Compliance Updates
DGA: Three Orders and One Reprimand Issued to Mr. Green Limited for Breach of the Anti-Money Laundering Act
On April 10th, 2024, the Danish Gambling Authority has issued three orders to Mr. Green Limited for breaching the Anti-Money Laundering Act, on risk assessment, on procedures for internal controls and for failing to ensure that controls are carried out.
On April 10th, 2024, the Danish Gambling Authority has also given Mr. Green Limited a reprimand for breaching the rules on notification in the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
The reactions have been given in connection with the Danish Gambling Authority’s inspection of Mr. Green Limited’s materials that Mr. Green Limited has provided for compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Order for insufficient risk assessment
Order (a) is issued because Mr. Green’s risk assessment is insufficient, as no separate risk assessment has been made of the individual identified risks associated with Mr. Green’s business model, including payment solutions, and the risk factors associated with it. It follows from section 7(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act that undertakings subject to the Act must identify and assess the risk that the undertaking may be misused for money laundering or terrorist financing. The Danish Gambling Authority’s assesses that the risk assessment must include a separate assessment of the risk of the individual payment solutions and delivery channels, as well as a separate risk assessment of the risk factors associated with these. Thus, Mr. Green did not comply with the risk assessment obligation.
Order for insufficient and lack of business procedures
Order (b) is issued because Mr. Green Limited does not have adequate procedures for internal controls, as these do not describe the interval at which controls should be performed. The order has also been given because Mr. Green Limited does not have written procedures on how to monitor that controls are carried out. It follows from section 8(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act that undertakings subject to the Act must have adequate written business procedures, which must include internal control. The business procedures should describe how the listed areas are handled in practice. The requirement for internal control also means that there must be controls of whether the controls are being carried out – in other words, that the controls are being checked. Mr. Green Limited has not sufficiently complied with the commitments on business procedures for controls.
Order for lack of documentation of controls
Order (c) is issued because Mr. Green Limited has not documented that controls have been carried out to verify that the internal controls have been performed. It follows from section 8(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act that undertakings subject to the Act must document the controls that have been carried out. Thus, Mr. Green Limited has not complied with the obligations to perform controls to ensure that the internal controls are performed.
Reprimand for not making an immediate notification
Reprimand (a) is given because Mr. Green Limited has in two cases not complied with the requirement for immediate notification to the Money Laundering Secretariat. According to section 26(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, an undertaking must immediately notify the Money Laundering Secretariat if the undertaking knows, suspects or has reasonable grounds to suspect that a transaction, funds or activity is or has been related to money laundering or terrorist financing. Mr. Green has not complied with the notification obligations, as there has been no immediate notification.
Duty to act
The orders entail an obligation to act on the part of Mr. Green Limited. Mr. Green Limited must submit a revised risk assessment within June 10th, 2024.
Mr. Green must also within June 10th, 2024, submit a revised business procedure for internal controls and submit prepared business procedures for how the implementation of controls is monitored.
Mr. Green Limited must also submit documentation within October 10th, 2024, that it has been controlled that the controls have been carried out.
The reprimand does not entail any obligation to act on the part of Mr. Green Limited as the breach no longer exists.
The post DGA: Three Orders and One Reprimand Issued to Mr. Green Limited for Breach of the Anti-Money Laundering Act appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Entain has officially urged the UK’s Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to ban Premier League clubs from accepting sponsorship from gambling operators that lack a UK license. The call was made in response to the IFR’s Second Licensing Consultation (CP 2/26), in which the IFR is seeking views on a new club licensing regime for the top five tiers of English men’s football.
The IFR’s draft already prohibits English football clubs from accepting income “connected to serious criminal conduct”. Entain is asking the regulator to confirm, in a single line of guidance, that the rule covers the unlicensed gambling operators currently sponsoring six Premier League clubs – operators that commit a criminal offence under section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005 every time they accept a bet from a British consumer.
Stella David, Chief Executive of Entain plc, said: “Premier League clubs are being sponsored by criminal gambling firms. The Independent Football Regulator can stop this tomorrow by simply acknowledging that unlicensed gambling companies targeting UK customers through English football are breaking the law – plain and simple. The regulator does not need any new powers, new legislation, or even a new rule to make this happen. In fact, it has already drafted one. We are asking the regulator to define and apply it before the next season begins. The IFR was created to fix English football’s governance failures. This is one of them.”
The scale of the unlicensed market is significant and growing. Research by Frontier Economics, commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council, found that 1.5 million Britons stake £4.3 billion a year on unlicensed sites, which already account for 9% of the total UK gambling market, according to analysis by Yield Sec. One in five 18-to-24-year-olds has used illegal channels. An estimated 420,000 British schoolchildren are gambling on the black market, routed there through social media, VPNs and crypto wallets. The Gambling Commission has found that 67% of GamStop users (people who have actively excluded themselves from licensed gambling) report being targeted by black market advertising. Unlicensed operators conduct no affordability checks, offer no self-exclusion tools and answer to no regulator.
