Key Moments:
- The UK Gambling Commission imposed a £650,000 penalty on NetBet Enterprises Limited for anti-money laundering and social responsibility breaches.
- Failures occurred between November 2023 and July 2024 and included inadequate detection of high-risk customer behavior.
- NetBet is set to undergo an independent audit and must implement significant compliance improvements.
Regulatory Action and Findings
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has levied a £650,000 ($846,466) fine on NetBet Enterprises Limited after uncovering several failings related to anti-money laundering (AML) and responsible gaming on Netbet.co.uk. The issues addressed by the regulator spanned from November 2023 to July 2024.
In a settlement agreement, NetBet will channel the total amount of its financial penalty toward socially responsible initiatives.
Anti-Money Laundering and Social Responsibility Breaches
The UKGC cited deficiencies in NetBet’s adherence to License Condition 2.1.1, which mandates measures to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. The commission pointed to the company’s heavy reliance on preset financial triggers for assessing AML risk. This became evident when customers engaged in gambling activities that appeared inconsistent with their reported net incomes, yet were not escalated as higher-risk cases.
One such case involved a customer depositing approximately £2,000 over four days and working in a higher-risk occupation. Despite this, the individual remained classified as low-risk, without being referred to a money laundering reporting officer. A subsequent pay slip revealed a monthly net income near £2,800, but NetBet overlooked the risks associated with concentrated deposit activity, including a £1,650 deposit within two hours.
The investigation also identified cases where accounts showing potentially problematic gambling patterns were not promptly elevated to higher risk or subject to intervention. Weaknesses in risk assessments extended to oversight of third-party relationships, riskier bet sizes, and controls for third-country nationals residing in the UK.
The Gambling Commission has ordered NetBet Enterprises to pay £650,000 after identifying anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings across its UK operations between November 2023 and July 2024.
— iGB (@iGamingBusiness) November 5, 2025
Customer Protection and Reporting Lapses
Social responsibility practices were another focal point for the UKGC. The regulator determined that NetBet did not maintain appropriate processes for customer interaction or implement sufficiently robust measures to mitigate the risks of harmful gambling behavior.
Warnings such as playing throughout the night, repeated rapid deposits, hitting limits, and gaming frequency only surfaced after manual review, instead of being detected by automated systems. In addition, NetBet provided inaccurate data in regulatory submissions, which the UKGC classified as a violation of License Condition 15.3.1 regarding timely and accurate reporting.
Compliance Remediation Measures
NetBet must now conduct an independent audit as a result of the commission’s findings. The operator is also required to pay the investigation costs. The UKGC prompted immediate action to overhaul the operator’s systems and controls, reinforce risk assessments, enhance detection and response protocols for customer harm signals, and improve the accuracy of regulatory reporting.
“This case highlights the serious consequences of failing to meet AML and social responsibility obligations,” he said. “We expect all operators to take note and ensure their systems are not only well-designed but are working effectively to protect consumers and to keep crime out of gambling.
“The operator was instructed to take immediate action and make significant improvements to its systems and controls. This included strengthening their risk assessments, improving how they identify and respond to indicators of harm and ensuring the accuracy of the data they report to us.
“Our focus is on ensuring operators meet the standards we expect and, where they fall short, we will intervene.”
– John Pierce, director of enforcement at the UK Gambling Commission
Recent UKGC Enforcement Actions
The UKGC has increased its scrutiny of gambling operators recently in response to widespread compliance failures. In October, Spribe OÜ’s software license was suspended due to unmet hosting criteria and grave non-compliance issues, necessitating the immediate halt of its hosting services until regulatory approval is regained.
Additionally, earlier this month, the commission suspended the operating license of VGC Leeds Limited, the company behind Victoria Gate Casino in Leeds, England. This resulted from insufficient anti-money laundering controls and policies detected during a compliance review, in breach of regulatory requirements.
| Operator | Action Taken | Reason | Time of Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| NetBet Enterprises Limited | £650,000 fine, independent audit | AML and responsible gaming breaches | November 2023 – July 2024 |
| Spribe OÜ | License suspension | Non-compliant hosting practices | October |
| VGC Leeds Limited | License suspension | Insufficient AML controls | Earlier this month |
- Author
Daniel Williams
