In the wake of a thorough investigation, online gambling operator Gamesys Operations Limited is set to pay a hefty £6 million penalty due to identified shortcomings in social responsibility and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures.
Gamesys Operations Limited, managing 16 websites, including notable ones like ballycasino.co.uk, doublebubblebingo.com, jackpotjoy.com, and megawayscasino.com, will undergo a third-party audit to ensure the effective implementation of its anti-money laundering and safer gambling policies, procedures, and controls.
The regulatory lapses came to light during a compliance assessment conducted by the Commission in May 2022. Social responsibility failures were highlighted, including the inappropriate reliance on certain checks, insufficiently responsive deposit limits, and inadequate interaction with customers experiencing gambling-related harms.
Kay Roberts, Executive Director of Operations, emphasized the regulator's commitment to ensuring fair, safe, and crime-free gambling. Roberts stated, "Our focus as a regulator is to ensure that operators are employing policies and procedures which make gambling fair, safe, and crime-free. We take this responsibility extremely seriously, and whenever we find failures in policies and procedures, then the business can expect significant regulatory action."
Anti-money laundering failures were also identified, including instances where customers could evade AML triggers/thresholds, conducting inadequate customer due diligence, and having an insufficient 'Reinvestment of winnings policy.'
The regulatory breaches occurred between November 2021 and July 2022. Gamesys Operations Limited is now obligated to address these deficiencies and implement corrective measures to uphold industry standards and compliance moving forward.
Commentaires