{"id":82086,"date":"2018-06-28T11:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T18:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=82086"},"modified":"2018-06-28T11:01:32","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T18:01:32","slug":"ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/","title":{"rendered":"UKGC Sticks It to British Online Gaming Operators with Record $23.6 Million in Fines and Warnings to Behave"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fines against internet UK gaming operators<\/a> rose more than tenfold between May 2017 and April 2018, from \u00a31.6 million ($2 million) to \u00a318 million ($23.6 million), as regulator UKGC warned that penalties will continue to \u201cescalate relentlessly\u201d if the industry fails to improve its compliance standards.<\/p>\n

\"UKGC\"
In August 2017, 888 Holdings was fined almost \u00a38 million for \u2013 among other infractions \u2013 allowing 7,000 self-excluded gamblers to retain access to their accounts. (Image: AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This week, the regulator published its new Enforcement Report, which details investigations and sanctions to provide guidance for operators on how to avoid them. Infractions included deficient anti-money laundering (AML) procedures, advertising and marketing violations, and failures to protect problem or self-excluded gamblers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking Stock<\/h2>\n

Among the fines doled out by the regulator was a record \u00a37.8 million ($10.2 million) to 888 Holdings, for \u201coutrageous failings” in allowing over 7,000 people who had previously voluntarily banned themselves from the site’s key online gaming divisions to access its internet bingo platforms. Although attributed to a technical glitch, it ultimately cost these customers $4.6 million in the course of just over a year.<\/p>\n

\n

Meanwhile, one 888 customer was permitted to make 850,000 bets totaling \u00a31.3 million ($1.7 million) in embezzled funds stolen from his employer. The UK Gambling Commission\u00a0cited “lack of interaction with the customer, given the frequency, duration, and sums of money involved in the gambling” as indication of a lack of regard for preventing problem gambling.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

888\u2019s shares plunged on the London Stock Exchange on the news that the online gambling giant was under investigation, over fears that its license would be revoked.<\/p>\n

Zero Tolerance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The increase in fines is not necessarily a sign that gaming operators have become more lax. The UKGC is becoming tougher and embracing its own new powers to punish transgressions. It’s largely a reaction to public and media concerns over the proliferation of online gambling that’s resulted from TV advertising and social media spots.<\/p>\n

New measures introduced by the regulator in its 2015 Licensing Conditions and Codes of Practice ordered that operators must openly state limitations and qualifications on bonuses offered through marketing and advertising. It had long been an industry standard to bury wagering requirements on casino bonuses or \u201cfree bets\u201d deep into the small print.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Extended powers introduced at the same time allowed the UKGC to sanction operators that broke the new rules. Previously, it had been up to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) — a self-regulating industry body — to police advertising. But the ASA was unable to enforce legislation or take punitive action, beyond ordering an offending ad to be pulled.<\/p>\n

Straighten Up and Fly Right<\/h2>\n

In May 2017, BGO<\/a> became the first company to be fined by the regulator under the new rules, receiving a $300,000 penalty for \u201cmisleading advertisements\u201d that \u201crepeatedly violated\u201d the code.<\/p>\n

Neil McArthur — who became chief executive of the Gambling Commission earlier this year — described the Enforcement Report as a \u201ccall to action\u201d to industry chiefs to \u201cset the tone from the top, to lead a culture of compliance that puts doing the right thing for your customers first, and to strive to continuously raise standards in your organization.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fines against internet UK gaming operators rose more than tenfold between May 2017 and April 2018, from \u00a31.6 million ($2 million) to \u00a318 million ($23.6 million), as regulator UKGC warned that penalties will continue to \u201cescalate relentlessly\u201d if the industry fails to improve its compliance standards. This week, the regulator published its new Enforcement Report, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":82090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,19,13592],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUKGC Hits Online Gaming Operators with Record $23.6 Million in Fines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The UKGC issued a record $23.6 million in fines in the fiscal year to April 1, as the regulator adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards non-compliance and breaches of advertising standards.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UKGC Hits Online Gaming Operators with Record $23.6 Million in Fines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The UKGC issued a record $23.6 million in fines in the fiscal year to April 1, as the regulator adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards non-compliance and breaches of advertising standards.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-28T18:00:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-06-28T18:01:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/888.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/\",\"name\":\"UKGC Hits Online Gaming Operators with Record $23.6 Million in Fines\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/888.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-28T18:00:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-06-28T18:01:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"The UKGC issued a record $23.6 million in fines in the fiscal year to April 1, as the regulator adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards non-compliance and breaches of advertising standards.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukgc-hits-online-gaming-operators-with-record-23-6-million-in-fines\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/888.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/888.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1536,\"caption\":\"In August 2017, 888 Holdings was fined almost 8 million for \u2013 among other infractions \u2013 allowing 7,000 self-excluded gamblers to retain access to their accounts. 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He currently focuses his coverage on gaming law, white-collar crime, global money laundering, tribal gaming, politics, and regulation. Philip was the original features editor for poker\u2019s Bluff Magazine and editor for Bluff Europe, which he helped launch. His writing has also been featured in ESPN, Forbes, Time Out, The Sun, and The Daily Star, as well as iGaming Business, eGaming Review, and numerous other industry news and tech websites. His news stories for Casino.org\/news have been linked by The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, People Magazine, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, among many others. Philip once won $20,000 with 7-2 off-suit. He has been reprimanded for unwittingly playing Elton John\u2019s piano on two separate occasions on both sides of the Atlantic. He became a writer because he is a lousy pianist. Philip lives outside London with his wife and children, where he spends his time agonizing about Arsenal FC. 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