ramping up enforcement, proactive compliance looks like implementing strategies to anticipate regulations, not just react to them. In Vixio’s PC Outlook Report, we found that a clear majority of firms surveyed are using some form of outsourcing for their compliance functionality, turning to firms like Vixio to get ahead of regulatory change.

Thanks to John Gidla, Head of Payments Compliance at Vixio, for his insightful responses.

The post Exclusive Commentary from Vixio On Their AML Outlook Findings appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

BetUS

MGCB Issues Cease-and-Desist Order to BetUS

Published

7 hours ago

May 9, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

mgcb-issues-cease-and-desist-order-to-betus

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has issued a cease-and-desist order to BetUS, an offshore gambling operator, for illegally offering internet gaming and sports betting to Michigan residents without proper licensure.

Investigations by the MGCB revealed that BetUS was accepting wagers from Michigan residents on various gambling activities, including sports and casino-style games, without the necessary state authorization. This operation violates Michigan’s Lawful Internet Gaming Act, the Gaming Control and Revenue Act, and the Michigan Penal Code.

“Unlicensed operators like BetUS undermine the integrity of Michigan’s regulated gaming market and expose consumers to potential risks. The MGCB is committed to protecting Michigan residents by ensuring that all gambling activities are conducted legally and responsibly,” said Henry Williams, Executive Director of MGCB.

The cease-and-desist order mandates that BetUS immediately halt all operations involving Michigan residents. The company has 14 days to comply or face further legal action in coordination with the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

The post MGCB Issues Cease-and-Desist Order to BetUS appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Compliance Updates

Peru Reports 40% Drop in Illegal Online Gambling

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

peru-reports-40%-drop-in-illegal-online-gambling

Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) reported that, a little more than a year after having implemented the law that regulates the online sector, it has been able to reduce by 40% the offer of illegal games in digital platforms and applications.

In a public statement, the Executive portfolio in charge of regulating gambling also highlighted that, thanks to the inspection work, 15% of the illegal websites “have left the Peruvian market” and that “payment methods providers and financial entities have been contacted to block services to unauthorized operators”.

Based on this, Mincetur highlighted that “Peru has managed to position itself as a regional referent in the integral regulation of gambling” and that, through the normative framework, it was possible to “protect the consumer, guarantee transparency in the operations and promote the formal and sustainable economic development”.

The Ministry highlighted that with the implementation of Law No 31557, which regulates sports betting and online games, “the country became the third country in Latin America to establish clear regulations for this activity”.

“Since its entry into force in February 2024, 60 technological platforms have been authorized and 280 linked service providers have been registered, as well as the accreditation of nine international certification laboratories,” Mincetur said.

In this regard, the Ministry stated that “this regulation has made it possible to formalize the digital sector, promoting an environment of trust for both operators and users.” At the same time, it has allowed “new investment opportunities, boosting the digitalization of entertainment and strengthening the country’s tax collection”.

The post Peru Reports 40% Drop in Illegal Online Gambling appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.