Report: Gambling regulators issue fines in excess of £44m in 2020
Gambling compliance tracker reveals 175% annual increase in financial punishment of igaming firms
Gambling compliance tracker GamblingIndustryFines.com has tracked more than £44m in fines levied against international gambling operators in 2020.
The total marks a sharp 175% uptick on 2019’s figures, where sports betting and online casino operators were made to pay combined sanctions of just over £16m.
Fine recipients this year were based in Malta, Sweden, Australia and the UK, with penalties imposed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA), UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and in Australia via the NSW Liquor & Gaming Agency.
The first fine of the year was issued in January by the MGA to Blackrock Media to the tune of £2m for “servicing unauthorised transactions”.
Caesars Entertainment UK received the most severe penalty of 2020 in April after the UKGC issued the operator with a record-high £13m fine for systemic VIP failings.
Betway paid the second highest fine of 2020 (£11.6m) after the UKGC discovered “systemic and historic” social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures in its VIP practices.
The third biggest fine of the year went to Kindred Group (£8.3m) after the SGA took action against the operator for offering repeat bonuses to Swedish consumers.