Operator SkillOnNet will pay £305,150 for breaching Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) after a Gambling Commission investigation in the UK revealed social responsibility and anti-money laundering (AML) failures.
According to the Gambling Act 2005, the conditions of SkillOnNet’s licence objectives are to: ensure gambling is conducted in a fair and open way, prevent gambling from being associated to/with a crime or being used to support a crime, and to protect children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
The regulatory review found failings in the SkillOnNet processes, which were aimed at safer gambling and preventing money laundering.
The Gambling Commission said: “The licensee’s interactions were not effective in capturing the necessary information to make an assessment on whether an individual was at risk or not. The interactions that did take place were minimal and took the customer’s word at face value without any further scrutiny or attempt to seek further information to support decision making.”
This regulatory settlement consists of: a £305,150 payment in lieu of a financial penalty, which will be directed towards socially responsible causes; agreement to the publication of a statement of facts in relation to this case; a payment of £9,079 towards the Commission’s costs of investigating the case; and an agreement to conduct an independent third-party audit in regards to the effective implementation of the SkillOnNet's AML and safer gambling policies, procedures and controls – within 12 months of the conclusion of the licence review.
