The first six months of 2023 saw gambling regulators across Europe, North America, and Australia issue fines totaling €75,187,033 / £64,490,694 / $81,376,292.
Figures for Q1 / Q2 represent a drop of 7.6% when compared to the first six months of 2022 when regulators issued fines totaling €81,401,307 / £70,101,023 / $85,355,005.
However, it’s worth noting that the current six month total could have been significantly more if Crown Resorts AU$450 million penalty had been included. In May The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) proposed and agreed a financial penalty of AU$450 million (€274.95 million) with Crown Melbourne and Crown Perth for AML breaches. While the penalty was agreed upon by both parties, it must be approved by the Federal Court of Australia. A hearing is set for July 10th during which the court could decide to reduce or increase the penalty.
There are also several proposed fines pending across multiple states in the USA that have yet to be enforced and issued to the operators in question.
Busy Q1/Q2 for regulators in UK and the Netherlands
The Netherlands gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has been the busiest regulator so far in 2023 issuing 14 financial penalties totaling €10,506,550 / £9,016,688 / $11,402,844.
The highest penalty issued by the KSA was the €4.4 million it collected from online gambling operator Gammix. The company had failed to heed multiple warnings of periodical penalties related to unlicensed gambling products operating in the Dutch market.
Meanwhile, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) issued 11 penalties totaling €43,070,716 / £36,945,035 / $46,732,018.
The UKGC’s penalties represent the lion’s share of fines accounting for 57.3% of all fines issued in the first half of 2023.
The Commission also issued the largest financial penalty for the period when it fined William Hill £19.2 million (€21.8 million / $24.3 million) for serious social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures at three of its gambling businesses. This was the biggest issued by the UKGC in its history, surpassing the previous record of a £17 million fine issued to Entain in August of 2022.
Multiple regulators and courts across Australia also had a busy six months issuing 6 financial penalties totaling €12,719,018 / £10,921,431 / $13,826,299 / AU$20,861,467. Q3 and Q4 will see a significant jump in that figure thanks to the expected AU$450 million (€274.95 million) penalty that Crown looks set to pay.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s regulator, Spelinspektionen, issued 3 financial penalties totaling €7,513,452 / £6,446,236 / $8,152,802.
| Country / Regulator | Total Fines | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UK / Gambling Commission | 11 | €43,070,716 / £36,945,035 / $46,732,018 |
| Netherlands / Kansspelautoriteit | 14 | €10,506,550 / £9,016,688 / $11,402,844 |
| Australia / Multiple | 6 | €12,719,018 / £10,921,431 / $13,826,299 |
| Sweden / Spelinspektionen | 3 | €7,513,452 / £6,446,236 / $8,152,802 |
| USA / Multiple | 8 | €540,818 / £464,333 / $587,964 |
| Malta / Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit | 1 | €240,958 / £206,832 / $261,917 |
| Canada(Ontario) / AGCO | 5 | €165,319 / £141,905 / $179,688 |
| Lithuania / Lithuanian Gambling Supervisory Service | 1 | €15,333 / £13,162 / $16,669 |
In the USA and Canada in particular, fines are quite low in comparison to their European counterparts. In the first half of 2023, 13 fines across North American jurisdictions have yet to see fines pass the $1 million mark.
Speaking to Gambling Industry News, Richard Schuetz, former member of the California Gambling Control Commission and former Executive Director of the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission said:
“These fines just seem to be becoming part of the operating expenses. If they want to change behaviors, some people need to pay by being separated from the industry.”
Despite the number of fines issued, there have been no major suspensions of gaming license so far in 2023.
There is still some way to go before gambling regulators match the €257,276,825 / £220,948,192 / $269,532,490 issued throughout 2023. However, should the Australian Federal Court approve Crown Resorts’ penalty in July, last year’s record total will be well and truly broken with almost half of the year remaining.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.
