Unibet parent company cops massive UK fine

Platinum Gaming Limited, the parent company of Unibet, has received a £10 million penalty from the UK Gambling Commission for not meeting standards in regard to safer gambling and anti-money laundering practices.

It is the company’s second penalty for the same breaches, having had to pay £2.9 million in 2023. For these latest offences, it was also issued with a warning by the Gambling Commission and must undergo a third-party audit.

The Gambling Commission’s investigation found that Platinum Gaming’s systems did not always identify customers who might be at risk.

It cited examples of customers who had previously had their accounts closed due to anti-money laundering or terrorist funding concerns being able to open new accounts and continue gambling.

The Commission noted that Platinum Gaming did not always consider important factors such as a customer’s occupation, the amount of money being deposited and withdrawn, or the extent of their losses during reviews.

The Commission’s director of enforcement, John Pierce, called on Platinum Gaming’s senior leaders to “take ownership” of the findings.

“The case revealed serious shortcomings in customer interaction systems, including failures to identify and act on clear markers of harm,” he said.

“These included consumers losing thousands within hours or days of registration, repeatedly breaching loss limits, and exhibiting patterns of binge and high-velocity gambling without appropriate intervention. Significant anti-money laundering failures were also identified.”

“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.”

The Platinum Gaming Limited is a licensed subsidiary of Kindred Group, which owns the Unibet brand throughout the world, including in Australia.

The Australian arm, operated by Betchoice Corporation Pty Ltd, was fined $1 million earlier this year by Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after being found guilty of more than 100,000 contraventions of Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act.