BGO Entertainment, GAN Plc and NetBet have been targeted by the UK Gambling Commission for failing to meet standards for consumer protection and preventing money laundering.
The licenses of BGO and Gan PLC were reviewed and have had new conditions imposed on those licenses. All three companies will also have to improve their policies and procedures and make payments to advance the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.
According to reports, BGO – which will pay £2 million to support the strategy – was found to have held systemic failings with its social responsibility and AML controls. The commission said the operator had failed to undertake “enhanced due diligence” on its top 250 customers, a key condition that operators must fulfil under UK Money Laundering Regulations of 2017. The company also maintained inadequate record-keeping of customer interactions and its responsibility checks.
Meanwhile, GAN PLC will pay £146,000 having been found to have failed on four conditions related to social responsibility, risk assessment and AML provisions recorded between August 2018 and September 2019.
NetBet will pay £748,000 to progress the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, as a consequence of inadequate AML controls and significant shortcomings for its responsible gambling policies and procedures.
Richard Watson, executive director at the Gambling Commission, said: “Licensees must protect consumers from harm and treat them fairly. Our recent investigations uncovered a variety of consumer protection and anti-money laundering failings at each of these three operators and as a result we are using a range of enforcement tools against them. We will continue to crack down on failing operators through our tough and proactive compliance and enforcement work.”
