Significant penalties

Two UK gambling companies have been hit with fines totalling ￡675,000 ($841,908) from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The UK’s gambling regulator announced these penalties on Tuesday against Jumpman Gaming Limited and Progress Play Limited. Most of the issues relate to anti-money laundering and responsible gambling deficiencies.

Specifically, Jumpman Gaming has to pay a ￡500,000 ($623,636) fine and Progress Play was hit with a ￡175,718 ($219,168) penalty. The money will go toward the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms. Both operators fully complied with the UKGC’s investigations.

we will always clamp down on operators who fail in their obligations”

Speaking about the action, UKGC director of enforcement and intelligence Leanne Oxley said: “We will always clamp down on operators who fail in their obligations to keep gambling safe and crime-free.”

She went on to encourage other operators to look at the failings in these particular cases and to see areas in which they might be able to improve their own operations.

Jumpman Gaming’s failings

Jumpman Gaming operates 243 websites in the gambling space; there were a number of areas of concern that the UKGC flagged. Most of the issues relate to anti-money laundering and responsible gambling failures. The company allowed users to deposit and lose significant sums before conducting affordability checks.

The UKGC began its regulatory review into Jumpman Gaming in September 2020 after concerns were identified in July 2020 through a compliance assessment. The operator’s processes when it came to preventing money laundering and protecting those who are vulnerable were found to be inadequate. In addition to the ￡500,000 ($623,636) fine, Jumpman Gaming will also have to cover the ￡13,594 ($16,955) worth of UKGC investigation costs.

Progress Play’s deficiencies

Progress Play Limited has 201 websites under its umbrella. Its regulatory review by the UKGC began in August 2020. Similar to Jumpman Gaming, the main failings found relate to the prevention of money laundering and the protection of vulnerable people.

In some instances, players were able to continue gambling for two weeks after the operator had requested source of funds information. There were also failures to conduct affordability checks on people who had triggered gambling harm warnings. On top of the ￡175,718 ($219,168) fine, Progress Play also has to cover the ￡12,466 ($15,548) worth of UKGC investigation costs.