ProgressPlay issued with £1m Gambling Commission fine
Malta-based operator, ProgressPlay Limited, has been issued a £1m fine by the Gambling Commission for anti-money laundering and social responsibility shortcomings.
Key points:
– ProgressPlay is charged with anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings
– Investigation found that the operator did not implement proper risk assessments
– Second time the company has been fined
ProgressPlay Limited has again invoked the ire of the Gambling Commission (GC), and now faces a £1m ($1.3m) fine for anti-money laundering (AML) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) failings.
In 2022, the Malta-based operator and white label casino and sportsbook was found to be guilty of similar breaches of its licence conditions, though in this first instance it was only compelled to pay £175,718.
John Pierce, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence, commented on the repeat infraction, saying: “Operators should be in no doubt: repeated regulatory breaches will result in increasingly severe enforcement action. We urge all operators to examine the failings identified in this case and take proactive steps to strengthen their own systems and controls.”
In addition to the financial sanction, ProgressPlay will now have to submit to a third-party audit to ensure that the necessary changes have been implemented.
Good to know: ProgressPlay trades as JeffBet, among other online gambling platforms, and fell foul of the Advertising Standards Authority in 2024 for not making it clear enough that a free bet offer was available only to users new to the ProgressPlay network, rather than all new JeffBet customers
Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (MLTF) is something all GC licence holders are expected to take proactive steps to prevent, and ProgressPlay was found to not have the appropriate risk assessment in place.
It is also said to have failed to “sufficiently scrutinise transactions carried out during the course of customer relationships.”
On the CSR side, the GC compliance assessment found ProgressPlay to be negligent in its monitoring of customer activity at the point of account opening, a key step in restricting the potential for gambling harm.
The breaches reportedly took place between August 2021 and August 2024 and the company is said to have co-operated with the GC throughout the investigation while taking steps to correct any misdeeds.
Gambling Insider delivers the latest industry news, in-depth features, and operator reviews that you can trust. Our team combines rigorous editorial standards with decades of specialized expertise to ensure accuracy and fairness. We are committed to delivering clear, impartial, and dependable coverage across the global gambling sector.
