Key points:
- Football Pools Limited to pay £375,000 ($484,365) after a Gambling Commission investigation found breaches in social responsibility and anti-money laundering practices
- The Commission confirms further action will be taken if standards are not maintained
Online gambling operator, the Football Pools, has agreed to pay £375,000 following an investigation by the Gambling Commission. The regulatory action comes after findings relating to the company’s anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility measures.
Football Pools Limited, which operates four websites including footballpools.com, will pay the full settlement amount to socially responsible causes. The breaches occurred between September 2022 and August 2023.
The Commission acknowledged that Football Pools has made necessary steps since the compliance assessment was completed. However, the regulator confirms that further action will be taken if standards are not upheld.
Good to know: The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the UK, ensuring operators follow rules to protect consumers and prevent money laundering, with penalties for those who don’t comply
John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, stated: “This case demonstrates that the Licensee's approach to anti-money laundering risk profiling and monitoring was insufficient, allowing high-risk customers to continue gambling before completing necessary enhanced due diligence checks.
“In addition, the Licensee was over-reliant on financial alerts that whilst preventing significant losses meant it failed to engage in a timely manner with some customers who were potentially experiencing other markers of gambling-related harm such as time spent gambling and high velocity spend.
“While it is recognised that necessary improvements have been made by the Licensee following the completion of the compliance assessment, the Commission will take further action if these standards are not maintained."
