The UK Gambling Commission has reported that it has fined two online casinos a total of £1.3 million (€1.56 million) following an investigation into social responsibility failures.
Rank Digital Gaming (Alderney) Limited, which operates bellacasino.com, grosvenorcasino.com, meccabingo.com and meccagames.com in the UK, has been ordered to pay a regulatory settlement of £700,557 (€841,041) for social responsibility failures.
The company was found to have failed to:
- Identify those who might be at risk or experiencing harms related to problem gambling
- Contact customers who are displaying signs of problem gambling
- Ensure that people who had voluntarily self-excluded would not have access to gambling products or services
Meanwhile, Annexio (Jersey) Limited which runs lottogo.com must pay a regulatory settlement of £612,000 (€734,726) for both social responsibility and anti money laundering failures.
The company was found to have failed to:
- Identify those who might be at risk or experiencing harms related to problem gambling
- Identify the source of funds for deposits
The company agreed to implement new anti-money laundering and affordability procedures that includes a £500 monthly gross deposit limit on all new customers and a lifetime deposit threshold of £10,000. Once a customer reaches that threshold and has not supplied sufficient source of income documentation, they will not be allowed to make any further deposits.
Speaking of the action taken against both operators, Helen Venn, Gambling Commission Executive Director, said:
“We expect high standards from operators to ensure gambling in Britain is safe and crime free. Those businesses that fail to meet these standards will find themselves facing costly regulatory action.”
All settlement money from both operators will go directly towards the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.
Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.