Unibet’s owners get fined £10million from the UKGC

10 million pounds sterling is the staggering sum Platinum Gaming Limited (PGL), the operator behind major UK sites Unibet.co.uk and UK.bingo.com, has been forced to pay to the Gambling Commission (UKGC).

The crackdown follows a damning investigation that exposed serious, systemic failures across both Social Responsibility (SR) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) protocols between January 2023 and May 2024.

This enormous fine isn't just about a penalty; it’s a stark regulatory statement confirming that failing to heed previous warnings comes at an exponentially higher cost.

Warning signs

The core of the UKGC's action lies in PGL's failure to recognise and act upon stark warning signs displayed by its customers. The operator's automated systems, designed to be the first line of defence for Social Responsibility (SR), proved dangerously inadequate.

For readers seeking concrete examples of this negligence, the Commission highlighted behaviour that should have triggered immediate intervention:

• One customer's system failed to flag them as at-risk despite losing £5,000 within just 24 hours of registration. This individual went on to haemorrhage more than £16,000 in under three months.

• Another player was ignored entirely, despite losing over £31,000 across nine months and hitting their pre-set monthly loss limit a shocking six times. This pattern clearly indicated binge gambling behaviour that the operator simply let pass.

• Perhaps most alarming, PGL failed to identify a customer who exceeded their £2,500 loss limit within a mere 16 minutes of creating their account, a clear sign of immediate, severe risk.

The Anti-Money Laundering failure

The failures weren't confined to player welfare; the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes were also deemed fundamentally flawed.

The most critical security lapse discovered was that Platinum Gaming's risk assessment failed to account for customers whose accounts had been previously closed due to money laundering or terrorist funding concerns before 2023.

This oversight created a massive loophole. These high-risk individuals were able to rejoin the Unibet and Bingo.com platforms and gamble unimpeded.

Furthermore, the AML policy itself "lacked clarity" on when to apply standard versus Enhanced Customer Due Diligence (ECDD), and crucially, there was no evidence that high-risk factors like a customer’s occupation or high transaction volumes were consistently considered during reviews.

This combination of poor monitoring and administrative ambiguity exposed the UK market to financial crime risks.

Activity like this is what forced the UK government to increase the national risk assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing from low to medium.

Repeat offenders

What makes this penalty even more significant is the fact that it is Platinum Gaming’s 2nd sanction in 2 years.

In March 2023, the company was hit with a £2.9 million fine for virtually identical social responsibility and AML shortcomings. 

The jump from the previous penalty to £10 million underscores the Commission's frustration and its commitment to escalating punitive action against repeat offenders.

Message to owners and further punishment

The Gambling Commission’s Director of Enforcement, John Pierce, did not mince words, delivering a sharp critique directed squarely at PGL’s boardroom.

Pierce stated that the case revealed "serious shortcomings in customer interaction systems" and pointed to "patterns of binge and high-velocity gambling without appropriate intervention."

His key quote focused on accountability:

“Senior leaders must take ownership of compliance outcomes and ensure lessons are embedded across the organisation.”

Full list of punishments

On top of the financial penalty, the UKGC also imposed strict conditions designed to force the company to change:

Element of punishment	Detail
Financial penalty	£10,000,000
Warning	Formal Regulatory Warning issued
Audit requirement	Mandatory third-party audit to ensure policies are effectively implemented
Internal mandate	Required internal investigation with regular updates provided to the Commission

The additional audit and investigation requirements underscore the regulator's loss of confidence, forcing the operator to prove its compliance or face the possibility of "further regulatory activity."

What this means for Unibet players

For the typical customer on Unibet or UK.bingo.com, the UKGC ruling should ultimately translate into significantly better safeguards.

The investigation starkly revealed that player protection systems were dangerously weak. However, the result of the fine and the mandatory conditions is a forced, urgent fix.

Platinum Gaming’s current owner, FDJ United, has already confirmed it has implemented new software solutions and risk management frameworks to address the shortcomings.

The requirement for a third-party audit means that these new procedures must be proven to work effectively under external scrutiny. For players, this means:

• Faster intervention: Systems should now be much quicker at identifying and intervening with markers of harm, such as rapid, high losses or repeatedly hitting personal limits.

• Enhanced security: The AML loophole allowing previously blocked high-risk individuals to re-open accounts is now mandated to be closed, providing greater security against financial crime on the platform.

Reinforcing the UKGC's role as player protector

By hitting Platinum Gaming with the largest fine this year for repeated offences, the UKGC is reinforcing its commitment to player protection and AML integrity across the entire sector.

The mandatory external audit ensures these failures aren't swept under the rug. This firm action signals loudly to all licence holders: the era of tolerance for systemic compliance gaps is over. The UK market will operate under stronger, fiercely enforced safeguards.