The Gambling Commission (GC) has handed Platinum Gaming a £10m penalty over a series of anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility failings.
Platinum Gaming is the licensee through which FDJ United’s Unibet brand operates in the UK.
Platinum Gaming also operates UK.Bingo on a white-label basis.
On the social responsibility front, Platinum Gaming’s customer interaction system failed to identify a player at risk of gambling-related harm, despite them losing £5,000 within 24 hours of registration.
The same player went on to lose more than £16,000 in less than three months with the operator.
A separate customer lost more than £31,000 in nine months, hit their loss limit on six different occasions and showed signs of high-velocity gambling. Platinum Gambling did not interact with the player, as per the GC’s ruling.
Platinum Gaming also failed to identify a player who had exceeded their £2,500 loss limit just 16 minutes after registering their account.
Furthermore, the GC found that one customer was not interacted with during a 23-day period in which they staked £73,000 and lost £4,100.
AML issues
Looking at the AML shortcomings, the GC said the operator’s policy at the time “lacked clarity around the level of customer due diligence and enhanced customer due diligence”.
Platinum Gaming’s money laundering and terrorist financing risk assement also failed to take into account customers who had their accounts closed due to concerns prior to 2023.
In effect, this allowed blocked customers to open new accounts and gamble.
The GC also noted that during customer assessments, high-risk factors such as “high-risk occupation, high levels of transactions through deposits and withdrawals and a high level of loss” were not considered.
The breaches were found to have taken place between January 2023 and May 2024.
Alongside the £10m penalty, Platinum Gaming has also received a warning, will carry out an internal investigation and undergo a third-party audit to ensure it is implementing changes effectively.
The licensee was previously fined £2.9m in 2023 for social responsibility and AML failings. At the time, Kindred Group was not owned by FDJ United.
The £10m penalty is the largest the GC has handed out since William Hill’s record £19.2m settlement was announced in March 2023.
In the intervening period, the largest fine was a £6m penalty given to Gamesys in January 2024.
John Pierce, GC director of enforcement, said: “While industry-wide progress has been made in reducing unchecked high spending, the failings at Platinum Gaming are particularly disappointing.
“The case revealed serious shortcomings in customer interaction systems, including failures to identify and act on clear markers of harm.
“Alongside the £10m financial penalty, this operator is required to conduct a follow-up independent audit and internal investigation – providing regular updates to the commission.
“These added conditions are designed to drive meaningful change, reinforce accountability and embed a culture of compliance.
“Senior leaders must take ownership of compliance outcomes and ensure lessons are embedded across the organisation, supported by structured reporting and board level oversight – and further regulatory activity will remain a possibility.”
EGR has contacted FDJ United for comment.
The post Unibet handed £10m penalty by UK regulator first appeared on EGR Intel.
Gambling Commission reports “serious shortcomings” across customer intervention, with one player allowed to breach £2,500 loss limit within 16 minutes of registering
The post Unibet handed £10m penalty by UK regulator first appeared on EGR Intel.