The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is easily one of the busiest governmental agencies in the world when it comes to doling out fines to scofflaw gambling operators. To wit, this week the UKGC handed out a massive £3 million ($3.86 million USD) fine to an operator called Mr. Green for what it described as massive “systemic failings”. The fines relate to compliance issues and are among the larger fines we’ve seen issued by the Commission in recent memory.
Mr. Greeen’s issues with compliance go back at least a decade and predate the company’s relationship with gambling behemoth William Hill, which recently bought the company.
Of particular issue to the UKGC was Mr. Green’s remarkably sloppy handling of compliance issues, such as funds verification. In on particularly egregious case, the company accepted a photo of a laptop screen showing a cryptocurrency trading account as proof of funds from a player.
Mr. Green is also accused of accepting a player’s proof of a payout for less than £200,000 ($257,000 USD) pounds as proof of funds for a deposit of more than £1 million ($1.29 millon USD).
To say that these are violations of UK compliance rules is something of an understatement.
In a statement reported on by the Guardian, UKGC Executive Director Richard Watson commented on the situation saying, “Consumers in Britain have the right to know that there are checks and balances in place which will help keep them safe and ensure gambling is crime-free – and we will continue to crack down on operators who fail in this area.”
Company officials say that problems with compliance processes and procedures have been addressed.