The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has fined Greentube Alderney Ltd £1 million for failing to meet anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility standards.
Greentube Alderney, which operates the Admiral Casino brand, breached AML rules for the reported period of September 2022 to June 2023.
The Commission deemed that Greentube had failed to properly scrutinise information, causing delays in identifying and escalating money laundering or terrorism financing risks. It also ignored its own policies on “risky occupations”, such as failing to flag a customer’s role as a finance manager, which could suggest access to misappropriated or laundered funds.
The company did not act promptly to investigate and escalate suspicious accounts. In one case, it overlooked an account linked to another customer with the same address and surname, who had a conviction for supplying Class A drugs.
John Pierce, the Commission’s Director of Enforcement, said this penalty follows a compliance assessment aimed at ensuring the operator had addressed previous regulatory failings. While some improvements were noted, further breaches were identified. The UKGC has ordered Greentube to implement an action plan to resolve these issues immediately.
This is not the first penalty for Greentube. In 2021, the company was fined £685,000 for similar AML and social responsibility breaches. These repeated failures come as the UKGC strengthens its oversight amid the ongoing review of the 2005 Gambling Act. Other major operators, such as Entain and William Hill, have also faced record fines for non-compliance.
The UKGC emphasises the importance of both AML and social responsibility measures. Operators must conduct affordability checks, verify customer documents, and identify signs of vulnerability. The Commission expects Open Banking to play a key role in improving the analysis of customer finances.
Pierce warned operators about the consequences of repeated failures. He said: “Any business that breaches rules designed to keep gambling safe and free from crime will face stricter enforcement. Failures in anti-money laundering are unacceptable, and today’s action highlights the seriousness of these breaches. We will continue to monitor this operator to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.”
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