Today on the 3^{rd of} December, Done Brothers (Trading as Betfred), who operate multiple betting shops, received a fine of 825,000 following an investigation conducted by the Gambling Commission that revealed social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures. This is the second time Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Limited has faced regulatory action – in 2023 the operator paid a 3.25 million regulatory settlement for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.

Anti-money laundering failures included

• the licensee was unable to effectively identify and manage money laundering risks associated with customers using its B3 gaming machines. Whilst the licensee utilised machine alerts and daily reports, practices in place at the time of the assessment in 2024 meant the operator was unable to assess overall customer spend and the associated money laundering and terrorist financing risks
• the licensee did not have an effective policy in place to identify and handle any customers who may be subject to financial sanctions
• thresholds at which the operator made enquiries regarding customers’ source of income were not appropriately risk based, with thresholds set at 15,000 losses and at 125,000 stakes in 365 days.

Social responsibility failures included

• the licensee could not adequately identify spend and any associated financial indicators of gambling harm for customers using B3 gaming machines
• customer interactions did not always take place following an identification of risk indicators, or when they did – interactions were not conducted in a way which minimised the risk of gambling related harm
• the quality of interactions, in particular understanding the impact of the interaction, did not to meet the standards required.”

Alongside the fine, the operator has also received a warning and must undergo a third-party audit to ensure they are implementing anti-money laundering and safer gambling policies, procedures and controls effectively.

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS

• Ensure all AML & Safer Gambling policies and Procedures are adequate while addressing risks related to gambling machines outlining related controls.
• Check machine spend can be monitored effectively.
• Ensure financial thresholds are appropriate and justifiably risk based
• Ensure interactions are detailed and logged with sufficient notes made.

Read the full release from the Commission here

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to Contact Us