Compliance Updates
UKGC: Systemic failings at Caesars Entertainment UK leads to the departure of three senior managers and sanctions of £13m
The UK Gambling Commission has announced that Caesars Entertainment UK Limited is to pay £13m and must implement a series of improvements following a catalogue of social responsibility, money laundering and customer interaction failures including those involving ‘VIPs’.
As a result of this investigation three senior managers at the company surrendered their personal licences.
The Regulator’s investigations into Personal Management Licence holders are ongoing.
The land-based gambling business, which operates 11 casinos across Britain, will pay the money following an investigation by the Commission which found serious systematic failings in the way the company took decisions about VIP customers between January 2016 and December 2018.
Social responsibility failings included:
- Inadequate interaction with a customer who was known to have previously self-excluded and lost £240,000 over a 13-month period
- Inadequate interaction with a customer who lost £323,000 in a 12-month period and had displayed signs of problem gambling which included 30 sessions exceeding five hours
- A customer allowed to lose £18,000 in a year despite identifying herself as a self-employed nanny and informing staff that her savings had been spent, and that she was borrowing money from family and using an overdraft facility to fund gambling activities
- Inadequate interaction with, and source of funds checks on, a customer who identified as a retired postman and lost £15,000 in 44 days.
Money laundering failings included:
- The operator not carrying out adequate source of funds checks on a customer who was allowed to drop around £3.5 million and lose £1.6 million over a period of three months.
- The operator not obtaining adequate evidence of source of funds for a politically exposed person (PEP) who lost £795,000 during a 13-month period
- The operator not carrying out enhanced customer due diligence (ECDD) checks on a consumer who lost £240,000 over a 13-month period
- The operator not carrying out adequate source of funds checks on a customer who identified as a waitress and was allowed to buy-in £87,000 and lose £15,000 during a 12-month period.
Neil McArthur, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “We have published this case at this time because it’s vitally important that the lessons are factored into the work the industry is currently doing to address poor practices of VIP management in which we must see rapid progress made.
“The failings in this case are extremely serious. A culture of putting customer safety at the heart of business decisions should be set from the very top of every company and Caesars failed to do this. We will now continue to investigate the individual licence holders involved with the decisions taken in this case.
“In recent times the online sector has received the greatest scrutiny around VIP practices but VIP practices are found right across the industry and our tough approach to compliance and enforcement will continue, whether a business is on the high street or online.
“We are absolutely clear about our expectations of operators – whatever type of gambling they offer they must know their customers. They must interact with them and check what they can afford to gamble with – stepping in when they see signs of harm. Consumer safety is non-negotiable.”
All £13m from this case will be directed towards delivering the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.
The action against Caesars is the latest in a line of tough regulatory action by the Commission.
Since January the Commission has suspended the operating licences of Stakers Limited, Addison Global Limited, and Multi Media International Limited.
So far this year regulatory action has led to the industry paying £27 million in penalty packages. This includes £11.6 million for Betway and £3 million for Mr Green.
Read public statement about Caesars Entertainment here.
Source: UKGC
The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) has for the first time imposed a fine of €734,000 on one of its licensees because the company failed to adequately protect young adults against excessive gambling and gambling addiction.
Gambling companies have a duty of care and must protect players as much as possible against excessive gambling and gambling addiction. According to the KSA, the provider in question has not sufficiently complied with this duty of care and will be fined for this.
The KSA started an investigation after signals about large losses suffered by young adults. In this investigation, a selection of 10 of the player files with the largest losses were examined at the provider, whereby violations were found in all files. These were young adult players (18 to 23 years old) who gambled away tens of thousands of euros in often a relatively short period of time.
Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the board of the KSA, said: “We have a licensed gambling market based on the idea that anyone who wants to gamble can do so safely. That is why providers have a duty of care towards their players and must respond adequately to excessive gaming. Major losses are an important signal of that. We have intensified our supervision of the online duty of care and we take tough action against violations such as those we find here, because we really do not want to see providers continue to fail in their duty of care, especially for vulnerable young players.”
The post KSA: Fine of €734,000 Imposed for Breach of Duty of Care appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Aviatrix has received certification to offer its award-winning crash game to operators in Estonia.
It marks the latest regulated market that Aviatrix has entered into, with the game already live in the country with leading brand FenixBet.
Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, said: “Securing certification in Estonia is another exciting step forward for Aviatrix as we continue to expand into regulated markets. We’re thrilled to already be live with FenixBet and look forward to delivering our innovative crash game experience to even more players in the country.”
Aviatrix has added a host of regulated markets over recent months, including Spain, Colombia, Brazil and Peru.
It underlines the team’s commitment to bringing the game to players around the world.
Aviatrix is a constantly evolving game, with regular feature updates for partners, including the recent launch of free bets, now available through in-game promo codes.
The post Aviatrix granted certification in Estonia appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Playbook Fusion has been awarded a supplier licence from the UK Gambling Commission, granting it access to one of the most significant online betting markets in the world.
The approval means Playbook Fusion can offer its flagship Playbook Football™ title to UK-licensed operators for the first time, building yet more momentum behind the rising star studio.
Playbook Fusion made its debut in June 2024 with a mission to bring never-seen-before sports gaming content to the market.
This is done by enabling the worlds of sports betting and mobile/video gaming to collide in an entirely new genre of immersive sports-themed games.
Playbook Fusion’s unique wagering experience is showcased through Playbook Football™, a football strategy betting game where players build their own teams, compete in matches, earn rewards and climb divisions while placing bets.
UK operators who have an RGS integration with Games Global will be able to get first access to Playbook Football™.
Steve Rogers, Founder and CEO of Playbook Fusion, said: “Securing our licence from the UK Gambling Commission is a key moment for Playbook Fusion, granting us access to one of the most established online gambling markets in the world.
“Being able to satisfy the stringent criteria set out by the UKGC is a testament to the strength of the team which we have built at Playbook Fusion and, to achieve this milestone within such a short time period, is an accomplishment that we’re incredibly proud of. “
The post Playbook Fusion secures UK Gambling Commission licence appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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