UK regulator fines Betfred $1.10 million for social responsibility and AML failures
The UK Gambling Commission has fined bookmaker Betfred £825,000 ($1.10 million) for social responsibility and anti-money laundering (AML) failures linked to gaming machines in its betting shops, the regulator said on Wednesday.
Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Ltd, which trades as Betfred, will also receive a formal warning and must undergo a third-party audit to ensure it is complying with AML and safer-gambling requirements. The action marks the company’s second enforcement case in two years; it paid a £3.25 million settlement in 2023 for similar failings.
The Commission said Betfred was “unable to effectively identify and manage money laundering risks” associated with customers using B3 gaming machines. Although the operator used machine alerts and daily reports, it was unable to assess overall customer spend or related money laundering and terrorist financing risks. It also lacked an effective policy for identifying customers subject to financial sanctions.
Regulators found that the company’s thresholds for checking customers’ source of income were not risk-based, with reviews only triggered at £15,000 in losses or £125,000 in stakes over a 12-month period.
Social responsibility failings included Betfred’s inability to adequately identify spend patterns that might indicate gambling harm. Customer interactions often did not take place when risk indicators appeared, and when they did occur, the Commission said they were not conducted in a way that minimised harm. The quality of interactions also fell short of required standards, including failure to assess the effectiveness of interventions.
John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement said: "While the failings identified during the 2024 Compliance Assessment were predominantly technical breaches rather than arising from specific customer examples, they were nevertheless unacceptable, particularly with thresholds appearing too high and insufficiently risk based when assessed in practice, and deficiencies in some processes and procedures adopted by the Licensee.
“We fully acknowledge the improvements the operator has already made since these issues were identified, and the independent audit will be key to confirming these changes are sustained so that the operator continues to be fully compliant with social responsibility and anti-money laundering requirements."
Betfred said it had strengthened its AML and social responsibility policies following the review. "Following a review of our UK-based betting shops by the Gambling Commission we have further strengthened our anti-money laundering and social responsibility policies,” said Mark Pearson, the company’s head of corporate affairs and communications.
"During the review, the commission found no evidence of criminal spend in our shops. Betfred is committed to ensuring a safe gambling experience for all our customers," Pearson said.
The failings were primarily linked to retail gaming-machine operations rather than online gambling activity, the Commission noted.
https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/12/05/116642-uk-regulator-fines-betfred-110-million-for-social-responsibility-and-aml-failures