The UK Gambling Commission has awarded bet365 with a £582,120 fine for ineffective customer due diligence and failing KYC triggers.
Bet365 Ordered To Pay £582,120 Fine By UK Commission
The betting operator also faced another issue, after it was revealed that financial sanctions checks were not being done – impacting users on their opening deposits.
The UK Gambling Commission also questioned the anti-money laundering failures and said bet365 saw social responsibility failures.
The UKGC said: “Demonstrably effective in understanding the impact of individual interactions on a customer’s behaviour and whether further action was required.”
The fine will be split up between different parts of bet365, with £343,035 being paid by Hillside (UK Gaming) ENC, who are licenced for bet365’s casino and bingo products.
Hillside (UK Sports) ENC will have to pay the rest of the fine, which totals to £239,085 and is bet365’s sports betting side.
Executive director of operations at the UKGC, Kay Roberts, believes the fine towards bet365 is justified despite being less severe than other gambling issues.
They said: “The policy and procedural failings may not have been as severe as those at other gambling businesses in recent years, but they were failings nonetheless.
“We expect high standards from operators in terms of keeping gambling safe, fair and crime-free, and will always take action to correct any failings.
“This operator is very aware that a repeat of these failings will result is escalating regulatory action.”
A UKGC compliance assessment in March 2022 revealed these specific failures and has now came to close after two years of investigations.
This latest fine comes at a difficult time foe the betting operator, as Bet365 faces another financial investigation in Australia.
Austrac, The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, is looking into the alleged news that bet365 broke anti-money laundering laws and didn’t adhere to the rules for counter-terrorism financing.