Football is one of the black market’s most effective acquisition channels. Research by WARC, commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council, projects that unlicensed gambling sponsorship will account for more than half of all UK sports sponsorship spend by October 2027, with unregulated firms set to triple their spend on 2019/2020 levels. Yield Sec analysis found that 92% of online betting content in certain social media categories directs users to unlicensed sites. A 2024 audit by Deal Me Out found that 84% of relevant content creators reviewed promoted unlicensed operators.
Entain’s submission to the IFR sets out four specific recommendations:
• Confirm in guidance that income from gambling operators conducting unlicensed activity in the UK constitutes funds “connected to serious criminal conduct” for the IFR’s draft Annex B, Part IV.
• Add a board attestation to the Annual Declaration requiring directors to verify the licence status of any gambling operator with which the club holds a significant commercial arrangement. Annual Declarations are signed by directors and carry legal consequences for false attestation. A vague governance principle cannot create the same accountability.
• Strengthen the Football Club Corporate Governance Code to require boards to treat reputational risk from commercial partnerships as a standing governance responsibility, and to demonstrate proportionate oversight of partners in sectors associated with consumer harm.
• Publish general guidance applicable to all licensed clubs, setting out the due diligence and notification obligations that apply to gambling commercial partners. Entain argues that a club-by-club Discretionary Licence Condition approach is inadequate for what is plainly a market-wide problem: systemic risks require systemic responses.
The IFR’s consultation comes ahead of a forthcoming consultation by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on banning unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring British sports teams.
Entain has also written to Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League, urging an immediate voluntary ban on sponsorship and advertising by unlicensed operators ahead of the 2026/27 season.
The post Entain Urges IFR to Ban Illegal Gambling Sponsorship appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
PlaySmart, a B2C online gaming operator, has been granted an Isle of Man gambling licence by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC).
The company said the approval supports its strategic expansion into the B2C market. Local iGaming consultancy firm SolutionsHub supported PlaySmart through the licensing process.
PlaySmart is part of the PlayGaming Group, described as a technology-led gaming platform provider. The group said the licence enables PlaySmart to offer services directly to players under the Isle of Man’s regulatory framework.
Nikola Trajkov, CEO at PlaySmart, said: “Securing an Isle of Man licence represents a major step forward for PlaySmart. As we expand into the B2C space, it was important for us to align with a jurisdiction known for its regulatory integrity and long-term stability.
The Isle of Man provides the certainty and strength that support sustainable growth. This licence allows us to move forward confidently as we continue building a scalable, player-focused business.”
James O’Kelly, Head of Corporate Development at SolutionsHub, added: “It has been a pleasure to support PlaySmart through the Isle of Man licensing process. The team demonstrated a clear commitment to high standards and operational readiness, and we look forward to seeing them grow their B2C offering from the Isle of Man.”
Lyle Wraxall, Chief Executive at Digital Isle of Man, added: “We are pleased to welcome PlaySmart to the Isle of Man’s iGaming sector. The Island continues to attract forward-thinking businesses that value strong regulation, long-term stability and a collaborative ecosystem. PlaySmart’s move into B2C reflects the confidence that technology-led operators place in the Island’s regulatory framework as a foundation for sustainable growth.”
The post PlaySmart secures Isle of Man gambling licence for B2C push appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
AGCO
AGCO Takes Enforcement Action Against Two Companies for Allowing Their Games on Unregulated Gaming Websites
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has served Relax Gaming Limited and Arrise Solutions Limited with Orders of Monetary Penalties of $40,000 each. The penalties follow an AGCO investigation that found games created by these companies were available on unregulated gambling websites accessible to Ontario players. Operators of gaming websites that are accessible within Ontario must be registered with the AGCO.
Ontario’s regulated iGaming market is built on clear, enforceable standards that require operators to include strong consumer protections, such as game integrity and responsible gaming safeguards. Unregulated gaming sites do not guarantee player protections or information security and increase the potential risk of harm to players and criminal activity, such as money-laundering and match-fixing. That is why the AGCO actively works to combat unlawful gaming in Ontario.
Relax Gaming and Arrise Solutions are both registered by the AGCO to create and supply slot and casino-style games for play on Ontario’s regulated gaming sites. The AGCO prohibits companies operating in the regulated iGaming market from offering their products to unregulated gaming websites available to Ontario players. Supplying games to such sites helps to sustain unregulated gaming operations.
The AGCO aims to disrupt unregulated gaming and its supply chains to safeguard Ontarians and maintain gaming integrity in the province. The agency monitors the market for regulated entities supplying the unregulated sector.
Following notification from AGCO investigators, both companies cooperated fully with the investigation and took prompt action to restrict access to their games by Ontario players on unregulated sites.
“Ontario’s regulated iGaming market is built on clear rules designed to protect players and hold companies accountable. Unregulated gaming sites operate outside that framework, meaning players have no assurance of fair games, timely withdrawals, or access to meaningful dispute resolution. When regulated games appear on unregulated sites, it risks enabling a market that exposes players to real harm,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of AGCO.
The post AGCO Takes Enforcement Action Against Two Companies for Allowing Their Games on Unregulated Gaming Websites appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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