The UK gambling regulator announced that a record £19.2-million monetary penalty is set to be paid by three gambling businesses owned by William Hill Group as a result of anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings.
As unveiled by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) the overall fine amounts to £19.2 million. Of that, £12.5 million will be paid by WHG (International) Limited which runs williamhill.com, while Mr Green Limited, which operates mrgreen.com, and William Hill Organization Limited, which operates a total of 1,344 gambling premises across the UK, are set to pay £3.7 million and £3 million, respectively.
The chief executive officer of the UK gambling watchdog, Andrew Rhodes, shared that the regulatory body’s investigation into the businesses operations uncovered so many alarming failures that the UKGC seriously considered a potential licence suspension. The Gambling Commission eventually opted for the largest enforcement payment in the regulator’s history because the operator recognised its social responsibility and AML failures immediately and collaborated with the watchdog to make sure improvements were swiftly implemented.
The latest regulatory action of the UKGC comes only a week after two gambling businesses owned by Kindred Group Plc were fined a combined £7.2 million. As mentioned above, it features the largest enforcement monetary penalty that has ever been imposed by the UK gambling regulator. The previous largest was the £17-million fine imposed by the Commission on Entain in August 2022.
Since the beginning of 2022, the UK Gambling Commission has taken unprecedented action against the local gambling sector. It concluded 26 enforcement cases in a little more than a year, with gambling companies forced to pay more than £76 million in financial penalties as a result of their regulatory failures. According to Mr Rhodes, there have already been indications that the industry is making efforts to make its products and services safer and reduce the potential entry of criminal funds.
WHG (International) Limited to Pay £12.5 Million for Gambling Regulation Failings
The investigation against WHG (International) Limited, which currently operates williamhill.com under a Combined Remote Operating Licence No. 000-039225-R-319373-011, followed a compliance assessment that ended up with a regulatory review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005.
The probe found some failures in the business’ processes aimed at the provision of safer gambling and the prevention of money laundering. The UK Gambling Commission found that the company failed to comply with multiple Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) in the period from May 2020 and October 18th, 2021. The failures involved:
The UK gambling regulator took into account the remedial action taken by the operator. Apart from the £12.5-million payment in lieu of a further financial penalty, the company would also face additional licence conditions.
Mr Green Faces £3.75-Million Fine Due to Multiple Regulatory Failures
Mr Green Limited, which operates mrgreen.com under the Combined Remote Operating Licence No. 000-039264-R-319432-019, also faced an investigation followed by a UKGC compliance assessment. As a result, the gambling regulator commenced a regulatory review of the operator’s licence under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 and found failures in the business processes aimed at ensuring safer gambling and preventing money laundering.
The Gambling Commission revealed there are some variances in the starting date for the breach but all violations of the licensee fall within the common period between September 20th, 2020 and October 22nd, 2021. In the aforementioned period, Mr Green Limited was found to have:
As mentioned above, the company is set to pay £3.75 million for its gambling regulation failings. The UKGC also noted that Mr Green is to vary its licence in order to add more licence conditions. The watchdog explained that when determining the penalty, it took into account the remedial action taken by the company.
William Hill Organization Limited Fined Almost £3 Million for SR and ML Failings
The investigation into the operations of William Hill Organization Limited was initiated as part of the company’s Combined Non-Remote Operating Licence No. 000-002752-N-102413-014 review that was carried out by the UK Gambling Commission under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005.
The regulatory review found that between January 1st, 2020 and October 18th, 2021, the company, which currently operates more than 1,340 gambling premises in the UK, failed to comply with the following Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP):
As a result of the findings and after taking into account the fact that the licence holder showed a willingness to make things right by taking appropriate remedial action, the UK Gambling Commission imposed a £2,999,850 worth of financial penalty as well as additional licence conditions.
- Author
Olivia Cole
